By Nancy LeVasseur
People use the internet to find information, learn and solve problems.
All the data you could ever ask for is now readily available on the web, and Internet users are becoming more and more focused on finding relevant information from experts willing to share their knowledge.
This search-to-learn
phenomenon has also carried over to our buying habits, and this is where your
business’s internet marketing strategies come into play. Most companies are
still entrenched in the traditional forms of marketing, and they have an “out
of sight, out of mind” mentality when it comes to their website. Yes, they've listed their product online, but marketing their products stops there, and many businesses still expect
their sales force to do the lion’s share of the selling.
The New Sales Reality
For products
requiring a large corporate investment, businesses today are researching online to
find the best solution, and they’re vetting solution providers, like you, to
find the best vendor to solve their need.
Business buyers
do not contact sellers directly until they've completed more than half of the purchase process. While you’re
waiting for a phone call from an interested party, they’re checking out your
website (and your competitors’) to learn more about you and your product.
Businesses no longer need your input to make decisions; they’re learning online, on their own. As a vendor, you have just 12% of your customer’s total mind-share across
the entire B2B purchase process.
By the time they call you, or your competition, your prospective customers have researched the product’s specifications, descriptions, and reviews. They've formed an opinion and expectation before they've even spoken with you.
By the time they call you, or your competition, your prospective customers have researched the product’s specifications, descriptions, and reviews. They've formed an opinion and expectation before they've even spoken with you.
Adjust Your Strategy
It's not too late. Here's how you can change your online marketing approach to keep up with today’s consumers.- Determine your buying persona. Don’t be afraid to be specific in defining your demographic. The most effective content is created for a highly targeted group of people. Those looking for your valuable information are willing to take the time to interact with your exceptional content! They are trying to become more informed; be the resource they need, and they’ll keep coming back to you.
- Provide content about solving their problems. Make it about them, not about your products or how wonderful you are to work with.
- Create content for every stage of the buying cycle. Visitors coming to your website the first time may need basic information. Return visitors will probably be ready for more in-depth material such as data or statistics. Create content for each phase to keep them coming back for more.
- Track interaction and engagement with your content. This information is critical for making adjustments to your content marketing strategies! If you have direct contact with your clients, don’t be shy about asking them how they found you. Their responses can provide invaluable information only gleaned through personal interaction.
Remember, educating
is part of excellent customer service and client relations!
When someone provides information and solutions to our problems, we feel indebted to that person. And the more we learn from that
person, the more trust and loyalty are developed. Increased trust and loyalty = increased sales conversions.
Are you creating online content to help your future customers?
Are you creating online content to help your future customers?
