Aligning collateral and micro-conversions with the buying cycle

I am a big proponent of having multiple conversion options, especially in situations where you are selling a high-ticket item or a product that has a long sales cycle, but also for lower-cost items.

Historically, and even largely still, the “best practice” has always been to focus on one main conversion point so as not to distract consumers from the primary conversion.

While this ideology makes sense in theory, it can also be costly. Consumers are becoming more savvy in the way that they shop, and advertisers have tools and targeting options that didn’t exist when this “best practice” was originally established.

Part of this change in consumer activity can be attributed to cross-device usage. There are some actions that are simply less practical to complete on a phone; on the flip side, mobile devices also enable consumers to move forward with research on the go in ways that weren’t previously possible.

According to a 2015 Google/Ipsos Study, 90 percent of smartphone users have used their phones to make progress toward a long goal or multi-step process while out and about. Sixty-two percent of smartphone users are more likely to take action right away toward solving an unexpected problem or task because they have a smartphone. It’s not that these mobile search behaviors are new — but with mobile searches surpassing desktop in 2015, these habits have an impact.

Part of the change in consumer activity is simply due to a shift in the way consumers interact with brands, the content they consume and the sources they rely on to make decisions. Research and purchase decisions can now occur online, offline or some combination of both.

[Read the full article on Search Engine Land.]

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. Staff authors are listed here.

About The Author

Amy Bishop

Amy has built and implemented multichannel digital strategies for a variety of companies of all sizes from start-ups and small businesses to Fortune 500 and global organizations spanning several industry verticals. Her expertise includes e-commerce, lead generation, and localized site-to-store strategies. Amy recently launched Cultivative, a performance marketing agency. When not working, you can find her blogging, speaking at industry events and talking shop on Twitter @hoffman8.