MQL vs. SQL: What’s the Difference?

Jumping to the last page of a book isn’t as impactful as when you have a chance to read the character exposition, plot buildup, and the epic final battle. The same is true for converting your leads.

If you skip to the conversion without the buildup, your leads may not respond to your sales pitch as you hoped.

In contrast, you’ll see incredible results when you can build the tension and present your products in the best light.

How do you know it’s time for the final reveal? Knowing that starts with understanding the difference between MQL vs. SQL.

Discover what these terms mean and how to seamlessly move your leads from the first chapter to the last.

Why Does Understanding MQL vs. SQL Matter?

Marketing and sales qualified leads are tags marketers give to leads to indicate a lead’s readiness for conversion, ensuring you make the most out of your marketing investment.

Converting a lead costs money, especially if you’re using account-based marketing. You have investments in personalization, educational materials, and even sales calls. It also costs valuable time.

If you move too soon on a new lead and try to convert it, you may earn a no when that same lead, with proper nurturing, may have otherwise said yes.

The SQL vs. MQL tags help marketers understand when a lead moves from looking for products to being ready to check out, so you can invest your time and energy where it will be most impactful while personalizing your marketing strategies for each stage.

Here’s a deeper look at the MQL vs. SQL meaning.

Image from HubSpot

Decoding the Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)

The marketing qualified lead (MQL) has shown demonstrable interest in your business. On average, 25% of new leads in the IT and management service industry become marketing-qualified leads.

However, even though an MQL has the potential to convert, they aren’t quite at that point yet.

Instead, that lead is qualified for the marketing team to begin nurturing. Nurturing includes educating, generating demand, and warming the lead up for conversion.

MQL Indicators

Here are several ways to identify when a lead becomes a marketing-qualified lead and is ready for nurturing:

  • Fits your target audience profile: The lead has the finances, buying power, and needs, making them a good match for your products.
  • Shown interest in your products: The lead has demonstrated interest in your products by visiting your site multiple times, subscribing to your newsletter, following you on social media, attending a webinar, and asking about the products.
  • Engaged with marketing content: The lead continues actively engaging with marketing content, like opening emails, downloading eBooks, and liking blog posts.

While these signs show they may be seriously considering your products, none of these signs indicate they have reached the point of purchase. Rather, these are signs a MQL has moved to the SQL stage.

How to Respond to an MQL

What should you do when you have an MQL?

When a lead becomes an MQL, you aim to move them from a marketing-qualified lead to a sales-qualified lead. To do that, you will want the lead to acknowledge a definite need and readiness to buy.

Use educational content on your socials, blog, and email to create a demand for the product and help them acknowledge the need. You will also build trust so that once the lead recognizes their need, they will trust your company enough to buy from you.

Your call-to-action will also reflect this stage in the buyer’s journey. Since the lead isn’t ready to buy, you avoid high-commitment CTAs like “buy now.” Instead, promote small commitments, like joining a webinar or scheduling a free trial.

Decoding the Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)

Your marketing-qualified lead finally acknowledges their need, they have the funds to buy, and they are ready to act immediately. They have now advanced from marketing-qualified leads to sales-qualified leads.

Sales-qualified leads are the ones who are ready to move to the checkout line and close the purchase. However, the leads don’t always take those last few steps alone. That’s where your strong sales team comes into play.

Once a lead shows signs of readiness, the lead moves to the sales team, and the sales team begins reaching out to close the deal.

SQL Indicators

Here are several signs a lead has moved from an MQL to an SQL:

  • Shows interest in buying: The lead has downloaded a demo, signed up for a free trial, or directly told a sales representative they want to make a purchase.
  • Has a need, authority, and budget: The lead has a known need, authority to buy, and the budget to buy.
  • Matches the timing: The lead is ready to buy at that moment and is not planning for a distant event or future purchase.

How to Respond to a SQL

Once you see these indicators, your sales team can begin pushing sales content. This might include an email campaign offering specific products versus educating them on your services. It might also include a direct sales call, which can be especially effective for account-based marketing where you want to take a personable approach.

Your goal is to close quickly once a lead becomes an SQL. The longer you let this stage go, the greater the chance of the lead losing interest or finding a different provider.

How to Tell When a MQL Turns into a SQL

You don’t need a crystal ball to track when a marketing-qualified lead is sales-ready.

It’s a simple numbers game. At least, with the help of AI, tracking leads becomes simple. Most marketers use a system called lead scoring.

This is how lead scoring plays out:

Each action a lead takes has a point value. The point value can be negative or positive. For example, reading emails and downloading whitepapers have positive values. However, ignoring emails or unsubscribing is a negative value.

AI automatically tracks a lead’s behavior, adding and subtracting points. Once the lead hits a designated benchmark, it passes from MQL to SQL.

Some items, like downloading a free trial, might automatically meet the score benchmark and move a lead immediately to the SQL team.

With this automated system in place, the marketing and sales team can receive notifications when a new lead is ready, quickly picking up the lead’s journey with the next natural step toward conversion.

What Is the MQL vs. SQL Optimal Conversion Rate

Your MQL to SQL conversion rate depends on several factors, including the quality of leads, alignment between marketing and sales teams, and the effectiveness of lead nurturing efforts.

Generally, a healthy MQL to SQL conversion rate can range from 10% to 30%, with the average falling at 13%. This number can vary significantly based on industry, target audience, and business model.

Marketing and sales teams should work together to define MQLs’ and SQLs’ criteria to align their goals. This collaboration ensures that you appropriately qualify leads, and you hand off the lead between teams at the right stage of the buyer’s journey.

Convert More of Your MQLs to SQLs

Do you want to turn your lead conversion process into a well-oiled machine?

Hushly’s all-in-one conversion cloud has the tools you need to generate leads, score the leads, and move them seamlessly from MQL to SQL.

With our system running in the background, you can focus on converting those leads into loyal customers.

Schedule a demo to see our conversion powerhouse in action.

Marketing Qualified Lead vs. Sales Qualified Lead Conversions in the Tech Industry

Converting a stranger to a lead is a massive win for any marketer. However, it’s just the first step in the journey to the ultimate conversion: a sale. That lead will cross several more barriers before you can count it as a profitable success. One barrier is moving from a marketing-qualified lead to a sales-qualified lead.

What is a sales-qualified lead, and how is it different from a marketing-qualified lead?

We will dive into this crucial conversion step and how you can increase your sales-qualified leads.

MQL vs. SQL

There are two primary types of leads: marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) and sales-qualified leads (SQLs). Here’s a quick look at SQL vs. MQL definitions as well as what makes each unique.

Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL)

MQLs are leads that have shown interest in your tech products or services but are not yet ready for direct sales engagement. Once you capture that lead’s information, they enter the first stage of a new lead.

These leads are typically in the early stages of the buyer’s journey. They express interest by downloading a whitepaper, subscribing to a newsletter, or attending a webinar.

MQLs are prospects that need further nurturing and education before transitioning to the sales stage.

Sales Qualified Leads (SQL)

SQLs represent leads that have been thoroughly vetted and are ready for direct interaction with the sales team.

These leads have progressed beyond the initial stages of interest and engagement. For example, they have consistently opened nurturing emails, downloaded several whitepapers, and even signed up for your product demo.

Three characteristics that turn a marketing-qualified lead into a sales-qualified lead are:

  • Need: They have expressed a need for your products or services.
  • Budget: They have the finances to follow through with purchasing those products.
  • Timeline: They plan to purchase immediately.

They are now ready for your tech sales team.

SQL vs. MQL: Why Are MQLs and SQLs Distinct?

