You’ve got Lead-Generating Woes
You’ve got this website that is, frankly, awesome! You’re sitting there, waiting for it to start generating leads for your business. And waiting…
Amazing websites are one of the most effective ways to attract leads to a business: everyone knows this. So why are you still waiting?
Big Challenge
The goal of your website is to generate momentum with visitors who are likely to make a purchase. You want to transform them from simple passersby into purchasing customers who are likely to come back. It may sound simple enough, but bringing it to reality is a big challenge for most businesses.
Your website can be a powerful tool for lead generation and conversion. Marketing is changing, and there’s still discussion going on in B2B groups about what it all means and how technology and different venues like social media play into it.
While everyone figuring out the whys and wherefores of it all, you’re still waiting for your website to become the powerhouse lead generator you know it could be.
Turn Your Website into a Lead-Generating Beast
Your website could be your strongest salesperson, with a little tweaking.
Here are five ways you can make it happen:
- The customer is in control. Build your website around your customer. To make your site customer-centric, consider the following suggestions:
- Provide specific solutions to customer concerns.
- Talk about customer needs, not your
- Make the purchasing process simple. You want your customers to be successful at it.
- Give the customer the information they’re looking for, including prices for product or costs for services.
- Remember the three-second rule. The goal is to set up your website so that a potential customer, who knows nothing about your company or industry, can figure out your web page in three seconds or less. This customer should immediately be able to answer the following questions about your company or industry:
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- Who do you do it for?
- How can you be of help to this customer?
- How can customers contact you?
Sound impossible? It isn’t. You just need the right website development team.
- Tell your prospects what to do next. Once a potential customer arrives at your website, you’re halfway home but you haven’t reeled them in yet. Now you’ve got to move them to the next step. They can’t act if you don’t tell them what you need them to do. A clear call to action should be part of every web page.
Websites can be confusing, and potential customers are generally pressed for time and short on patience. Your goal is to convert them into solid, qualified leads. Make certain you direct them somewhere that can happen.
Some suggestions:
- Sign them up for your newsletter.
- Point them to case studies and white papers.
- Show them a free demo or let them sample one of your useful apps.
- Let them know where they can find technical support and FAQ.
- Create your own hub. Don’t underestimate the power of a social media presence. Social media gives your customers a place for interaction and community. But you don’t own social media. Create a center for your activities, such as your newsletter, email campaign click-throughs, direct mail promotions, blogs and industry forums.
- Avoid the yawn potential of forms. Research by MarketingSherpa shows most prospects will hit the back button when landing on a page that requires completion of a form. The dropout rate at this step increases as the form gets longer. About half of those who do fill out the form are lying. Consider what you’re trying to accomplish and gather as little information as possible to accomplish that goal.
Be Authentic
Customers love a company that is authentic, with a strong, clear and consistent message. Focus on communicating and you’ll find your leads increasing.
