HypedUp E7: Sustainable CRO - How to build for long-term Growth

Customer loyalty is more important than you might think.

This is more than ‘The customer is always right.’ This is about building a brand that lasts.

Let’s look at how we can apply CRO towards sustainable business growth ??

Firstly…what is sustainable CRO?

Sustainable CRO is about enhancing website conversion rates while maintaining ethical practices and considering long-term business impacts.

It's vital to focus not only on immediate profit but also to build trust and a positive brand image, which can lead to sustained business growth. You won’t succeed if you have a great product but a terrible rep.

Many businesses are built off acquiring a new user and then upselling and cross-selling at a rate far higher than their new client acquisition rate. Why?

It is easier to get someone to buy something from you once they trust you.

Marketers who use customer data in marketing outperform peers by 85% in sales growth and more than 25% in gross margin. (Google)

The best thing about the data gathered with CRO is that it’s first-party data. When you’re gathering your own website data, you have the right to use that data for yourself.

If you are clear and transparent about what you will be using their data for (for example, optimizing their personalized experience on your site), then they shouldn’t have any problems giving you the data.

On top of this, using your own data sets you apart from your competitors as you can be strategic in the way you identify your own unique trends and patterns taking place on your site - as opposed to the ‘industry-standard’ patterns that your competitors are looking at.

You just need to figure out how to communicate this to them in a simple way.

So how do we go about doing this?

Think about what will last in the client’s memory. The free gifts and discounts are great - but they’re not going to do the trick.

Let’s look at different ways you can add value in return for brand loyalty. How can you make it sound like every customer feels like you are speaking directly to them?

1. Personalized Email Campaigns:Use customer data to create highly personalized email content. Tailor messages based on past purchases, browsing behavior, and individual preferences. Use the first-party data discussed above to personalize based on patterns you’ve identified on your own site.
2. Engaging Loyalty Programs:Regularly update customers on their loyalty status and benefits, making each communication feel like a personal appreciation of their engagement.
3. Interactive Content:Use quizzes, polls, or surveys that are fun and engaging, offering personalized results or recommendations at the end.Make these interactions feel like a conversation with the brand, using a friendly and engaging tone.

80% of profits come from 20% of a brand’s customers. (Forbes)

Some other ideas:

Community Building:

• Create a sense of community among loyal customers through exclusive online forums, social media groups, or events.Encourage customers to share their experiences and engage with each other, fostering a closer connection with the brand.

Storytelling in Marketing:

• Use storytelling in your marketing content to create emotional connections. Share stories of how your products or services have impacted customers’ lives.Craft these stories to resonate with common experiences among your customer base, making them feel seen and understood.

Feedback, feedback, feedback!

• Actively seek feedback from your customers and show that you're listening by making changes based on their input.Communicate these changes back to the customers, emphasizing that their voice is valued and is being taken seriously.

A 5% increase in customer retention correlates with at least a 25% increase in profit. (Bain & Company)

Personal Example where my loyalty was questioned

The other day I was trying to submit a review on a Trust/Rating platform to see where we rank in terms of CRO agencies in South Africa (it's #1 btw ??)

Keep in mind CRO is about making it as easy as possible to do things on a website.

When it came to submitting the cell number for the reference who gave us the review, I simply could not get the number to format properly based off their instructions.

Country code, no country code, spaces removal, dashes...Nothing worked.

I tried for a while and then gave up and tried to talk to support, only to be sent to an error 404 page when I clicked on the 'Talk to Us' option.

We are being ranked for CRO by a company that desperately needs CRO.

For a business where these reviews are very important, this just really doesn't add up.

Don’t be like them!

Watch this space - Hype X Optimizely Webinar coming soon ??

In summary, there are many different ways to engage with your customers on a personal level and every organization will view this from a separate lens.

Speak to the core of why the business was started and use that to fuel your sustainable CRO journey.

See you in the next episode,

Aharon & the Hype team

Get Hyped.