Not all leads are the same. A lead is anyone who fills out a contact form. However, you will gather information from people ranging from a key decision-maker in a large tech corporation to your neighbor Sam, who wants to learn more about what you do in your job.

You’ll have an initial qualification round that weeds out your neighbor Sam and similar disinterested visitors. The leads you have left match your buyer persona, which outlines the businesses that could use your tech products and who their key decision-makers are. They have expressed interest in your products or services. These are your marketing-qualified leads.

Even though those marketing-qualified leads match your buyer persona and are interested in buying, it doesn’t mean they have the budget or are ready to buy at that time.

In fact, 79% of marketing-qualified leads don’t convert to sales.

If your sales team chased every marketing-qualified lead, you would waste a considerable number of resources. Then, you may not have the resources you need to convert the actual serious buyers.

However, by separating leads into groups, you can customize your marketing strategies for the point they are in the sales funnel. That way, you can stretch your budget further by pouring your sales efforts on those who show signs of purchase readiness.

How to Adjust Your Marketing Strategies Between MQLs and SQLs

What strategies belong with which lead group? Use this guide to help you fit the most effective strategy to each stage of the buyer’s journey.

Nurturing MQLs

You captured a couple hundred new leads and pulled out the ones matching your buyer persona. You now have a list of marketing-qualified leads. Through these strategies, you aim to identify the ones ready to buy and encourage those not prepared to warm up to your products.

Here are some of the most effective lead nurturing strategies to accomplish those goals:

  • Content Personalization: Tailor content to address the specific pain points and interests of MQLs. Provide valuable resources such as in-depth guides, webinars, and case studies to nurture their understanding of your product or service.
  • Lead Scoring: Implement lead scoring to identify MQLs based on their interactions with your content. Assign scores for actions like opening emails, downloading resources, and attending events. This helps prioritize leads for targeted nurturing efforts.
  • Automated Email Campaigns: Set up automated email campaigns that deliver relevant content to MQLs over time. This ensures a consistent and personalized engagement, gradually moving them through the buyer’s journey.

Converting SQLs

You performed lead scoring, and a few dozen leads were officially moved from MQLs to SQLs. Your goal is to now quickly close before those leads lose interest. Here are some strategies to help with that process:

  • Personalized Sales Outreach: Since SQLs have demonstrated a higher interest and intent, personalized sales outreach has become crucial. Craft tailored messages that address their specific needs and showcase your value proposition.
  • Timely Follow-Ups: Act promptly when dealing with SQLs. Given their readiness to engage with the sales team, timely follow-ups are essential. Automated reminders and customer relationship management (CRM) tools can help ensure that no potential opportunity slips through the cracks.
  • Customized Demos and Presentations: Provide SQLs with customized demos and presentations that align with their specific requirements. Demonstrating how your product or service directly addresses their pain points increases the likelihood of a conversion.

The average B2B tech conversion rate is about 1.7%.

Image from Ruler Analytics

3 Ways to Boost Your MQL to SQL Conversion Rate

Are your marketing-qualified leads not converting to sales-qualified leads? Here are a few ways to adjust your strategies to increase your conversion rate:

1. Clearly Define MQLs and SQLS

Clearly define what constitutes an MQL and an SQL within your organization. Align the sales and marketing teams with these definitions to ensure a unified approach.

Open regular communication channels between the sales and marketing teams to share insights and feedback. This collaboration enhances the lead qualification process because you’re on the same page about what works and what doesn’t.

2. Use Data-Driven Lead Scoring

Moving leads from MQL to SQL is a numbers game.

Leverage data analytics to fine-tune your lead-scoring model. Analyze historical data to identify patterns and behaviors indicating a higher conversion likelihood.

Here are some indicators that a lead might be ready to move forward:

  • Downloading content
  • Visiting your website
  • Contacting customer service
  • Past purchases
  • Scheduling a demo
  • Frequently opening emails
  • Expressing direct interest in buying

Some actions do have higher scores than others. For instance, someone who schedules a demo might instantly become a sales-qualified lead. In contrast, another lead may need to download several whitepapers before they receive a high enough score for the sales team to reach out.

Continuously refine and optimize your lead scoring criteria based on the performance of past conversions. This approach ensures that your model remains relevant and practical.

3. Create a Content Map for Each Stage

Map your content to each stage of the buyer’s journey. Create content assets that align with the awareness, consideration, and decision stages to nurture leads through the funnel.

Use personalized content recommendations and targeted campaigns to guide MQLs through their journey, gradually building trust and understanding.

Hushly provides customized content recommendations on websites to help develop a content map that transforms MQLs into SQLs

Bonus Tip: Maximize Your Tech MQL to SQL Conversions

Understanding the distinctions between MQLs and SQLs is pivotal for successful conversions in the tech industry.

Organizations can create a seamless and effective lead conversion process by tailoring strategies to nurture MQLs and using personalized approaches to convert SQLs.

Hushly’s AI-powered conversion tools help every step of the way, including lead generation, scoring, and conversion. It’s your all-in-one conversion cloud for every stage your leads are at.

Are you interested in streamlining your conversion process?

Schedule a demo today to see how easy conversions can be.

How to Optimize Your Mobile App Conversion Rate

It’s possible that over half of the people reading this article are accessing it on a smartphone.

Mobile phone usage is exploding. You use your mobile devices for everything from checking emails to watching your favorite sports team. You even keep your favorite brands’ apps on your phone.

While smartphones are convenient for consumers, they can add a hurdle for businesses that try to optimize and track their mobile app conversion rate.

Let’s look at ways to optimize for mobile apps and track that impactful conversion rate so you know how successful your mobile efforts are.

Understanding Mobile App Conversion Optimization

Roughly 85% of the world’s population owns a smartphone. Due to the increase in smartphone ownership, one prediction is that by 2025, 72% of online browsing will occur on mobile devices.

Image from Exploding Topics

Mobile app conversion optimization adjusts user experiences on mobile devices to maximize conversions. This might be simple adjustments like changing a menu to a dropdown menu. It also includes visual changes, like adjusting images so they don’t dominate a screen and make viewing more pleasant.

Often, marketers see mobile devices as a secondary channel for reaching customers. Designing websites and customer experiences always starts with desktop designs. Then, marketers adjust those designs almost as an afterthought for mobile devices.

But that thinking will soon become obsolete as mobile devices become increasingly more popular. It’s also not feasible in many cases, as designers can’t directly convert all experiences to mobile devices. Some images and media don’t translate well and require a special design just for mobile experiences.

You should focus on your mobile app conversion rate to stay ahead of this growing trend.

Your mobile app might appear in two ways.

  1. The mobile version of your website that appears in a user’s mobile browser app.
  2. A downloadable app allowing customers to access your site.

5 Ways to Optimize Mobile App Conversions

How can you adjust your mobile experiences to bring in more conversions while also allowing you to track user behavior and conversion rate?

Start by implementing these five tips:

1. Prioritize the User Experience

Build a user-centric experience that’s easy for customers to navigate and increases mobile user engagement. A user-centric approach is intuitive, visually appealing, and engaging.

On average, 88% of shoppers don’t return to websites if they have a poor user experience. In addition, 38% will stop interacting with a poorly designed mobile app.

Even more startling is that 85% of consumers say a mobile website should be equal to or better than a desktop website. So, the expectations are high.

Are you ready to meet them?

Here are some examples of a quality mobile app:

  • Attractive design
  • Accessible and easy-to-read menus
  • Fast page load speeds
  • Images and media formatted for mobile devices

You’re more likely to convert customers with a positive first impression.

2. Personalize User Journeys

Data analytics help you create personalized mobile user journeys.

Hushly’s advanced algorithms can analyze user behavior on your website and mobile app, allowing you to tailor experiences based on individual preferences and interactions.

