Consumers interact with your marketing efforts at different stages in their buying cycle. Therefore, we have created this post to help converting leads at the stage that they are in and continue nurturing them down into becoming engaged customer. Each section outlines what consumers are looking to obtain in each stage of the buying process and how to deliver it to keep them moving through the funnel. We offer you useful tips and tricks that will format your marketing vehicles to optimize their effectiveness.
Generating, nurturing and converting leads and into engaged customers
Using CTA’s, Landing Pages and Automated Email Marketing
Lead Generation
If you are interested in converting leads, you need to drive traffic to your landing pages. This can be accomplished by placing specific calls to action on your website, paid advertisements and social posts. The most appropriate call to action depends on where the individual is in the buying cycle. Therefore, the content in this section will outline what the call to action should be and where it should direct the consumer.
Need Recognition Stage
Consumers in this stage are only determining if they need your product or service. Thus, it is best practice to provide an offer that does not require much commitment. Examples of this type of offer are to subscribe to a blog or download a free resource. The content should provide solid examples of what gap your product or service is filling and why it needs to be filled. If you really want that call to action to be effective, it needs to spark curiosity or make the content seem relevant to the individual. Then, you can direct them to a landing page where they can submit a short form to redeem it.
Information Search Stage
At this stage, potential clients are looking to gather further information to determine whether your product or service is valuable to them. The value of your product or service is best demonstrated via a demo, free trial or sample. This will answer many of their questions about how it can meet their current requirements along with ones they did not know were available. The call to action should indicate that this is the best way to answer their questions and direct them to a landing page where they can enter their information to receive your offer.
Evaluation Stage
In the evaluation stage, consumers are comparing your product or service to that of your competitors. Hence, the call to action should speak to this intent. This call to action should direct them to a landing page that includes information that supports your claim of superiority or allows them to complete a form to obtain further information on this matter. Alternatively, the landing page could contain all the information, including a form that calls them to submit a sales inquiry.
Lead Nurturing
Need Recognition Stage
Once a visitor has completed a form to either subscribe to your blog or obtain a free resource, an automated email should be sent to them. This should include a thank you message as well as a link to a landing page where they can access the content. If your content is successful, the leads will be prompted to gather further information on your product or service to determine whether it is valuable to them. In other words, transition into the information search stage. Now you can present them with a call to action for a demo, free trial or sample.
Information Search Stage
If a person completes the form to receive a demo or a sample, they should receive an automated response with a thank you message and a link to a landing page, where they can redeem the offer. At every opportunity during the demo, free trial or transferring of the sample, the lead should be presented with a call to action. In the next stage of the buying process, known as evaluation, the goal is to prove that your product or service exceeds that of your competitors. As a result, the call to action should be to see why this is true.
Evaluation Stage
If you have taken your audience directly to a landing page with all the information available, you should include a form for sales inquiries. This will begin converting leads into the purchase stage. Alternatively, if they were directed to a landing page where they had to fill out a form to receive further content, the call to action for sales inquiries should be in both the email that they receive and on the landing page.
Purchase Stage
After the lead has entered the purchase stage by making a sales inquiry, it is very beneficial to reassure your audience about having made the right decision. A triggered email with links to landing pages for customer reviews and testimonials will support this decision. It is best practice to target the lead based on their industry or demographic variables. This can be effectively done by using reviews and testimonials from related businesses or consumers.
Customer Engagement – Post Purchase Stage
Now that converting leads into customers is a reality, the goal is to turn them into either higher paying customer or long-term customer. The key to this is up-selling or continuously adding value to your product or service. This can be accomplished through the implementation of targeted email campaigns. Value will be increased by utilizing automated email campaigns, which can be based on whether they have used or purchased a specific product, service or feature. If so, you can reward their behaviour and further identify related future opportunities. These recommendations or subsequent offers should also be based on demographic or industry information to be more relevant and therefore increase the appeal.
Landing Pages and Forms
Elements on a landing page should include:
- Headline
- Description of the offer
- Supporting Image
- Link to redeem requested offer (if applicable)
- Link to social share offer
- Call to action
- Form
- Awareness to information search stage. The form should be fairly short to make it easy to complete and to not overwhelm consumers by asking for too much of their information.
- Tip: Avoid “Submit” buttons. The wording on the button should reflect the offer that they will be receiving.
- Tip: Remove the main navigation to avoid distracting consumers from submitting
- Tip: focus on using one keyword for SEO
- Tip: The more landing pages you have, the better your SEO will be
Calls To Action
- Make them visible with position and contrast
- Be clear on what they will be receiving
- Ensure they look clickable
- Strategically place them on every social posting, paid advertisement, website page, landing page and email
Automated Emails
- The language should match the audience
- Use your manners – a thank you message should be included if they have requested an offer
- Link to the full content or landing page to access the offer
- Include social logos to encourage sharing
- Make it visually appealing
- Always have a CTA!
- Tip: Make it personal
- Sign it from an actual person
- Tailor content to previous actions, individual preferences or demographics
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