Category: Conversion

Advertising can be successful only when we can successfully convert prospects into customers.

Banquet Industry Corona Virus – Looking forward is important.

Banquet industry Corona Virus days – You can still generate business even when the spread of Corona Virus is making everyone stay indoors.

You need to focus on future bookings.

Corona Virus is not going to stay here for long.

It is a difficult time, but it will pass.

People, especially optimists, are certainly planning ahead for their wedding, parties, sometime in the future, once the Corona Virus problem subsides.

Yes, it is true that banquet hall business cannot run as normal in these difficult times. However, that does not mean that you cannot think ahead and take bookings for new business.

I know it can be tough for many businesses to think long term in these difficult times, but that’s the only way when the short term makes it hard to operate.

I happen to serve a banquet hall client in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Toronto Public Health (TPH) has had 239 cases of COVID-19 reported in Toronto so far, and yesterday, March 23, 2020, Mayor John Tory declared an Emergency  in the city of Toronto. ( https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/8643-MOH-Statement_23March2020.pdf )

Banquet hall business prior to Covid-19 Corona Virus

Earlier I was averaging around 40 form fills every week ( at around $3.55 per form fill) and numerous phone calls, and inquiries over social media for which I do not have proper count because of difficulty in tracking them ( without client investing in client tracking etc.).

banquet hall industry corona virus

Banquet hall business in times of Covid-19

Last week, corona virus took all the news space. Corona Virus patient’s numbers kept on rising everyday. Bad news kept on coming like a tornado.

However there were still some people planning ahead, for their weddings, events and birthdays. – THIS IS IMPORTANT.

We got queries from people planning weddings in July, August, September and beyond.

Even a fund raiser was being planned.

Someone was planning a bridal shower, someone else was looking for a quote for engagement.

There was even a query for a little girl’s sweet sixteen being planned for mid April and they came to us because the girl was heart broken that other venue had cancelled the event.

Given the current situation, we could not be sure whether the government orders would allow us to host an event in April, but my point is that people still think of events in future.

Most banquet halls will just switch off their advertising to cut their losses but this is exactly what you should NOT do.

Think long term.

Think positive.

Things will change and be normal again.

Your business should be the one to hit the ground running once things normalize.

Get your bokings today.

Yes the cost to get leads has risen up because consumers are in a different mindset. Very few are thinking positive and long term but you must connect with those who are, so that your order books are ready once the Corona Virus problem subsides.

catering business corona virus covid19 banquet hall

Last week, amidst all the Corona virus gloom, we managed to get only 14 form fills, at alomst $15/form fill. I am hopeful of reducing this cost per lead due to an improvement in targeting which I have now implemented but it is not going to be like normal times for sure. The phone calls have reduced too. BUT I think it is very important to have those order books ready.

This applies to other business too

While this article is for banquet halls but I am sure there must be something positive for other business too, who might teporarily be facing huge loss in business.

Think positive. Think long term and stay in front of those looking for your services in the near future is my message to all businesses like Banquets Halls in Corona Virus days. Banquet Industry Corona Virus problems would hopefully end soon.  

AdWords conversion tracking tag vs importing Google Analytics goals

Two useful resources

Differences Between AdWords Conversion Tags & Google Analytics Goals Import

Above article is a definite read to understand differences between using the AdWords conversion tags & importing Google Analytics goals into Adwords.

However, after reading above Lunametrics article you must read this detailed Google resource at

https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/2679221?hl=en

Does the new Global Site Tag (gtag.js) change anything mentioned in the above articles? (as in October 2017)

In my opinion, the new gtag.js does not change any of the details mentioned in the articles. It is just a new tracking code but GA and Adwords continue to handle data in the way explained in both above articles.

What do I prefer?

I prefer using both GA and Adwords tags together.

I set up interaction related goals (which are not real business goals but still important like “Viewed more than two pages”) using Google Analytics. I import these goals into Adwords and treat them as “soft-conversions”. These type of soft-conversions can be helpful in various cases, for example in analyzing the value of display clicks and other such cases. Mostly, I do not include these soft conversions in the conversions counted by Adwords, so these would show in “All conversions” column in Adwords but not in the “Conversions” column.

However in most Adwords accounts, I prefer the Adwords tag for counting hard conversions like form fills because if a paid click plays any role in a hard-conversion like generating a lead (form-fill), then I prefer attributing it to Adwords, rather than Organic search or anything else. (I understand that many people may not agree with this approach and neither am I advocating it as a definite best practice.)

I could still set up the hard conversions (like form fills) in Google Analytics too but I wont import them into Adwords. This would allow me to see the same data in a different perspective without messing up data.

As with most things concerning data analysis, there is no definite best method for all accounts, so it is good to understand differences between AdWords conversion tags & importing Google Analytics goals and using them appropriately.

5 PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES YOU SHOULD BE USING IN YOUR MARKETING

5 Psychological Principles You Should Be Using In Your Marketing

I really liked this article by Kate Wilcox . If you have time, then the full article is well worth a read.

If you just want some quick action points (not as elegant or well explained as the original article), then the following summary (in my own words) might help :

1. Make the conversion process simpler.

Review this from time to time -How can you simplify your conversion further? If you have some dominant keywords bringing in traffic, can you simplify the conversion for each set of traffic understanding their intent?

2. Give something to get the conversion.

Make the user feel rewarded and willing to reciprocate.

3. People hate loosing. Use this concept in your copy.

Example “Offer closing soon”, “Book now before all spots sell out”.

4. A confident voice can influence the majority.

If you have some good (converted believer type) testimonials then present them prominently in your copy.

5. Social influence helps

We have a tendency to believe that if so many others found this useful, if so many others say this is good, then this must be good. Show reviews and ratings prominently (injected in copy or CTA if possible).

4 website credibility factors to turn visitors into customers

Converting visitors into customers is the key to successful PPC management for business growth.

The article Trustworthiness in Web Design: 4 Credibility Factors which reconfirms what the “web usability guru” Jakob Nielsen wrote back in 1999, is very relevant to the topic of website conversions.

The above article by Aurora Bedford is well worth reading. If you don’t have time to read the full article, the summary of the article (with my own notes) is as follows :

Visitors to your website will do business with you only if they trust you.

4 key methods to communicate trustworthiness, as detailed by above article are as follows :

  1. Site Design Quality – (Visual appearance of site)
    Appropriate design, colors to be able to connect with the target audience; to appear legitimate and professional, as required.

    • Site organization should be as per the needs of the target audience. If you do not understand your audience, then start somewhere and study user behavior, using tools like HotJar and other such tools.
    • Visual design as per target audience
    • As the above article mentions – “Typos, broken links, and other mistakes quickly degrade credibility.” Its easy to avoid them with just a little attention to detail.
  2. Upfront disclosure (Be transparent about information)
    • Make it easy for visitors to find information about your business, your policies and the product offering. The product/ service information shared online could vary from industry to industry but in general I feel there is a strong move towards transparency, to build trust.
  3. Comprehensive, Correct, and Current
    • Present comprehensive and relevant information for each service or product your business offers.
    • Photos and videos build trust. Share photos of the team, work-in-process and any other photo as relevant.
  4. Connected to the Rest of the Web – Create, monitor and respond on your social profiles.
    • Online reviews of your business and/or positive presence on other third party sites is an important factor in the conversion process.

If you have time, the original article Trustworthiness in Web Design: 4 Credibility Factors is well worth a read.