A personalized user journey offers suggestions for further reading and where to navigate next based on a user’s action. These recommendations make navigation convenient since the user doesn’t have to search through options menus, which can feel more challenging on a mobile device.

Instead, you support continuous scrolling and reading.

3. Incorporate Progressive Profiling

There’s a reason acronyms like LOL and BTW were born. Users invented acronyms to make texting more convenient since mobile keypads are not the most user-friendly for long messages.

Users often find traditional forms with dozens of fields daunting. Those forms are incredibly daunting when you need to fill them out using a tiny smartphone keypad.

Hushly’s progressive profiling allows you to collect user information gradually. As users engage with your app, it collects relevant data, reducing friction and enhancing the overall conversion process.

The form you’ll see on a desktop is still on the page. Hushly uses our innovative mobile optimization software to remove it for mobile viewing only so visitors can enjoy limitless reading without running away at the first sign of a fill-in form.

4. Build Unified User Profiles

Hushly integrates user profiles seamlessly across your website and mobile app. This unified approach provides a comprehensive view of user interactions so you can understand the entire customer journey, no matter where it starts and ends.

The average customer has about 5.5 touchpoints, but some have found customers to have over 20 touchpoints. These can occur online, through the mobile app, and in person. With that high number, you can almost guarantee most users interacted with your brand on a mobile device and another channel.

Hushly’s cross-platform analytics bridge the gap between your website and mobile app. Gain insights into how users transition between platforms, identifying critical touchpoints in the conversion journey. This comprehensive understanding allows for targeting your optimization strategies.

Analyzing these profiles allows for more targeted marketing strategies and improved conversion rates.

5. Use Multi-Channel Marketing Campaigns

Leverage Hushly’s insights to launch multi-channel marketing campaigns and track your website to mobile app conversion rate. A multi-channel campaign takes users across several channels like social media, ads, and your website. It even crosses devices.

Target users with personalized content based on their interactions across all platforms. This synchronized approach enhances the overall user experience and increases mobile conversion rates.

How to Measure Your Mobile App Conversion Rate

You went by the book and created a seamless mobile experience. But was it successful?

Use these tips to track your mobile app conversion rate.

Track Conversion Rate Analytics

Mobile app conversion tracking can be slightly tricky. Because smartphones don’t have an IP address, understanding user behavior isn’t as simple as understanding your desktop visitors.

Use Hushly’s conversion rate analytics to track your mobile app’s performance. Because mobile experiences are often more social than desktop experiences, your performance might appear more as likes, shares, and comments than a direct conversion.

Through Hushly, you can measure the impact of dynamic content recommendations, progressive profiling, and unified user profiles on conversion rates. This data-driven approach allows for continuous refinement and optimization.

Analyze the User Journey

What will you do with that data now that you gathered it?

 The next step is data analytics.

Hushly’s analytics tools enable in-depth analysis of user mobile journeys.

Identify critical touchpoints and potential areas for improvement. Do most visitors leave on the same mobile page? Is there a slow load speed?

By understanding user behavior, you can implement targeted changes to boost conversion rates and overall user satisfaction.

Implement the Findings

Once you have a comprehensive overview of your mobile app performance, you’re ready to improve your mobile experiences.

Use the insights to adjust your strategies and mobile experiences. For instance, if you notice many visitors leave on the same page, you might add a widget for further reading recommendations to encourage them to stay, or you may adjust the page formatting so it’s more appealing.

A/B testing can also help you find solutions to common issues, like pages with minimal conversions. With A/B testing, you run tests with two similar designs to discover which design performs better. It removes the guesswork out of design and marketing as your audience tells you directly what works best by their response.

When you take the time to test and adjust your strategies, you’ll see a consistent flow of quality traffic from mobile devices and mobile conversions.

It’s Time to Reinvent Your Mobile App Conversion Strategy with Hushly

Optimizing your mobile app conversion rate requires a strategic combination of user-centric design, innovative features, and cross-platform insights. These three elements create a positive experience while providing valuable information on what performs well.

Hushly’s advanced mobile and desktop capabilities will improve the customer experience, directly impacting your conversion rate. We offer innovative tools that track and customize the mobile experience so you can start capturing that smartphone traffic just waiting to find your site.

It’s time to prioritize mobile experiences and start seeing the rewards from those unique opportunities.

Book a demo to see how we support the mobile experience.

Why Your Tech Company Needs AI Conversion Rate Optimization

Being an intuitive marketer means knowing when to work harder and when to work smarter. Conversion rate optimization is one area where working smarter yields greater rewards.

We all have human limitations. When we work within our limited capabilities, we also restrict our business’s growth.

AI conversion rate optimization pushes conversion rates beyond your human limitations, allowing you to accomplish more with what you already have. You not only don’t need to work harder, but you free up more time for high-value tasks while increasing your conversion rates.

Explore what AI conversion rate optimization is and why it’s the crucial piece you’re missing from your innovative marketing strategy.

What Is Conversion Rate Optimization?

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process and strategy for creating digital content built for conversion. Conversion is when your traffic takes a desired action.

You calculate your conversion rate by dividing your total conversions by total traffic. You express the number as a percentage.

For example, if 100 visitors landed on your page and 10 out of the 100 signed up for your webinar, your landing page has a 10% conversion rate.

Tech companies use CRO to evaluate how successful their online strategies are.

What Is AI for Conversion Rate Optimization, and How Can It Benefit You?

Conversion rate optimization relies heavily on understanding how your audience will respond to your marketing.

Will they fill in a form? Does the content entice the reader? Does the CTA button stand out enough?

You must answer these questions to optimize your content for conversions.

But, there seems to be a missing piece of the puzzle since only 22% of companies are satisfied with their rates. Is there a way to increase your conversion rates?

Conversion rate optimization AI adds that extra level of understanding to your strategies. Instead of learning through trial and error or observation, AI uses machine learning and automation to dive into the minds of your audience.

It gleans crucial information you need to craft strategies around customers and their needs. It then helps you carry out those CRO strategies. Tech businesses that use account-based marketing will benefit most from AI as it provides the invaluable insights ABM needs for you to be successful as your hyper-personalization strategies.

Here are just a few snapshots of how AI fuels CRO:

  • Personalize at Scale: Use AI to analyze large datasets, allowing you to create highly personalized user experiences.
  • Use Predictive Analytics for Decision-Making: AI will enable you to analyze behaviors to predict future outcomes and behaviors, helping you make more informed decisions.
  • Incorporate Dynamic Content Delivery: Deliver the content your users want to see by using AI to adjust content delivery based on user interactions.
  • Analyze Behaviors: Analyze user behaviors to understand how users interact with content so you can optimize user journeys.
  • Automate Testing: AI algorithms quickly analyze test variations to determine the most effective elements for conversion.
  • Implement Real-Time Engagement: Engage with users in real time using human-like chatbots and in-content assistance.
  • Improve Lead Scoring: Improve the accuracy of your lead scoring by incorporating dozens of new data points AI could uncover and analyze.

How to Use AI for CRO in Tech Marketing

While all those benefits of AI CRO sound inviting, they don’t occur overnight. They require a careful step-by-step process to set up your AI to work for you.

How do you optimize conversion rate using AI?

Start with these five steps:

Step 1: Identify Key Conversion Metrics

What does a conversion mean to you?

Before optimizing for conversions, you need to define what conversions you want to accomplish. Then, establish key performance indicators for measuring conversion rates.

For example, if you aim to increase the number of people who sign up for your product demo, you might use the number of sign-ups as your performance metric.

Once you choose a metric, establish a benchmark. This is your conversion goal. You might base it on past performance, competitors’ accomplishments, or industry standards.

