From Discovery to Conversion: How to Use Customer Behavior to Predict Their Actions

Internet marketing efforts. Unfortunately, this magic tool doesn’t exist – not in this form, at least. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t study your customer behaviour and predict what they are likely to do next based on the patterns you’ve identified. Read on to learn more.

Discovery

You may not have a magic ball, but you have an arsenal of tools that can tell you what your prospects are searching for online. Your Google AdWords account, in particular, can help you understand what keywords your audience used and which of those searches land them on your site.

With this information at hand, you can design a landing page that is sure to cater to their needs. After all, you already know their problem – they’ve told it when they’ve searched for a solution on Google. Now, it’s up to you to build a clear path and make it easier for them to purchase the products they want.

So, instead of directing them to a generic landing page and making them click through countless links, design a smooth entry point and checkout process.

Social Media Clicks

While Google AdWords makes it rather simple to understand what your audience is looking for, social media clicks can be a bit more difficult to comprehend.

Did they click on one of your posts because they were interested in the topic or because they were looking for more information? Did they click on an image because they are on the market for the product you are advertising or because they were just curious?

Yes, narrowing down social media behavior is hard, but not impossible. By studying your fans and followers’ past clicking habits, you can get an accurate picture of why they are there and what they expect to find. That way, you can predict what actions they are likely to take and adapt your internet marketing strategy accordingly.

For example, prospects that click through your photos might be in the market for one of your products, so you can target them with a relevant sponsored post about your latest offer.

Turning Conversions into Loyalty

Every conversion provides you with valuable insights into your customers’ behavior. Did they purchase the product as a gift or for themselves? Did they spend a lot of time deciding? Did they purchase accessories? Based on this information you can determine if you should provide them with gift ideas, upsell them or if you should offer them a detailed guide about your most popular products. Be careful how you use this information, though. You don’t want to come off as spammy or, worst, disturbing. Your audience will enjoy social media posts that provide them with the right information, but they might find it a bit creepy if you approach them on Twitter to discuss their current searches. Similarly, it’s OK to retarget the prospects that landed on your page but left without converting, but don’t overdo it. Prospects might tune out annoying ads that are following them everywhere for several days.

Conclusion

It may seem almost impossible to understand your customers’ needs to the point where you can predict what they’ll do next. But, it’s doable. We, humans, are creatures of habits and we follow certain patterns whenever you try to decide something. By studying your prospects’ past behavior, you can understand them better and anticipate their next move.