Content encompasses all that conveys information from your web presence. To increase sales leads online break the big picture down to small but effective steps. In essence craft, share, and measure your content. Add live interaction to complement your content strategy. Doing so will increase sales leads.
1. Craft highly focused content that addresses your prospects’ pain points and offer a solution. Do not overwhelm with too much information. Take a look at how Glidden Paint offers simple solutions and adds an interactive element on their website.
2. Share your content. The Word of Mouth Marketing Association estimates that two thirds of economic activity is influenced by personal referrals and recommendations. An effective way to share content online is to add share buttons on each web page and each piece of self-contained content including blog posts, videos, newsletters and offer-type emails.
To get a sense of what kind of content people like to share visit the Allthingsnow site which shows the top Facebook Shares of the day as well as the most popular Facebook page sites.
Include a link to your content on twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn posts. Don’t forget Tumblr, Posterous and bookmarking sites such as Stumbleupon, Delicious and Reddit. The Google Reader share button is also useful. Adding a feed to your own sites’ most popular content is another way to share your information.
3. Study prospects online behavior. Who is on your site and what content are they engaging with? Follow up. Eloqua and Hubspot are two companies that offer marketing automation and web analytics solutions. Reach prospects by function and vertical using content aligned with their interest and business objective including white papers, case studies, and articles. Track which content is leading to conversions.
4. Give your prospects a choice for some kind of live experience. Even if it’s a telephone number to call. Viewers appreciate accessibility. Live chat software is being used successfully by Wells Fargo and Regence BlueCross/Blue Shield. Both reported higher customer satisfaction after adding a live chat option to their websites. Wells Fargo reported a double-digit increase in sales. Customers preferred using live chat over the telephone.
Each of these strategies can be used on websites and social media sites. Apply them regularly and your leads will increase.