Use this benchmark to define whether you have successful conversion rate optimization. It will guide you on where to use your CRO AI tool to help you hit your marketing goals.

Step 2: Integrate Data

AI thrives when there’s plenty of data to work with. The more data you feed AI, the more accurate it will be.

For your CRO AI tools to be most effective, you must also identify data sources to collect information that your AI tool can use.

For example, Hushly’s customization option uses data from user behavior. When users download content or view blog posts, AI analyzes that data to suggest similar content.

The data isn’t just for AI. Your entire marketing team can tap into those insights to aid in further conversion rate optimization.

Step 3: Personalize Your Strategies

One of AI’s greatest strengths is its ability to endlessly customize options.

For example, a graphic designer can create one image and then ask AI to adjust the colors to limitless possibilities, allowing the graphic designer to develop countless photos with the click of a button.

CRO can also customize content experiences with a simple click.

Each person is unique, and offering a unique experience ensures visitors see what will resonate most with them, increasing their chances of converting. To use this feature, go into your AI tool’s settings to establish filters and customization rules so you can target your audience.

Step 4: Continuously Optimize Your Strategies

Trends change regularly, and customer activity shifts along with that change.

While AI does allow you to automate your CRO tools, it does require regular audits.

You want to check its performance and the tasks you have it performing.

For instance, you may set up an email automation campaign, but is it still hitting your conversion benchmarks?

If your CRO tool isn’t performing how you’d like it to, it’s time to refresh the strategy.

You should also regularly perform tests to ensure your chosen strategies are the best. For example, you might test several email subject line variations before settling on the one you will use in your email automation campaign.

By simply testing your landing pages, you can increase your conversion rates by up to 12%.

Step 5: Map the User’s Journey

A customer journey map, or user journey map, outlines the process and steps someone goes through in a sales cycle.

In this case, it’s the steps a lead takes before converting.

Having a map benefits you and helps you make the best use of your AI tools.

A map should list each touchpoint, the user’s actions, feelings, and the outcomes. It should also outline the user’s demographics.

Looking at the map should tell you what motivated the user to take the next step, but it can also help you identify what might have discouraged them along the way and caused them to lose interest.

Use your map to create an automated flow since you understand the natural next steps of users. Also, use the map to decide what processes to include, what to skip, and what needs more attention.

For instance, if you add a one-on-one phone call too early in the sales process, it might not yield the results you wanted because the lead wasn’t ready to buy. Seeing where the phone call lands on the map helps you realize that you might need to push the phone call further down the buyer’s path and add a few more automated nurturing campaigns in between.

Image from Nielson Norman Group

Your All-in-One AI Conversion Rate Optimization Tool

AI conversion rate optimization tools can transform how you perform marketing if you know how to use their full potential.

Hushly makes AI conversion rate optimization a breeze. You don’t need to know complex coding or have insights into AI to understand how to create automated workflows, gather data, and endlessly customize your users’ experience.

We offer an all-in-one cloud built for anyone ready to see their conversion rate surpass their goals.

Schedule a demo to learn more about our conversion rate optimization tools.

How to Choose the Best Conversion Rate Optimization Tool for Your Business

You use screwdrivers to twist screws into their slots. They are very effective at their jobs. But you wouldn’t use a screwdriver to build large furniture pieces, staircases, and home extensions. There’s a point where manual screwdrivers aren’t effective, and you need to upgrade to a drill.

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) tools are the drills of the marketing world. They allow you to scale small-scale marketing strategies into large, profit-generating machines.

Yet, just as all drills aren’t the same, all CRO tools don’t offer the same features, reliability, and capabilities.

Use these eight criteria to find your business’s best conversion rate optimization tool.

What Can a Conversion Rate Optimization Tool Do for Your Business?

Conversion rate optimization tools help you keep up with your competition while staying relevant to your audience. They are the motor in your marketing vehicle, powering all your strategies.

A few common conversion rate optimization examples that are possible with the right tools include:

  • Hyper-targeted marketing campaigns
  • Understanding audience demographics, behaviors, and motivating factors
  • Automating the customer’s journey
  • Testing and automating the conversion process for maximum conversions

If you want to double your sales, then a conversion rate optimization tool is right for you. But how do you know which tool is the best fit?

8 Criteria to Look for in the Best Conversion Rate Optimization Tool

Use this conversion rate optimization guide to evaluate your CRO tools before settling on the best option for your business needs.

1. Comprehensive Analytics

How do you know your CRO tool is the best tool there is?

Data analytics allows you to monitor your lead behaviors, conversion rate, and the tool’s performance. You can track how conversion rates change over time to see your tool’s impact on your conversion rate.

If your conversions remain the same or go down, you know there’s a problem. Your CRO tool should help you pinpoint the issue.

For example, tracking the buyer’s journey might tell you that most of your leads unsubscribe from your newsletter after only one email and never reach conversion. That shows your emails aren’t resonating with your customers, and you must refresh them.

Ultimately, you need your technology to boost your CRO enough to pay for the tool. Use a return on investment (ROI) equation to calculate the profit increase since implementing the tool. Then, compare those increased profits to what the tool costs. If your earnings are still higher than the tool, it’s an investment worth making.

2. User-Friendly Interface

Choose a tool with an intuitive and user-friendly interface. The easier it is to navigate and use, the more efficiently you can implement and test CRO strategies.

You don’t want to lose hours training new employees on the tool or only tap into the surface of its capabilities due to an overly complicated interface.

Instead, anyone needs to be able to pick it up and use it.

For example, Hushly is easy enough for anyone to use, even those with no coding experience.

3. A/B Testing Capabilities

CRO tools must support A/B testing, allowing you to experiment with different variations of website elements. 77% of businesses use A/B testing for their websites to help them make the best CRO strategy decisions.

This includes testing:

  • Headlines
  • CTAs
  • Page layouts
  • Text
  • Email

The testing scenarios should be easy to set up and use so you can reassure yourself that your strategies are the most effective option before investing completely in the strategy. That way, you can use your conversion rate optimization tool online with confidence, knowing the strategies you use have proven results from extensive testing.

Image from Finances Online

4. Marketing Tool Integrations

There are over 8,000 marketing technology tools available. The average business uses over 75 marketing tools. That’s quite the notable number of tools you need to work together.

Football involves a team of 11 people. Baseball consists of a team of 26 players. That number is barely a third of the number of marketing tools the average business uses.

As with any team, you need every player to work together. Each player has a unique role in the team, and that role is required to benefit the team as a whole. If any player only worked on their own agenda, they would lose the game for everyone.

Your tools should also work together like a team. You should be able to connect them, integrate their processes, and share data across the tools.

The information you collect from email marketing should also be available for website optimization and your sales team.

When adding a CRO tool to your team, consider how well it will fit with your other tools. A high-quality CRO tool should seamlessly integrate with your other systems.

5. Personalization Features

The personalization market is worth $943 million as personalization becomes a cornerstone of modern marketing.

Personalization offers several benefits, including:

  • Allowing you to hyper-target your audience
  • Offering a unique journey to each lead to address specific pain points
  • Customizing offers and products to your client’s particular needs

75% of business leaders say their success depends on personalization efforts.

If the conversion rate optimization tool actually has the most cutting-edge technology, it would be able to support extensive personalization options.

For example, Hushly’s real-time optimization widgets allow you to create a unique website experience for each visitor. We pull data from visitor behaviors to offer content and navigation based on what they are most likely to respond to.

6. Reliable Support

With technology and its many benefits also come new problems that may be beyond your expertise.

Just look at cars to understand the change technology has brought to society. Classic cars are easy to maintain because they only have a handful of problems, so users can usually fix the issue when the car malfunctions.

