As marketers, we must accept that every time we reach out to our audience, whether through an email, a social post, or an ad, we are interrupting them. However, an inbound marketing strategy can help minimize these interruptions and bring the leads to you. If you can clearly articulate why it is you’re interrupting them, you can transition from interruption to transaction with less friction.
So how do you do this? You’ll need to start by answering four simple questions before sending any marketing message into the universe or considering any lead nurturing strategies. If you're not sure where to start, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’ll go over these four questions with you and also provide you with five tips on how to improve your conversion rates.
Let’s get started.
Why now? Why are you interrupting them at this moment? Maybe it's because you have an offer that's about to expire, or you have a sale or promotion that's going on right now. Is it because they recently bought something at a store of yours, or that they recently visited your website?
Perhaps it's near Valentine's Day, the Fourth of July, or your CEO's birthday. It doesn’t have to be life changing, its doesn't even have to make a ton of sense to be able answer the question, why now?
Who cares? This means directly telling your target that what you have is for them and will get them to where they need to go. Think about who would be affected the most positively or negatively by having or not having your product or service. Then figure out how they self-identify and call them out.
If you're trying to sell artisan cheeses, you literally say “Hey Cheese Lovers - our artisan cheeses were aged just for you and you can use this coupon to make them yours today.”
If you are a software company and you are pushing an ebook on how to become more efficient using project management software. You could say “hey project managers, this is for you” but you may end up excluding people with other job titles who also manage projects, like operations or marketing managers, who could benefit from your software. Maybe you say instead, "this ebook will make anyone who manages projects with multiple team members more efficient."
So get down to what your target wants and needs, their pain points, and not necessarily what they’re called.
Why should they care? Why is this important to them? What does their life look like before your product? What does it look like after? If you can’t clearly articulate that then you’ve lost them and all you’re doing is talking about yourself at that point. Focus on the customer, they are the hero in the story, not your product.
This is the hardest question to answer. You have to back up all of your claims. You have to prove this will actually work for them! They need something concrete. Maybe it's customers' testimonials or review. Don't have any customers yet, use industry reports and statistics, news article. Anything unbiased and concrete to back up your claims.
So as a recap: whether it's an email, Facebook Ad, landing page or social media post, evaluate your message by asking yourself why you’re sending the message at that time, who you are targeting, why they should care, and how you can prove your claims.
Now that you’ve answered these questions, let’s discuss how you can start converting leads into business.
Statistics show that nurtured leads land sales. In fact, companies that invest and excel in nurturing leads land 50% more sales qualified leads at a 33% lower cost. Unfortunately, these stats are often overlooked by online businesses. A lot of entrepreneurs devote their time and energy to generating initial leads.
There are tons of lead-generating marketing strategies. They're great for helping you find potential customers. But many of them forget to follow up with customers. While leads are essential, if they don't turn into sales, they're useless.
If you're ready to start converting more leads into business, check out these five tips for improving your sales conversion rates.
When it comes to traditional sales strategies, everyone knows that follow-ups are essential. Real estate agents, insurance salesmen, and even brokers know that a follow-up phone call goes a long way. Sometimes landing a sale means more than one phone call. In fact, stats show that on average, it takes about 18 calls to truly connect with a buyer. Depending on the industry, it's not always appropriate to call leads on their cell. But online business still requires follow-ups if you want to turn leads to business.
Choosing the right way to follow-up is essential if you want to turn leads to business. About 80% of sales will require 5 follow-ups which means the kind of business and the size of your following will determine how you follow-up.
If you have a large contact database, or if you have just a few employees, an automated email might be the way to go. Even if you don't have a ton of leads, an email may be acceptable for the first follow-up.
A feature on your website urging them to join your mailing list or loyalty club is a good choice. In this initial follow-up, introduce yourself. You should also offer to answer any questions the visitor may have.
A personalized email is always a great choice, especially for those in the B2B space. If you can't send one out for the first follow-up, consider using one as a second follow-up. This is even more appropriate if a customer seems interested in making a purchase.
If you haven't heard back from the lead and decide to send a second follow-up, change your strategy. Ask the lead a question. Let them know about any special deals or promotions going on. Or you can offer them a discount if they respond in a certain amount of time.
Turning leads to business is all about getting them to interact with you.
No matter what kind of product or service you're offering, there's usually some sort of incentive beyond the actual purchase.
For instance, a company that offers SEO services can help a leads's website rank better on search engines. But as a result of this improved ranking, more visitors and potential customers are going to land on their website. Reminding leads about that secondary benefit is a great way to land sales.
Potential buyers or clients want to know what kind of return on investment they are getting. They'll be far more likely to buy your investment offer than a product on its own. In fact, 70% of buyers identify and define their needs on their own before engaging with a sales representative. Remind them of the potential ROI on your website and in any follow-up messages. These reminders will go a long way towards helping you turn leads to sales.
If your leads aren't turning into sales, it may be because they have too many unanswered questions.
Leads who don't understand what your company is offering are going to move on quickly. Make sure they never have any trouble understanding exactly what you're offering.
To start, your website should be informative and easy to navigate. Use menus to separate information and make it easier for clients to find what they're looking for.
Think about the kinds of information clients will look for when they land on your website. If you offer many services, list them in an easy-to-find place. If you have promotions and deals going on, make sure those are on your landing page.
An FAQ page is also a great idea. Include any common questions or concerns leads and customers may have. This will become a go-to for clients when they're trying to figure out what your business is all about. According to HubSpot, 76% of consumers report that a website's design is the most important factor for them:
One of the easiest ways to turn leads to business is by simplifying your message. Your tagline, motto, or pitch is usually the first thing people think of when they think of your company. If that message isn't clear and catchy, it won't stick in anyone's mind.
Once you've simplified your message, it's time to make sure potential clients see it. Putting it front and center on your home page is a good way to do this. That way when visitors first land on your site, it's the first thing they'll see.
Leads generated through referrals are far more likely to create sales than unprompted leads. Studies suggest 42% of online consumers find referrals from friends and family most influential.
Rather than just hoping your customers will refer you, consider a tactic that encourages them to do so.
After your customer has made their purchase and received it, send a follow-up email. This is a chance to make sure that they were satisfied. It's also a good chance to ask them to refer you to their friends.
According to Shopify, email has the highest conversion rate for referrals at 4.29%:
The email will remind them of your excellent customer service. They'll likely be happy to share their experience with others. As a matter of fact, 91% of customers have reported that they would be willing to give referrals but only 11% of sales representatives ask for them.
One way to encourage customers to refer you to others is by giving them an incentive to do so.
Offering a discount on future purchases for each referral that leads to a sale is a great strategy. You could also offer a credit that customers can use to buy more of your products or services. Either option will help ensure that customers want to make a second purchase.
Turning leads to business for your online company is all about developing a modern business strategy. With these five tactics, you'll be well on your way to growing your business!
Ready to convert more of your leads into customers? Download our How To Create An ECommerce Lead Nurturing Campaign to learn how to create a sophisticated lead nurturing campaign in 5 easy steps.
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