In part one of our series, Improve Your Sales Leads in 2021 by Building Out Your Marketing Funnel, we discussed the definition of a marketing funnel and the benefits of building one for your business.
Whether you prefer a funnel visual or not, research shows that 90% of B2B business leaders see customer experience as a strategic priority. People want to interact with companies on their terms, in the way they choose. Companies need to meet them on these terms. This means you and your business should prioritize the creation of effective content for your marketing strategy that will appeal to prospects in a way that they prefer.
As a person moves through the buyer’s journey, your goals for converting them into customers should focus on small successes throughout, using marketing strategies that will increase conversions at each stage, such as:
The following tips will help move people through your funnel to increase your conversion rates and improve your results.
Since the 1900s when marketing funnels were born, no single model for defining a person’s relationship with a business is universally accepted by all companies. So, you have a choice:
Write articles about topics related to your product or industry, even loosely related topics that can lead back to your core product or service. Publishing blog articles and vlogs on your website will improve your chances of being found by search engines when prospective customers are searching for solutions to their problems.
It’s called social proof – when people rely on their social networks to find advice, referrals and reviews on your business, productor service. They also expect a business to be available for questions on Facebook and Twitter. They look for tutorials and how-tos on Pinterest and YouTube. They want a behind-the-scenes glimpse of your business on Instagram. Use social networking and publishing to increase trust.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) or social media ad campaigns convert prospects best when you drive traffic to landing pages where you capture their email addresses and other contact information.
Print publications, television commercials, live events, direct mail and advertising are still effective in increasing conversions, especially when combined with text and email marketing.
Because a specific landing page has content that addresses one problem with a single call to action, it’s more relevant for solving a visitor’s problem than a general homepage, in exchange for their email address.
Decide the action you want your customer to take and add a clear call to action multiple times on the page.
Contact forms give a visitor the chance to opt in to your content in exchange for their email address. A simple call to action to complete a form is quick and easy for visitors to comply with and for webmasters to create.
You can begin to educate prospects about your business and build trust using a simple email campaign.
Sending a set of personalized email messages to customers or prospects over time can move them through marketing funnel stages that lead directly to a purchase.
Pre-qualify prospects by helping them understand if your product is a good fit for them. Use your CRM to identify which email campaigns they should receive.
Email subscribers about your newest products, specials and offers like free shipping. Make it simple for customers to find your product or service when shopping and optimize your checkout page by using live chat and other sources of instant help. Consider cross-promotions to help expand your reach and connect you to potential customers on other marketing channels.
For people who abandoned their shopping cart, automatic emails can give them a discount on what’s left in their cart, offer them free shipping or other incentives to help make the sale.
When looking for related keywords, marketers can often engage with prospects who are asking questions about your product or service versus a competitor’s offering. These conversations can quickly lead to a sale.
Ask your customers if they know anyone else who would benefit from your product and offer a discount on their next purchase if they refer a prospect who becomes a customer.
A gentle nudge to re-purchase a product could be all they need to make another sale.
Getting the chance for an add-on, an entire package of goods or an item upgrade increases conversations at the loyalty stage.
Remind your customers of important dates and events related to your product or service.
Emailing a customer on the anniversary of their purchase or birthday to say thank you can go a long way toward building loyalty. Offering a coupon or freebie along with a thank you can go even further.
You need to know how well your funnel is functioning. You’re generating informative data with every piece of content you create for every stage of your funnel.
It’s best to choose two to five key performance indicators (KPIs) to focus your attention on. Choose from KPIs like marketing funnel conversion rate, entry sources, time in stage, exit from stage, content engagement rate, opportunity arrival rate, close rate and others.
If you’re wondering how to create more inbound sales qualified leads, stay tuned for the final part of our series, Create More Inbound Sales-Qualified Opportunities. We’ll discuss actionable tips you can include in your plan for 2021, the leads that have the highest chance of conversion.
When you’re ready to build and execute your marketing funnel, connect with 11outof11. Request a complimentary call with an 11outof11 expert. Contact us to learn more.