A modern car has so many technological sensors and wires that you need a professional to identify the problem. However, the modern car also runs smoother and offers more comfort and a better user experience.

CRO technology can also improve your experience, but due to its complexities, you’ll need to ensure you have the help necessary to maintain it. A company that offers quality CRO tools also offers 24/7 support and training so you can learn all the intricacies required to use it to its full capacity.

7. Top Security Measures

Data breaches can financially ruin a company. It destroys customer trust and loses valuable information.

To keep your data secure, you need top security and privacy to protect the information you gather and store.

CROs that gather customer data should also be equipped with the tools to protect that data. Encryption and controlled access keep your valuable customer data safe.

8. Scalability

A scalable company can grow and change with minimal impact on your company’s operations and finances.

While you can begin with a conversion rate optimization tool free of charge, will that tool be able to support you long-term?

If you have to switch out your tools as you expand, you will need to account for the changes in budget, operations, and time it would take to migrate your data to the new tools while also training your employees on them.

Scalable CRO tools can grow with you, supporting your operations whether you’re working with 100 or 100,000 leads.

What CRO Tools Is Your Tech Company Missing?

Do you have a conversion rate optimization tool in your marketing technology arsenal that can handle your changing needs?

Hushly’s leading CRO platform offers all you need for conversion at your fingertips. You don’t need extensive training or experience to use the tool. It’s user-friendly but powerful enough to more than pay for itself through your increased conversion rate. It can also scale to any size without impacting your functionality.

Schedule a demo to learn more about our conversion rate optimization tools.

6 Top Conversion Rate Optimization Best Practices in 2024

“We doubled our website traffic this month.” Your marketing assistant proudly proclaims.

“That’s fantastic! And how are our sales looking?”

The assistant looks confused before replying that they remained the same.

In your rush as a marketer to generate the numbers, we must not forget to also include strategies for converting those numbers to customers. Otherwise, those numbers remain just that, numbers.

Today, we bring you conversion rate optimization best practices that will up your marketing game in 2024 so you see a more significant payoff from your marketing strategies.

How to Improve Conversion Rate Optimization

Conversion rate optimization (CRO) refers to the process of boosting the percentage of total leads completing your desired action.

When you hear “conversions,” your mind most likely jumps to your biggest win: sales.

Yes, converting leads into customers is a huge business success, but it’s far from the only conversion worth celebrating and noting.

Here are a few other conversion rate optimization examples.

Conversions can be the percentage of website visitors who fill in a form and become leads. It can also be the percentage of visitors on a landing page who signed up for your webinar.

Whenever you have an action you hope visitors will complete, measure the percentage of visitors who complete it to discover your conversion rate.

Here’s how that looks laid out as a formula:

Conversion rate % = (Total Number of Conversions/Total Number of Visitors) x 100

To increase your conversion rate optimization percentage, you need to convince more visitors to act through personalization, convincing marketing, and beneficial rewards.

What Is the Average Conversion Rate?

Conversion rates vary drastically by industry and business size. For instance, larger B2B businesses generally have higher conversion rates than B2C businesses. That’s because B2C businesses tend to throw wide nets to draw in thousands of leads, hoping one will convert.

B2B businesses are more likely to use account-based marketing due to their higher-value products. That means they are targeting leads from the start. This results in a higher quality lead count, which provides a higher percentage of converted leads.

You will also see conversion rate changes depending on the desired action. Convincing leads to joining a free webinar will have a higher conversion rate than convincing leads to sign up for your tech services because it’s a more significant commitment.

That’s why you need to dig into the data if you want to know how well your business is doing. Check out how similar companies perform to gain a better perspective of your conversion rate in your industry.

To give you a good start, the average conversion rate across all industries is 2.9%. However, B2B tech has an average 2.3% conversion rate.

Looking at just filling in forms rather than purchasing, you see a slight difference. The average form conversion rate across industries is 1.7%, while B2B tech’s form rate is 2.1%.

Image from Ruler Analytics

How Is Conversion Rate Optimization Changing in 2024?

What are the most prominent players in conversion rate optimization going into 2024?

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are leading the way in opening new doors for conversion rate optimization.

These two booming technologies allow you to:

  • Create content at scale for unlimited personalization.
  • Analyze larger datasets to understand customers better.
  • Adjust experiences in real time around the customer’s activities.
  • Automate more of the nurturing and conversion process.
  • Automate lead sorting and management for personalized experiences.

Because of these technologies, businesses have new opportunities to go about converting leads, opening doors to raising your average conversion rate.

6 Conversion Rate Optimization Best Practices to Follow This Year

Use these six CRO best practices to improve your conversion rate optimization this year.

1. Use Comprehensive Data Analysis

Understanding your audience is the cornerstone of an effective CRO. Analytic tools give you that much-needed understanding so you can hyper-target your marketing and outreach.

Data analytics allows you to change a landing page for each visitor. For example, instead of targeting everyone interested in your webinar, you can hyper-target Steve, the marketing manager of your top B2B lead, who is looking for a tech solution for securing their influx of data.

Do you see how that detailed understanding of who you’re reaching opens doors to better marketing that connects to your leads?

2. Modernize Your Web Design

It’s a new year, so it’s time for a web design refresh.

You don’t need to be a graphic designer to see the difference between a website someone built in the early 2000s and never touched since and a website designed within the last year or two.

Web design changes.

That includes visual elements like updated graphic capabilities and new fonts. It also provides backend items. Websites can now use multimedia in headers, incorporate AI chat in content, and even use widgets to offer real-time suggestions and content based on each visitor.

It also includes adding more mobile-optimized conversion experiences to support the 6.92 billion global smartphone users.

Offering a modernized web experience improves the user experience, encouraging them to stay longer on your site and feel more inclined to learn more about what you offer.

3. Personalize Your Approach

Personalization isn’t just a suggestion. It’s a requirement in 2024. Clients know AI allows for personalization and now expect it.

Consumers receive personalized movie suggestions, music suggestions, clothing suggestions, and more.

They now arrive on your site expecting a unique journey.

Use AI to offer that personalized experience so users don’t need to dig for the next piece of information but have it at their fingertips, leading them directly to the conversion action.

Since 80% of consumers are willing to exchange their information for relevant deals, personalization ensures visitors find those downloads that entice them to fill in your lead forms.

4. Automate Conversions

Shorter conversion cycles are preferable to drawn-out buyer cycles because shorter cycles mean your clients have less time to change their minds.

To speed up conversions so you lose fewer leads, automate the process. For instance, leads receive the first nurturing email when they fill in a form. Then the next. And the next – without you ever having to interfere with the process.

The lead nurturing runs in a smooth workflow you built with the help of AI and conversion rate optimization tools. The client’s response to each email decides what email they receive, ensuring the personalization that converted them continues until the ultimate sales conversion point.

5. Limit Distractions

Minimizing distractions is conversion rate 101.

Having too many options creates a kids-in-a-candy store scenario where your traffic wanders around your site aimlessly, exploring all their options.

Don’t give those options if you don’t want them to explore, but instead, you want them to sign a form or request a demo.

Build dedicated landing pages that remove those distractions on your home page, including the navigation menu. Display the main action prominently with a call-to-action button above the fold so your visitors see one, and only one clear option.

6. Continually Optimize Your Experiences

Once you created the ultimate optimization page, keep it a living page. What this means is to optimize and adjust it continually. AI provides some of that adjustment for you by offering customized landing page options that change with each customer.

When you’re ready to make changes to your landing and web pages, always test several options first. A/B testing takes the guesswork out of CRO so you can create strategies you know work.

Kick Your CRO Up a Notch

What was your average conversion rate last year?

