Marketing Friction: Why Interested Prospects Don't Always Become Customers
Sometimes a potential customer likes what they see.
They understand what you do.
They may even be interested in buying.
And then they leave.
Not because your product or service was wrong.
Because taking the next step required just a little too much effort.
That’s marketing friction.
Small Obstacles Can Create Big Drop-Offs
Marketing friction is anything that makes it unnecessarily difficult for someone to move forward.
It doesn’t have to be dramatic.
It might be:
- A contact button that’s hard to find
- A form asking for too much information
- An unclear service description
- Too many choices
- A page that doesn’t work well on mobile
- An email with several competing calls to action
- A process that isn’t explained
- Pricing or scope that feels intentionally vague
- A phone number that can’t be clicked on mobile
- A form confirmation that doesn’t explain what happens next
Each obstacle asks the potential customer to work a little harder.
Eventually, some won’t.
Don’t Make People Decide Too Much at Once
More options can feel helpful.
Sometimes they create decision fatigue.
Imagine arriving on a page with six services, four buttons, three promotions and several different ways to contact the business.
Where do you start?
Good marketing helps people make decisions.
It doesn’t simply present every possible choice.
Ask yourself:
What is the most important thing I want someone to do next?
Then make that action obvious.
Forms Are a Common Source of Friction
Businesses naturally want as much information as possible before speaking with a prospect.
Customers naturally want to provide as little information as necessary before deciding whether they even want to speak with the business.
There’s the tension.
Every field on a form should have a reason for being there.
If you don’t need someone’s mailing address, budget, company size, referral source and ten paragraphs about their project before the first conversation, don’t require it.
You can always collect more information later.
Your Calls to Action Should Tell People What Happens
“Submit.”
“Click Here.”
“Learn More.”
Technically, they’re calls to action.
But they don’t always give the customer much confidence.
Whenever possible, make the action specific.
Schedule a Consultation.
Request an Estimate.
See Available Options.
Start Your Review.
The button itself can help explain what’s going to happen.
Look Beyond the Website
Marketing friction can happen anywhere.
An email asks people to respond but comes from a no-reply address.
A social media promotion sends people to a generic homepage instead of the advertised offer.
A QR code leads to a page that isn’t mobile friendly.
A printed flyer has a long URL nobody wants to type.
Someone receives a proposal but doesn’t know how to approve it.
Good marketing connects one step naturally to the next.
Test It Like a Customer
One of the easiest ways to find friction is to actually complete your own process.
Fill out the form.
Click the button.
Scan the QR code.
Open the page on your phone.
Reply to the email.
Try to schedule the appointment.
See what happens.
And don’t just ask whether it technically works.
Ask whether it’s easy.
Sometimes Better Marketing Means Removing Something
We often think improving marketing means adding.
Another button.
Another section.
Another campaign.
Another form field.
Another explanation.
Sometimes the best improvement is subtraction.
Remove the unnecessary step.
Simplify the choice.
Shorten the form.
Clarify the message.
Make the next action obvious.
That’s often where conversion improvements begin.
Where Are Customers Getting Stuck?
If you’re getting traffic, inquiries or engagement but aren’t seeing enough of it turn into business, there may be friction somewhere in the process.
I can help you look at the entire customer experience and identify what may be standing between interest and action.