If you’re struggling with sales, it’s time to take a look at your sales funnel. A well-optimized sales funnel is the key to success for any business.
Here are some ways you can optimize yours today!
Start with a high-quality product.
Customers can tell if a product is cheaply made or not worth the price. When they do, they won’t buy it. And if they do by mistake, they definitely won’t come back to make another purchase. This will hurt sales numbers in the long run because it takes time to build customer trust and loyalty. If your product is of great quality though, customers are more likely to buy again and recommend your company to others! That’s why companies like Apple spend so much money on research and development for new products – because their reputation depends on it!
Create a strong brand message.
Your company’s brand message is what differentiates you from the competition. A strong brand message tells customers exactly what to expect when they purchase an item and ensures that your product isn’t just another one on the market – it stands out!
Define your target audience.
Today’s consumers are anything but clueless. They have more information at their fingertips than ever before, and they’re increasingly selective about the messages they receive from businesses. In fact, according to a recent study, 73% of consumers say that receiving relevant content from brands is “essential”.
In order to reach your target audience, you’ll need to have a solid understanding of who they are, what they value, and how you can help them. You’ll also need to know where to find your target audience online (hint: it’s not always on Facebook).
Add an enticing offer to get people to buy.
Once your target audience is defined and you’ve found them online, it’s time to start promoting your product.
Not only do you need a strong brand message, but you’ll also want an equally enticing offer that compels customers to buy. Remember: in business, there’s no such thing as the word free! If they get something for “free”, chances are they’ll still be paying in some way (time, money, attention). That’s not really free at all! Instead of giving away freebies as most people would think of, try adding bonuses or discounts instead (e.g., free shipping or 25% off).
Be active on social media.
Now that you have traffic entering into your sales funnel, you’ll want to make sure they have someplace to go afterward! That’s where social media comes in! Sharing consistent content on your company’s social media accounts will keep new users coming back or staying up-to-date. You can even share news about upcoming promotions or sales to get people excited for what’s coming next.
Use remarketing to drive more conversions.
Remarketing is the practice of using online ad campaigns to target people who have already interacted with your website and brand in some capacity – either by visiting your site, viewing a product, or making a purchase previously. This allows you to connect with leads at various points in their journey and remind them about your company!
Market consistently across many channels (not just Google and Facebook).
Your message needs to resonate with customers across different markets, so don’t rely on only one type of advertising medium! Try experimenting with marketing through other mediums such as email marketing, print campaigns (e.g., direct mail, catalogs), and even word of mouth!
You can also use one medium to compliment another. For example, you could run a Google Adwords campaign as well as a Facebook campaign at the same time. One of the most common digital marketing strategies is to use PPC (pay-per-click) advertising on search engines. However, this can be expensive as soon as you begin to have a list of keywords that your competitors use.
There are many other ways to improve the performance of a marketing campaign including:
- Increasing bids and keywords
- Re-evaluating ad copy and calls to action
- Improving landing pages
- Optimizing for mobile devices
- Testing ad formats
Optimize your website for conversions.
No matter how great your offer is, people won’t buy it if they have no way of seeing it.
In order to get the most conversions from your website, there are a few factors you’ll need to consider:
- Is it easy for users to find what they’re looking for?
- Do users understand what options are available to them?
- Does your site load quickly? Are banners distracting or engaging? Are there any broken links that might frustrate customers and cause them to leave?
These questions should help guide you in determining the best design and messaging approach for your e-commerce site. Make sure the customer has enough information about what they are buying so they can make an informed decision. Make it easy for customers to contact you if there are any problems with their purchase by including your phone number, email address, and social media handles on every page of your website.
Create a call-to-action that is eye-catching and easy for your customers.
Once someone enters your sales funnel, you need to provide an efficient “next step” for them.
This is where a call-to-action comes in! Whether it’s clicking on a link to learn more, adding the product to your cart, or making a purchase – there needs to be something clear and concise that tells them what they should do next. Keep this action simple so users know exactly what they’ll get if they take it. Make sure you design it in such a way that will visually draw attention (remember: images are worth 1,000 words).
Use Google Analytics
To track how many people visit your site, where they came from, which pages they viewed most often, etc., in order to optimize your marketing efforts based on the data you collect.
Not sure where to start with data analytics?
No worries! Here’s a quick guide on what you can learn from Google Analytics:
- How much traffic your site gets and from which locations
- Which pages are receiving the most clicks
- What percentage of customers make it as far as the checkout
- What the bounce rate is for each page on your site
Using data analytics can help you optimize your website by making necessary changes to increase sales. For example, if it turns out that most people are landing on a specific product page and not purchasing that product or any other product, then there could be something wrong with that particular product listing. Once you know what’s happening in real-time, you can take steps to either improve conversion rates or increase traffic to the affected pages!
There are many ways businesses use digital marketing to increase their overall visibility online; think of the different ways customers discover your business when searching for it online (e.g., Google search results, paid social media ads, organic or unpaid social media presence, etc.). Once your customers are aware of your brand and what you offer, they can begin to engage with it.
Here’s how:
- Digitally influencing when consumers search for products in the online marketplace and direct them toward your website
- Online platforms such as blogs and forums to speak directly about their experiences with your business or product
- Responding to chat messages within a live chat tool in real-time (similar to an FAQ section) so consumers don’t have to wait for emails back from customer service
We hope this blog post has given you some new ideas for how to optimize your sales funnel. It’s important not just to have a strong marketing strategy, but also to think about the customer journey and what they are feeling during each step of the way. Finding ways that will help them feel more confident in their decision can lead to increased conversions which is crucial when it comes time for conversion optimization. If you want, our team of experts on board with you as we work together on an SEO or digital marketing plan, please reach out!
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