Let’s see if you can beat that percentage this year by updating your strategies with AI-fueled content and workflows.

Hushly supports personalization and marketing workflow automation with your all-in-one conversion cloud.

With the latest technology, you have all the tools you need to take your CRO into the new conversion generation.

Schedule a demo to learn more about our tools for conversion rate optimization in digital marketing.

How to Increase Your Lead to MQL Conversion Rate

Conversion encompasses more than just the leads who purchase from your brand. Another key conversion rate is leads who move from new leads to marketing-qualified leads (MQL).

Your lead-to-MQL conversion rate ensures your marketing budget pays off while identifying missed conversion opportunities.

Hushly can help you boost that rate so every cent you invest in your marketing campaigns goes toward generating a return.

Learn ten tips to improve your MQL conversion rate.

What Is Your Lead to MQL Conversion Rate?

Half of marketers say lead generation is their top priority. However, having a large number of leads is useless unless those leads convert into customers.

Your lead to MQL conversion rate measures the percentage of leads that meet your predefined criteria for becoming MQLs. MQLs are leads who demonstrate a higher interest level and engagement with your business, making them more likely to convert into paying customers.

For example, predefined criteria for B2B businesses might be specific decision-makers, firmographic information like budget size and location, and a niche industry. It may also be a lead’s actions, like downloading content or opening a set number of emails.

SQL vs. MQL

MQLs are different from sales-qualified leads (SQL) as MQLs are leads who match the ideal buyer, while SQLs show signs of being ready to purchase. The MQL vs. SQL funnel conversion uses similar strategies: lead scoring, personalized content, and testing. However, MQLs also require a process to vet and filter leads who may not be valid leads or potential customers.

How to Measure Your Lead to MQL Conversion Rate

Calculating your lead to MQL conversion rate is as simple as dividing your qualified leads by the total number of leads to receive a percentage. So, if 10 out of 100 leads become marketing-qualified leads, your lead-to-MQL conversion rate is 10%.

Why Should You Track Your Lead to MQL Conversion Rate?

A high MQL conversion rate indicates that your marketing and lead generation efforts effectively attract the right audience and nurture them through the sales funnel.

On the other hand, a low conversion rate suggests that there is room for improvement in your lead qualification and nurturing processes.

10 Ways to Increase Your Lead to MQL Conversion Rate

If you noticed your MQL conversion rate is smaller than you would like, there are ways to improve your rate.

Here are ten tips to get you started with lead generation and conversion.

1. Define Your Ideal Customer Profile

To convert leads into MQLs effectively, you need to know your ideal customers. Start by creating a comprehensive Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) that outlines your most valuable B2B clients’ characteristics.

This profile should include demographics, firmographics, pain points, and behaviors. Having a clear ICP allows you to target your marketing efforts more precisely, ensuring that you generate leads who are more likely to become MQLs.

Image from The Smarketers

2. Implement Lead Scoring

Lead scoring identifies leads that are most likely to convert into MQLs. Hushly’s tools automatically assign a value to each lead based on their behaviors and characteristics.

Leads with higher scores are more likely to convert to MQLs.

To implement lead scoring effectively, consider factors such as:

  • Engagement with your content
  • Website visits
  • Email interactions

Hushly offers a powerful lead-scoring system that uses artificial intelligence to analyze and score leads based on their behavior. By implementing Hushly’s lead scoring system, you can automatically identify and prioritize high-quality leads, improving the accuracy and efficiency of your MQL conversion process.

3. Create Highly Personalized Content

Content marketing is a cornerstone of lead generation, as content attracts new leads. But it doesn’t stop there. It’s also vital to nurturing and converting leads into MQLs.

You can establish your expertise and build trust by producing valuable, informative, and engaging content that addresses your audience’s pain points. High-quality content can help leads move through the funnel faster, making them more likely to become MQLs.

You will also want to personalize your content so it resonates with your leads. Personalized content is more likely to attract your ideal customer with a higher chance of conversion.

4. Segment Your Leads

Segmentation categorizes leads based on their characteristics and behaviors.

You can tailor your marketing efforts to each group’s specific needs and preferences by segmenting your leads.

For example, you can send separate emails to specific lead groups, increasing the open rate because those emails match that group’s needs and interests.

This personalization increases the chances of turning leads into MQLs, as they receive content and offers that resonate with them.

5. Leverage Email Marketing

Email marketing is a powerful tool for lead nurturing because it brings your content directly to the customer rather than relying on them returning to you.

Craft targeted email campaigns that deliver relevant content to your leads at various sales funnel stages. This keeps your leads engaged and helps identify MQLs based on their interactions with your emails.

6. Use Hushly Smart Forms

Hushly’s smart forms are a game-changer for increasing your lead to MQL conversion rate.

Our forms only request basic information, then fill in the rest of a lead’s data by tracking their behavior across the site. This improves the user’s experience as they won’t have to fill out lengthy forms, increasing the number of leads you acquire.

In addition, our smart form solution qualifies leads right at the source: during lead generation. That way, all the leads in your funnel already passed a basic quality test.

7. Implement Marketing Automation

Marketing automation platforms allow you to streamline lead nurturing and scoring processes.

With marketing automation, you can set up automated workflows that send the right content and messages to leads based on their behaviors. This timely correspondence ensures that they are consistently moving towards becoming MQLs.

It also helps you reach them at the best time (when their needs and interest is greatest) to convert them into MQLs.

8. Employ A/B Testing

A/B testing compares two webpage versions or an email to determine which performs better for lead conversion.

By continuously testing and optimizing your content, landing pages, and forms, you can enhance the user experience and increase the likelihood of turning leads into MQLs.

9. Align Your Marketing and Sales Team

A surprising 79% of MQL leads never convert. This points to a misalignment between sales and marketing. Marketing is moving leads who are not ready to buy over to the sales team. Team alignment improves your targeting and qualification processes from the first touchpoint to conversion.

Your sales and marketing teams should remain aligned throughout the lead conversion process. By keeping communication open between your teams, you can stay on the same page about crucial information, such as what leads you’re targeting and what efforts work best.

10. Continuously Analyze and Refine

Data-driven decision-making takes the guesswork out of the conversion process, making you more likely to hit your target every time.

Regularly analyze your marketing data and gather insights on what’s working and needs improvement. Use this information to refine your strategies and optimize your processes for better results.

Use funnel metrics such as:

  • Leads generated
  • Content impressions
  • Email open rate
  • Content engagement

Turn Lost Leads into Customers with Hushly’s Conversion Platform

Using Hushly’s all-in-one conversion cloud, you filter out unqualified leads and ensure that the leads you generate will likely become MQLs. Remember that a successful lead to MQL conversion is an ongoing process that requires continuous refinement and adaptation to your audience’s evolving needs and behaviors.

You don’t have to tackle that process by yourself.

Allow our advanced AI technology and leading marketing tools to automate your process.

Schedule a demo to see Hushly’s all-in-one conversion cloud in action.

How Hushly’s Conversion Rate Optimization Software Boosts Your Conversions

Conversion has become a complex mechanism that requires dozens of moving parts. There are several ways to attract and nurture leads and increasingly more ways for B2B customers to purchase products and services.

Conversion is the most essential part of your marketing and sales process because it’s the grand finale of all your other strategies. It pays for brand awareness, website traffic, and lead nurturing processes. It’s the ultimate goal of marketing.

To ensure you’re converting the highest quality leads, incorporate conversion rate optimization (CRO) software to handle the complexities of a conversion journey in 2023.

Learn how Hushly’s conversion rate optimization software gets the job done so efficiently it has earned the spot as the only all-in-one conversion cloud.

