By Susan Saldibar

You pay a lot of money to get people to your website only to have a large percentage of them drop in and leave. Does that bug you? I just found out recently why it should. Because those folks who leave without filling out a form are often your best prospects. And, if you haven’t heard, some pretty sophisticated technology and algorithms have been developed to not only identify those “lost” leads but to engage with them in a way that reflects their specific interests and needs.

That’s a lot to unpack, which is why it is the topic of an upcoming LeadingResponse webinar (January 15th): How to Turn More of Your Website Visitors into Move-Ins. (Register HERE)

I caught up with Valerie Whitman, VP of Senior Living for LeadingResponse (a Senior Living Foresight partner). Valerie works with operators who want to improve their conversion rates in a way that saves time and money and, in the process, yields a lot of useful data about the behavior of their prospective residents and families.

In the webinar, Valerie shows operators how to remarket to these lost leads and even how to get them to attend your next event. Their patented process is referred to as “IP Append” and it’s one that they have been fine-tuning for a few years now. To give you an idea of the scope of what is covered in the webinar, I’ve encapsulated a few of the key points, but you will want to tune in to the full presentation, which you can register for here.

There are three things that IP Append does to recapture and retarget in a way that makes your data work much harder for you than it probably does today. 

  • Obtains More Specific Site Traffic Data. Right now, you are probably looking at Google traffic data. And there’s lots of it. While you can use it to get a general view of how much traction your efforts are getting, the data is limited and transient; you have no way of really identifying who is looking at what, let alone use the data to conduct a viable retargeting direct mail campaign. This diagram shows what LeadingResponse is able to do with IP Append:

 

  • Analyzes the Insightful Data to Develop Stronger Digital Strategies. Here are three areas that need a deeper dive than you’re probably giving them now:
    • Keyword strategies: Is the data indicating you are driving the right traffic?
    • Content and design: What is the user activity? Is there downloadable content for them, such as financial worksheets, care need assessments, family caregiver supports?
    • Calls to Action (CTA): Are they compelling?

As for CTAs, Valerie has, through surveys of face-to-face prospect audiences, found that weak CTAs such as “call for more information” or “visit our website today” don’t typically get any action. “Your audience wants tangible relevant information that will support their decision-making process,” Valerie says. And, they expect you to make it worth their while. “For example, if it is event-based, don’t offer it on a Sunday for brunch. They want to spend their Sundays at home and with family,” Valerie says. “Offer an event on a weeknight where they can have a meal and feel their time is being well spent. Meet them where they’re at,” she says. As someone who has attended a few events, I couldn’t agree more.

  • Improves Conversion of Those Missed Opportunities. Here are just a couple things Valerie covers in the webinar that marketers really need to get right in order to convert:
    • Understand your users and their communication preferences. As an example, one LeadingResponse client reports more people wanting to register for events online, rather than calling to register. That makes sense. It’s important, therefore, to give them that option.
    • Engage with them based on their activity during their visit to your site. In other words, let the prospect’s own actions guide the kinds of information you give them. Match the content you share with what they are actually interested in. You probably didn’t know you can do this, but you can!

Few would argue that most people go online to check out senior living communities before they take any actions. Getting a phone call from you is probably the last thing they want at that point. But they still are interested. If you let them slip through the cracks, you’re missing a huge opportunity, Valerie tells her clients. “You’ve already spent considerable marketing dollars just to get them to visit your website in the first place,” Valerie says. “Why let those who are qualified just slip away?”

You can register for the January 15th webinar here. For more information about LeadingResponse, please visit their website.