Barbara Irene Blog: 4 Steps to Turn Website Visitors into Customers

The next generation of producers are beginning to be more involved in the decisions made on the farm. From checking commodities, product research and more, studies show they are more likely to utilize ag website information during their decision process than the past generations. More than just your company’s face on the web, your website holds the potential to be one of your most powerful marketing assets. To fulfill its promise, your website needs to be part of an overall content marketing strategy. Such a strategy may consist of multiple tactics to attract customers to your site, engage them with quality content and make you their trusted resource for the information they seek. The key, however, is that the tactics you choose all work together through a well-thought-out plan.

Step 1 – Draw them in

Of course, the best content in the world does you no good if it’s not seen. That’s why the first step—attracting visitors—may also be the most important. To do this, you first have to identify the audience you want to attract. Who do you want your content to speak to? By providing valuable information on topics they’re interested in, you’ll build a loyal audience.

Now, how do you attract visitors to your site to view your excellent content? Employ these traffic drivers:

Google Display – target customers with visual ads that appear across the web in their areas of interest.
Native Ads – target potential customers with ads that blend into the website they appear on—positioning your agribusiness as a trusted resource.
Social Media Marketing – attract customers from the social media channels they are active on using detailed audience profiles.
Retargeting – bring visitors back to your site by targeting them after they’ve left your page.
Search Engine Optimization – help prospects and customers find you by having a technically fit website and optimized content—ensuring higher visibility on search engine rankings.
Google Adwords – determine what keywords and geography are crucial for your agribusiness, and then make sure you get found when customers search Google.

Step 2 – Convert them

So now you have visitors who trust your site for the information they find there. That’s a big first step. Now you need to meet them. Make sure your site has multiple ways to capture leads. Use forms, call-to-action buttons, links or landing pages to gather key information from your visitors.

Step 3 – Close the deal

The personal touch is the key to nurturing those leads into customers. Use a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) program and other marketing tools to keep track of potential customers and your interactions with them.

Step 4 – Create brand evangelists

Finally, delight customers by continuing to engage with them and providing great service, so they essentially become promoters of your brand through their purchase habits and interactions with your business—and with others. Word-of-mouth referrals are better advertising than you can ever purchase.