Many of the email and marketing systems available today can do a lot of marketing work for you. These systems have features such as forms to capture leads, automatic replies, and even customized follow-ups. These sophisticated, integrated tools are changing the way businesses prioritize their marketing efforts. By knowing what stage of the buying process your customers are in, your sales team can focus on the lower-hanging fruit and your marketing team can focus on everyone else.
Website Teaser: Contact Form
An effective website should always have a contact form available. Many sites entice users to fill out the contact form in order to receive something for free—also known as a “teaser.”
Email Trigger: Automatic Emails
Email systems have evolved to include many great tools for managing customers and leads, and many of them are either free or affordable. Smart email systems are capable of tracking a host of analytics, like the habits of the people who come to your site. In many cases, the email system talks directly to the website, and entries from contact forms are also entered in the email system. That way, when you or your salesperson wants to follow up on a lead, you understand the kind of content that person has visited on your site.
Many email systems and marketing systems are also capable of sending automatic replies. For example, if a user is not really clicking around too much on your site, or they start to fill out a form—but they don’t actually get through—some systems can send out automatic “trigger” emails. These will push your leads along in the process of conversion. The email might say, “We noticed that you looked at this on our site. You might be interested in having someone from our company call you because we offer X services.” You just have to make sure that all your messaging ties back to the habits and stage of engagement of that particular lead.
Custom Portals: Landing Pages
Automated systems also enable you to create a custom portal to your website for every type of customer you have, called a landing page. Landing pages can be centered around anything, but the important part is that they speak to your customers in words they understand, and are specific to the demographic they are targeting. You want the entry point from all of your marketing to be as effective as possible. Often times, sending someone you are trying to sell to your home page will leave them lost, and if your navigation isn’t perfect and easy, you run the risk of losing them. By creating landing pages, you can use content that is specific to your marketing message and your target audience. Use them as an entry point from your Google Adwords, Facebook ads, email campaigns, direct mail and so on—and you will have a better engagement with your customers and prospects. My own audiences tend to be in the construction and publishing industries, and as such I offer a different landing page for each.
Utilizing any of these three tactics or a combination of them will help you solidify the lead-conversion process. In addition, you should try making a phone call or arranging a face-to-face visit. You might be surprised at how receptive people are!
How are you sorting your leads? Please visit our site to learn more about our services.
Amy Zucchi-Justice
Karlyn Group
902 Broadway, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10010
karlyngroup.com