Marketing is an art. (And there are some who are better at it than others).

Ever gone through a website and been wooed into purchasing online? (…if you haven’t, you probably wouldn’t be reading this… 😉)

It happens all the time and it does not occur by accident.

The marketing team behind that specific website is focused on understanding you, and creates the suggestive messaging to enable prospective customers to easily make the purchase(s) and/or move through their sales funnel.

And, with content and marketing fast becoming the killer traffic and awareness combo for businesses in both B2C and B2B markets, you must ensure that all your efforts pay off (sales).

77% of US B2C marketers expect to create more marketing content in 2016 than 2015, compared to 21% for the same amount, and 2% for less (CMI)

So, what are the ways in which marketers are able to target leads and get them to convert?

There are eleven crafty methods that are used around the world with great success.

IMPORTANT:
If you are marketer, you should review these, and see how and what you can apply in your business.

WARNING:
Persuasion (Peep Laja) and NLP (Wikipedia) techniques are fine and good to use, but manipulation is not, remember that. The power of words should not be under-estimated in this context.

Number 1 – Providing Assurances

Ever gone onto a website and sifted through products only to see a negative ‘1’ star rating beside a product?

You will never make the purchase.

However, what if the opposite was done?

5-star ratings (Google search results is a great example) can do the trick in elevating your brand position positively, while getting a person to make the purchase…and quickly.

It works well because you are able to demonstrate the product and/or service is well worth it, and you receive welcome social proof/love, and people respond favorably to that.

This is why testimonials, reviews and customer feedback are used all around the world.

It reduces the stress being put on the mind of the customer when forking over money and completing the payment.

Assurances are a neat marketing trick (when used with integrity) that will ensure the customer is more likely to make the purchase online as soon as they arrive on the site, or at least predisposed in doing so.

Number 2 – ‘Click To Action’ Buttons

This is quite common and one of the best approaches you are going to see and they are not even that ‘sneaky’.

In essence, you will place linked buttons on the website which are going to scream “CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW!” and your conversion rates will begin to soar through the roof.

You might sit back and wonder how could telling someone to do something work, but psychological studies have shown people do want to be told what to do.

They react positively to it as it makes them feel as if the right decision is being made.

These buttons are wonderful and it does not just have to be buttons on the site.

Even phrases in the sales copy attracting customers to purchase and pushing them in that direction can do the trick.

Direct response marketing combined with content marketing is both the buyers and sellers great friends, if done right: you both win!

Number 3 – Express Checkout

This is a nice method especially for those who don’t want to go through numerous hurdles to checkout.

Most want to put the item in their cart and go straight to the payment screen. For returning customers, it can become even easier as you will be able to checkout with one click.

This is seen with Amazon and they do this with wonderful proficiency.

You should take a look at their model in this regard and appreciate how they market to their customers. They want to showcase how the express checkout will speed things up.

Even a few seconds can make a difference in the mind of the customer that is on the site.

It will ensure they don’t have to get stuck on the site when making a purchase. Sometimes, it is something as unique as this that can do the trick.

Number 4 – Take Risk Off Of Their Shoulders

No one wants to shoulder all of the risk and it is as simple as this.

Marketers quickly realized when they told people about warranties and/or lifetime guarantees, they were more likely to purchase the items.

Now, you might sit back and wonder how smart it would be to offer something like this as people would keep returning items right?

Wrong!

Studies have shown most customers will make the purchase and even if they don’t like the product won’t want to return it. The introduction of try for free has worked wonders for this shoe company.

All you have to do is get them to make the initial purchase as the products being returned will be minimal at best.

Number 5 – Build A Narrative Around The Product/Service

A story is something most people can relate to. You want some sort of narrative to be built up and this can be done with any product.

Let’s assume you are selling an acne product.

You will talk about how the product is something that will help those who have self-confidence concerns due to their acne and find it to be unappealing.

This will help the customer relate to what is being sold to them and when that happens, the conversion is almost done right there and then.

They are more likely to take out their card and make the purchase as desired.

Number 6 – Cater To The Target Market

You have to cater to the target market. If the target market is young adults, you can’t speak to them as if you are talking to the ‘baby boomers’.

Each segment of the market is different and you have to take this into account well in advance.

Build the site, narrative, and general approach based on the target market. When they start to get attached to the site and your brand, the major portion of the job is already done. Continue to sell to them, and prioritize the highest returns in your business model.

They will continue to come back because they like what is being presented to them.

Number 7 – Build An ‘Enemy’ To Combat

There is always an enemy that you can build which both the customer and business can relate to.

Once again, let’s go back to the acne product. You will be able to built acne up as the enemy and this is as easy as it gets.

You start to get on the customer’s side and they are going to appreciate the solution you are providing.

When the common enemy is built up, you will start to work with the target market in order to help them out.

This will show them you are the right option to consider.

Number 8 – “Only 1 Left”

You have to create a sense of urgency so the customer gets nudged to make a purchase immediately.

If you don’t want to lose them you should be going with the ‘Only 1 left’ as that is going to make them rush.

They will feel as if they are going to lose out on a great purchase.

You can even take it a step higher and put a countdown timer on the page. This will put them on the clock and they will rush to make the purchase.

This is how you can get them to buy online with relative ease.

Number 9 – The Amazon Trick

This is a great trick and one Amazon has been using for a long time.

They understand how the customer works and have put in enough research and have volumes of data (big data) to understand psychological tendencies of an online shopper.

The trick Amazon uses and one that works well is the “order today and you will get it by x date (time)”. It is something that entices the customer to go ahead and take out their card.

It is almost as if you are giving them a nice gift to make the purchase.

Marketing is all about showing the customer they are important and their comfort is what matters.

Number 10 – Sale (But Displaying Original Price)

Putting up a sale should only be a part of the marketing approach being used.

You should be looking to display the old price as well and showcase how much the person is saving.

An example of this would be “you save 54%” as this is going to immediately showcase how much they can gain by buying now.

It is used all across the Internet and in offline marketing too — because of how well it works.

You might have ‘fallen’ for it yourself as it is something people can relate to immediately: they want to find a great deal and that is what shopping is all about.

Number 11 – Spend X Amount Of Money, Get Free Shipping

This is a beautiful marketing trick and one that has worked for numerous marketers over the years.

Look at all of the big retailers, they encourage customers to purchase right now to get free shipping.

It is one of the best methods to use for those who want to not only sell, but sell a lot at the same time.

You will often be surprised how alluring free shipping can be to customers.

They don’t want to go ahead and pay the extra $7 in order to have the product shipped to them.

You can take this a step further and start to offer faster shipping for even more money. Amazon has even implemented physical drop boxes (I have one at my local 7-11) and pushing for drone-based deliveries!

It is one of the best methods to get people to purchase and they won’t even notice you are doing it.

It has been proven again and again over the years because of how well it truly works.

These are the eleven “sneaky” methods used by marketers around the world with great consistency and results.

You might not even notice what is occurring until the purchase has been made. It takes a keen eye to notice these intricacies and you often have to tip your hat to their commitment to excellence.

You should be aiming to take a few of these ideas for yourself and maximizing the ability to sell online.

Converting leads is all about trying different approaches and analyzing what works and what does not.

As soon as you do this, the results will come racing in as desired.

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