What is a Conversion Rate Optimization Tool?

A conversion rate optimization tool is software that supports and performs necessary tasks to convert traffic into leads and leads into customers.

CRO involves three processes:

  • Data collection and analytics to understand how customers act and how content performs
  • A/B testing to discover what method works best
  • Personalization to offer different experiences for each lead across several channels to attract and convert leads

Image from HotJar

8 Ways Conversion Rate Optimization Software Boosts Conversions

Here is a look at eight ways Hushly’s CRO software supports your conversion processes.

1. Retargeting

Conversion rate optimization software allows you to implement a retargeting strategy.

Retargeting reduces the number of website visitors that leave before you convert them. On average, 97% of visitors who leave a website don’t return. Visitors who leave aren’t always disinterested. They may be planning on returning later (and may forget), want time to think about it, or are looking for more information.

By retargeting those leads, you remind them about your products and services. You can also retarget those leads with more relevant content to address any remaining questions.

Retargeting can capture leads on other websites or retarget visitors about to leave your website.

When you use retargeting ads, your products and services appear in widgets on other sites based on what that visitor viewed while on your website.

When you retarget visitors on your site, you use popups and on-site widgets to recommend further reading to reengage those visitors. Exit-intent content is a popup that appears when visitors take an exit action, like scrolling to the end of content. The popup reengages visitors through personalized content recommendations and lead capture forms.

2. A/B Testing

A/B testing lets you see first-hand how your website performs based on different variables. It’s a central part of conversion rate optimization as it removes the guesswork from the process. Instead, you run several tests to see how traffic responds before committing to a method or design.

For instance, you may test several placement options for your lead generation form. You can run one test with the lead form before the content and one after the content. Compare the leads you generate with each form placement to identify the most effective design for the landing page.

Hushly’s CRO software supports A/B testing to help you identify the most effective strategies. Here are common places marketers use A/B testing:

  • 77% A/B test websites
  • 60% A/B test landing pages
  • 93% A/B test email marketing campaigns

3. Data Analytics

Data analytics is how you understand content and campaign performance. Data analytics also helps you know your clients better to optimize your strategy for each customer.

Hushly’s AI conversion rate optimization software collects first-party data. First-party data is becoming increasingly crucial as privacy laws and online cookie updates limit third-party data collection. First-party data is also invaluable because it comes directly from your customers and clients, making it most relevant to your business.

Conversion rate optimization is especially interested in buyer’s intent data. This data tells you when a lead is close to conversion so you can connect them to sales at the ideal time to ensure they make a purchase.

4. Site Audits

Perform regular website audits to analyze your content performance. Audits look at your pages, assets, and links. You’ll be able to identify which pages are most successful at converting visitors. You’ll also be able to identify areas where web traffic is most likely to bounce so you can update those pages.

Site audits identify issues that may interfere with conversions, such as slow load speeds, broken links, and poor navigation.

5. Email Automation

Email automation takes your interactions off your website and directly to the customer’s inbox. It allows for an extra level of personalization, which is often what helps you turn a lead into a customer.

Hushly’s AI CRO software offers sequenced sales outreach emails. You can set up an email map that shows which emails come at what point and in response to specific actions. Then, you can sit back and let the software do the rest for you, automatically adding leads to the sequence.

The sequence improves conversion rates as you can time emails and customize them automatically according to lead reactions to ensure they receive the most relevant emails and conversion options.

6. Automatic Website and Asset Personalization

Delivering a personalized experience targets your audience. Through personalization, you provide a relevant message to every visitor. The message includes shared pain points, applicable solutions, and customized conversion paths for each visitor.

Through personalization, you can increase your conversions.

Hushly’s AI CRO software allows you to offer unlimited personalization for every visitor without adding to your marketing workload. We can personalize:

  • Your website
  • Your landing pages
  • Your digital assets

We update content based on visitor data, such as who they are. We also offer content recommendations based on behaviors like the content they read.

7. AI Landing Pages

Landing pages have the highest conversion rates, even above popups and signup boxes. The average landing page conversion rate is 23%.

Introducing AI to your landing pages improves the personalization and user experience to maximize conversions.

Some of Hushly software’s landing page features Include:

  • Self-nurturing landing pages
  • Account-focused landing pages
  • Pre- and post-live event pages
  • Customer success pages

AI uses visitor behavior, intent data, and traffic sources to determine the best landing page for the customer. It then customizes the content on the page, including content recommendations to encourage further visitor engagement.

8. Smart Forms

Lead forms and conversions go together like peanut butter and jelly. When you optimize one, you’ll see a difference in the other.

Hushly reinvents the way you use lead forms to collect user data.

We recognize that long forms discourage visitors from completing them, and gated content prevents leads from accessing valuable marketing content.

That’s why we offer a different lead generation process that boosts your conversion rate.

We replace long forms with smart microforms. AI uses minimal information, like an email, to create a user profile. It then fills in the profile using user behavior, such as what content that user interacts with.

Because of our verified business email software, we can identify which leads are businesses and which are consumers.

Our microforms also encourage visitors to interact with more content by offering a multi-asset browsing experience. With multi-asset browsing, visitors only input information once and then browse endlessly, which generates more valuable and accurate data than from forms alone.

Add Hushly’s AI Conversion Rate Optimization Software to Your Toolset

What tools do you use for optimizing conversion?

You can replace them with the ultimate software solution.

Hushly’s CRO software is an all-in-one solution powered by automation and cloud software. We offer end-to-end user experience optimization. Our tools personalize content, collect first-party data, and support conversion rate optimization so you can spend more time closing sales.

Request a free demo to see Hushly’s conversion rate optimization software in action.

Your Ultimate B2B Conversion Rate Optimization Checklist

Marketing is like a game of baseball. Your marketing channels are the bases you want B2B traffic to touch. However, a phenomenal swing using SEO and social media to generate traffic doesn’t guarantee a home run sale.

So, what can you do to help those hits go further, so your traffic is more likely to make it home to a sale?

The strategy you have in place to turn your website traffic into B2B leads and those leads into customers is conversion rate optimization.

Use this B2B conversion rate optimization checklist to update your website and strategies for converting traffic to B2B conversions.

Weed Out Traditional Strategies That Don’t Work Anymore

Before you can build a B2B conversion rate optimization strategy that works, you must weed out any tactics that no longer reach your leads.

You can know if your conversion rates are optimal by comparing them to past performance and similar industries. The average conversion rate across industries is 2.9%. However, B2B account-based marketing usually produces higher conversion rates.

Image from Ruler Analytics

Here are a few outdated B2B conversion rate optimization strategies to review:

Creating Too Many Forms

Businesses WANT conversions. That’s the goal. Yet, often, websites make visitors jump through many unnecessary hoops. Adding multiple steps, long forms, and gated content during every stage of the conversion process can do more harm than good. It may discourage leads from signing up or engaging with content they’re interested in.

The first step to optimizing your website is opening it up to more people.

Manually Converting Customers

Manually managing conversion strategies can reduce your conversion rate. When you restrict yourself to manual processes, you limit your response timeframe, personalization ability, and the number of leads you can handle.

Offering the Same Experience for Everyone

All your customers are unique and will respond better to a customized experience on your website. When each customer, whether the company’s CEO or a financial decision maker, enters your website to the same landing page and content, you won’t connect with those visitors as well as when you offer unique journeys with curated content.

6 Crucial Steps for Your B2B Conversion Rate Optimization Checklist

Once you identify the outdated strategies, you can begin updating and replacing them. Here is a checklist of conversion rate optimization best practices to get you started.

Step 1: Streamline the Conversion Process

Since you removed unnecessary gates, how will you convert website traffic?

