How do we use the web to drive sales?
“We know the web is an opportunity but what’s the right way to use it to drive more leads and sales? Website, social media, content, email – how do we join all these elements up to get results? And how does this all fit with face-to-face sales?”
Use the web to drive business
The web is a huge opportunity for any business, even in traditional sectors where new leads are earned through recommendations, and hard sales graft on the ground. The internet has changed the way people research and buy products and services. Learn how to create a digital presence that means you connect with the type of people you’re looking to attract and win more of the work you want.
- 60% of traditional sales process has disappeared online
- 81 % of B2B purchases start with search
- 90% of buyers say when they are ready to buy ‘they’ll find you’
Get it right
Get your website and digital strategy right and selling will be easier. The right people will be drawn to your website, and the website will do its job – building trust, sharing your expertise, demonstrating your value.
Sticking to your content strategy means you create a steady stream of valuable content that builds connection and helps fill your sales pipeline. Your clear business message and all the useful content that you’re creating makes it easy to people to refer you, and you pick up more clients through word of mouth. You use your content to stay in touch with potential buyers with a focus on being helpful – and it’s super easy to buy from you when the time is right.
Get it wrong
Potential clients, employees and referrers are checking you out on the web, whether you like it or not. Your business suffers if your website and digital presence isn’t up to scratch. Are you missing out on opportunities as a result?
“Over 80% of buyers are looking to the web to evaluate you as a potential provider. Whether sellers are consciously shaping their online presence or not, buyers are looking there for information.”
Hinge Marketing research 2014
The Valuable Content approach
Understanding how people like to research and buy products and services today is key to sales success. Pushy, interruption style marketing won’t win you many fans.
Companies that are winning the business development game today take a different approach. They focus on marketing online, with customer-focused websites packed with valuable content (helpful articles, guides and advice – not just an online brochure). They are clear who they are selling to and have a strong proposition and message that connects with that audience. They use a variety of channels to share their content and get the message out – including social media, opt-in email marketing as well as face-to-face networking and sales.
Having a good digital presence really matters. If your website is pulling in no leads or the wrong leads, then selling will be tough. If the value of what you sell isn’t clear straight away to your ideal customer, you’ll be making life harder for yourself. If you’ve got no way of keeping in touch with potential customers until the time is right to buy then you’re making life very hard for yourself.
It all comes back to great content – if you want to increase sales then your content strategy is the best place to start.
Learn more in these articles:
- How to use content to crack the business development challenge
- How to market your small business (even if you’re not a natural marketer)
- How content marketing has filled IT firm Desynit’s pipeline with a flood of inbound leads.
- Is outbound selling dead in the age of inbound marketing?
- Content marketing and the forgotten salesperson
Buy the book
How we can help
We’d love to help you use content to get the leads you need. Here’s how:
>> Join a group programme – learn and take action: Sign up for Pub School
>> Hire us as your content partners – get personal, hands on help: Check out our Content Lab service