How to Get Conversions Outside the Conversion Funnel

The conversion cycle can be different for many customers, but what is true for almost all site visitors is this: They must trust you before they will buy from you.  One of the key trust signals is providing some background information on your company. Customers want to get to know you a bit.

But The Big Brands Aren’t Doing It…

I get a lot of push back when I talk to people about this. The primary argument is that they don’t see the big brands doing it, so that means they shouldn’t either. There’s just one big problem with that, I tell them: You’re not a big brand!

Big brands can get away with a lot of stuff that smaller brands can’t. But that’s because they earned their way there. They have already built the trust and the relationships with their audience. People inherently trust them, even if they have never done business with them before. It’s the rest of us non-big brand folk that have to do the heavy-lifting now.

Building a Relationship…And Trust

People want to feel like they have a relationship with the companies they buy from. A key part of any relationship is getting to know each other. Think of it as an exchange of information. Before they tell you about their credit card, they want to know why you deserve to know. And this is where your about us and contact us pages come into play.

“People want to feel like they have a relationship with the companies they buy from. A key part of any relationship is getting to know each other.” —  Stoney deGeyter

Use these pages to convince visitors that you’re a trustworthy business partner. Tell your company story. Sharing when, where, and why your company started is a great “ice breaker” to help the customer get to know you. Then you can go further by fleshing out that story, sharing your struggles that you’ve overcome and giving details on your team members. Outlining your vision and mission statements will take visitors through your past and draw them into being a part of your future. All of this helps humanize your company and allows the visitor to become a part of your journey in a small way.

Etsy has a very robust About Us page that is loaded with company information. They even added links at the top for more information that wouldn’t all fit on the main page.

There’s No Limit (To Your Contact Options)

You also want to make sure it’s easy for customers to get in touch with you. It’s always tempting to limit contact with your customers, but doing so also limits your visitors’ trust in you The more contact options you provide, the safer it feels to do business with you.

Getting the conversion isn’t always about streamlining the conversion funnel. Many potential customers leave that funnel looking for additional signals that can help them choose to make the purchase. Don’t let them come up short in that search. Instead, be as robust as you can when it comes to giving these customers information about your company.