Hushly offers a mini form that’s quick and convenient for visitors to fill out without interrupting the browsing experience. Only one to three fields are necessary to collect the lead’s name and email. The rest of the information comes from visitor behavior and analytics.

For example, an email tells AI whether the lead is a business contact or consumer, helping you identify those B2B leads. Their behavior, such as what content they read, tells you their interest level and needs.

Because we offer multi-asset browsing, once a lead fills out a form, they can view endless content, allowing you to collect more lead information. We also allow visitors to fill out the form AFTER consuming content, which helps you build trust with your B2B leads before asking them to trust you with their information.

Step 2: Target Your Ideal Customer

You’re most interested in numbers if you’re building awareness or generating website traffic. You want to reach the maximum number of readers with your content through ads. However, once you begin focusing on conversion, your goal is to sort through that traffic and identify those most likely to become customers or clients.

To target potential clients, begin with creating an ideal customer profile. This includes who the decision maker is within your target companies, plus firmographic information such as the industry and company size.

Once you understand your ideal customers, you can create targeted content for each of those customers. You can attract those customers through specific niche keywords and connect with them through common pain points and relevant solutions. Those targeted website visitors are the ones most ready to convert.

Step 3: Design Unique Landing Pages

The B2B landing page is a crucial step in the conversion process. When visitors arrive on your site’s homepage, you can have little to no control over where they go, how long they stay, and what they do while on your website.

When you create landing pages, you give them a guided tour of your website by highlighting the most relevant content and offers. You also provide the next steps in their browsing experience to point them directly toward conversion.

Landing pages will become even more essential as more B2B companies offer ecommerce experiences. A 2023 survey showed that 74% of B2B marketers expect half of their sales to come from their websites.

A landing page should have several elements, including:

  • No distractions: Remove the navigation bar and other distractions that may keep them from taking the desired action.
  • Conversion content: While you want them to take action, like filling out a form, don’t forget to add conversion content that builds trust and tells them why they should act. Hushly’s landing pages will personalize the conversion content based on each landing page visitor.
  • A highlighted action: Make the desired conversion action front and center. You can use a large button or colors to bring attention to it. You should also keep it above the fold, so visitors see the action without scrolling.
  • A secondary action: If visitors begin scrolling and reach the end of the landing page without acting, there’s a chance they’re not convinced. Instead of losing those leads, offer a secondary action that requires less commitment but still allows you to connect with the visitor.

Step 4: Personalize the Browsing Experience

Your website is packed with quality, targeted content. To ensure the right website visitors see the most relevant content, you must create a personalized browsing experience. B2B customers in 2023 expect personalization.

Hushly’s automated system creates unique experiences for each visitor based on their behavior. As visitors interact with more content, our tools can better make recommendations based on the content they interact with.

Step 5: Segment Your Audience

Once you collect the B2B leads from your website, it’s time for your home run.

Each audience takes a slightly different route to conversion. The road to conversion depends on their point in the buyer’s journey, how long their decision-making process takes within the company, and their needs.

To account for these variances, B2B audience segmentation is crucial for B2B conversion rate optimization. So, the next part of your conversion rate optimization checklist is dividing the B2B leads you generate into groups based on similar characteristics. This allows you to customize your conversion strategies based on those similarities and know when to begin the conversion process based on their intent.

Step 6: Automate Conversions

Use automation to increase conversion rates and avoid limiting yourself to your manual capabilities. Automation keeps the conversion process moving. You can use automation to sort leads, send marketing emails, and customize experiences.

Automation not only has speed on its side, but it also has data. It can be more personalized for each lead than manually contacting them. Therefore, you can expand your marketing processes, even complex account-based marketing campaigns, using automated tasks.

Time to Update Conversion Rate Optimization for B2B Companies

The world is changing, and so should conversion rate optimization strategies. Use this checklist to audit your current conversion rate processes and replace them with updated tactics that use automation and personalization to turn more web traffic into home runs.

Get our FREE personalized demo to learn more about how Hushly increases conversion rates.

How to Audit B2B Marketing Strategies

B2B Marketing Strategies

Nothing is quite as frustrating as putting lots of time and money into your B2B marketing strategies only to be disappointed by their results.

However, before you go investing even more into improving your funnels, take a step back and conduct an audit first, so you can be sure of what’s wrong.

3 Ways to Audit B2B Marketing Strategies

The only way to consistently improve the ROI on your B2B marketing strategies is to continuously audit them.

Here are the three best ways to do it.

1. Audit Individual Marketing Assets

Today’s B2B marketing strategies may use any number of different assets to generate leads and nurture them towards conversions. Even social media platforms have become extremely popular in B2B industries.

That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re all equally effective, though, which is why you should audit your company’s individual marketing assets regularly.

This seems obvious enough when you have, say, blog posts with no social shares, comments, or clicks. Clearly, that needs to be addressed ASAP, either deleted completely or updated.

A simple content audit could be all it takes to improve your conversion rates, even when it involves getting rid of whole pages on your site.

Where most B2B marketers struggle is assuming that, as long as a piece of content is bringing in leads – no matter how few – it’s doing its job. Marketers put a lot of work into creating these pieces, so they just assume that it’s doing as well as it possibly can.

Even if that was true when it was first published, its effectiveness may drop over the years for countless reasons. If there’s not a way you can improve it now, you may need to replace it with something better.

We recently talked about one of these misconceptions. It used to be that time spent on an asset led to higher sales. This was taken for granted for years until it became impossible to ignore it was no longer the case. Companies that haven’t adjusted or replaced assets designed to increase the time that leads spent on them are going to continue to see funnel problems until they do.

2. Actually Speak – and Listen – to Your Sales Department

It should come as no surprise that one of the most common ways to judge if B2B marketing strategies are working or not is to look at their conversion rate. If you know you’re generating leads, but you’re not seeing new clients, that’s a logical place to look.

Usually, this “audit” involves looking at the sales teams’ numbers relative to the amount of leads the marketing team is generating for them. If there’s a costly disparity, it’s usually assumed that the marketing department needs to be more careful about focusing on qualified leads.

The problem is that the sales department is rarely consulted for specifics. Maybe the leads are qualified, but they’re getting sent to the sales team far too early. They still need some nurturing before they’ll convert.

Maybe the problem is fraudulent contact information, an extremely common problem that often ruins the potential ROI on otherwise valuable lead magnets.

Of course, there could be a number of different issues at play, too. The only way to know for sure is to sit down with the sales department and find out what their experience is with trying to convert the leads your marketing team generates.

3. Understand Sales Velocity

Finally, this next method is absolutely essential to auditing B2B marketing strategies if for no other reason than because most marketers don’t even know what sales velocity is.

Simply put, sales velocity measures the efficiency of your marketing funnel. In other words, not just how many sales your funnel nets you, but what kind of timeframe is involved. This concept is absolutely essential for effectively auditing your funnel because it provides you the most comprehensive view of its performance.

For example, without this kind of perspective, you might think the problem is an insufficient number of leads. So, you start investing in lead-generation without realizing that it’s the average ROI and the conversion rate that’s killing you.

Fortunately, the equation for sales velocity is extremely simple. It’s:

Number of Leads x Average Deal Size x Conversion Rate Percentage

Then, take that number and divide by the average amount of time it takes to get a conversion.

This equation – not just its product – will help you better understand why your results aren’t satisfactory.

Are B2B Marketing Strategies Falling Apart Right at the End?

Finally, if you’ve checked every other box on your B2B marketing strategies but are still losing qualified leads after they visit your site, it’s time to start using Hushly.

We are so confident in our platform that we actually guarantee a 51% increase in lead-generation and ABM conversions. Contact us today to find out why.