Micro Conversions: C’mon Get Happy

I’m back to thinking about conversions. I do this often. It keeps me up at night.

Why? Because when all is said and done, when I wrap up my projects and settle in for postmortem analysis, conversion is how I judge success. Did we effectively meet the clients KPIs? If we did, could we have done even better? If we didn’t, why not? How do we get them there? How fast? When can we start?

How can I help them shine?

I don’t think I’m the only content strategist in this boat. If we’re über goal oriented (perhaps to the point of obsession), it’s only because we care. At the onset of a new project, when I sit down with clients and I hear their pain points, their short-term goals and long-term vision – I listen. There’s nothing more I want to do than help them succeed.

But what I come back to again and again is helping clients identify good goals that matter, because when asked, most clients have only a vague idea of what they want content to do. Sales? You betcha. And still, it’s not everything—and it can be difficult to get that point across.

Over at Search Engine Watch, Thom Craver just awesomely hijacked my inner thoughts on micro conversions. He explains, “Micro-conversions are typically goals that help build relationships with your site visitors. These relationship-building activities typically help contribute to conversion. But not necessarily. Typically, you can even apply a dollar value to micro-conversions, helping the powers that be in your organization to find true value in what you’re measuring.”

This matters, folks. This is where and how you build something that lasts. And this is where content struts on stage, shakes its money maker, and goads the audience to scream for more.

How do you do this? You give the user something that matters. No hype. No sales pitch. No fluff. If you’re selling lawn mowers, are you listening to the potential customers looking to buy lawn mowers? Do you know that they’re talking old-school, push-reel mowers? What can you say about that? How can you think about the subject beyond sales copy?

Give them white papers. Give them blogs. Give them real content that reflects human interaction. They’ll give you something even more valuable: their trust.

Sara Fraser – VP Content Strategy