Did you know that social media traffic accounts for over 30% of web referral traffic to websites on the world wide web? Impressive, isn’t it? 

What’s not so impressive, however, is how much of that traffic avalanche actually converts into paying customers – a pitiful 0.71% making it 17% less effective than traffic from clicked-through e-mails.

Fortunately, there are simple strategies you can use to turn your social media into a conversion machine and become one of the websites that fall within that 0.71% .

 In this post, we will share 7 of our top recommendations.

1. Write persuasive copy

If you want to drive better conversions, you need to write copy that plays on a reader’s emotions enough to compel them to take the desired action, be it to click, download, purchase, or share. To accomplish that, make sure your copy is:

• Short, sweet and to the point. Do not overburden your reader with fancy wording and long elaborate sentences, and do not beat around the bush. 
• Jargon-free. Avoid useless jargon that gets in the way of the prospective customer’s understanding of whatever it is you are selling.
• Error-free. Triple-check your grammar and spelling or else your credibility will be questioned.

Check out this landing page copy-snippet from Basecamp. As you can see, they use clear, simple, and conversational language as if they were talking to their customers face-to-face. That’s why it converts at such crazy rates, with 7,398 companies signing up in the last week alone!

2. Make your website mobile-friendly

When it comes to conversions, ‘responsive design’ is more than just a fancy buzzword. It’s an indispensable element of conversion marketing.

However, many businesses are still stuck in the obsolete ‘desktop first’ line of thinking treating mobile user-experience as a mere afterthought.

Don’t be one of them. Design for mobile first, and then for desktop.

DropBox is a great example of thoughtful mobile optimization. You can see how they included a small arrow that directs desktop visitors to scroll down to view more of the page. That arrow is not displayed on mobile devices since mobile users will naturally scroll on a device with touchscreen capabilities. 

3. Provide social proof

Social proof is a powerful way of boosting conversions on your website, and there is data to back it up. Research shows that 92% of online shoppers check product reviews prior to making a purchase. Moreover, product reviews are perceived 12-times more trustworthy than product descriptions and sales copy from the brand. 

In other words, consumers want to see proof of credibility before they part with their hard-earned cash, and who can blame them? It is in our psychology to follow the actions of the masses. 

So, if you want your social media traffic to convert, social proof can help you get there. Here are some ways to incorporate social proof on your website:

• Shared count buttons on your blog articles 
• Testimonials from happy customers
• Case studies to show how you improved a bottom line
• Recent sales pop-ups on your landing pages

4. Test what’s working and what’s not

A/B testing is a must-have in any marketer’s conversion optimization toolbelt. It may sound too complicated and technical but it is actually one of the simplest conversion tactics out there. 

You are simply changing a single element of your sales communications (e.g. ads and landing pages) to find out what works best for your target audience.

For example, you could A/B test your call-to-action copy, compare two different landing page layouts, banner images, etc. The options are endless. The key is to make only one change at a time.

5. Preempt objections

Whenever people land on your page and read your offer, there will be all kinds of objections and hesitations about taking it up.

During in-person sales, these objections can easily be addressed on the spot, but online it’s a bit more challenging. The solution is to preempt those objections by addressing all the possible issues in your landing page copy or FAQ page. 

To this end, first draw up a list of all the possible objections your prospects might have about buying your product or contracting your services. Then, think about how you can counter or, at least, alleviate them in your copy. 

6. Eliminate distractions

According to WordStream, removing navigation links from your landing pages can improve your conversions by as much as 40%.! These elements serve nothing but to distract your prospects from what matters i.e. your offer. 

Declutter your landing page by removing those elements that may detract your prospect from clicking the magic CTA button. 

For example, compare the homepage (left) with the landing page (right) of AmeriFirst Home Mortgage. As you can see, the navigation menu at the top is present on the homepage, but absent on the landing page so that the prospect is not tempted to click away from the offer.

7. Don’t offer too many options

When confronted with multiple choices, people may become overwhelmed and end up not making a choice at all (even if making a choice would result in a better outcome). 

So, make sure you make it very clear who each product is for, or facilitate the decision by highlighting your ‘most popular choice’. 

It’s great when your social media profiles are bringing you traffic, but getting traffic is the easy part. The real work begins when you are trying to convert it into prospects, and thereafter – into paying customers. Follow the tips outlined in this article, and your conversion rates will slowly but surely pick up momentum!