Conversion or Persuasion- where in the funnel is your problem?
Today was a busy day in the office, and one in which meetings were back to back, to back. I started talking with my CFO, took a detour to meet with a potential partner, and ended the day spending time with some new (and potential) clients. Very different audiences, yet one common discussion kept popping up, and it comes as no real surprise, it comes up daily around us. The topic you ask- the difference between Conversion and Persuasion. The cognoscenti will recall we’ve been speaking and writing on the topic for some time, but it’s worth reading Bryan’s last article nonetheless. Here’s a tidbit:
The linear conversion funnel has its place. Though rudimentary and limited, it a great blunt-force beginners’ tool for online marketers with little or no metrics in place (and there are far too many of those left)…
…Instead of considering the conversion funnel by itself, we should think of it as living at the bottom end of the buy/sell process. Conversion is no longer the biggest problem facing online marketers; persuasion is.
Without persuasion, there’s no incentive for visitors to walk through your linear sales process. Unlike conversion, persuasion isn’t linear. The conversion funnel is smooth and simple, but the persuasive resevoir that feeds it is as complex and non-funnel-like as your visitors are.
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