The lifeblood of business is leads, and generating them has only become harder as more noise competes for the user’s attention. Engagement is a nebulous idea, but it’s a concept that you need to pinpoint if you’re going to find success with any effort. In order to maintain engagement with the brand, it’s important to utilize every aspect of the sales funnel.
First, you’ll need to get the basics right- and this can vary for different industries. What works in digital marketing for rehab or outreach for charitable organizations, may not work for a private mortgage broker. You’ll also need to look at where and how you generate leads, and what you can do to improve the data you get. Finally, optimizing your website for greater conversion creates a passive stream of leads and potential revenue.
The Top of the Funnel
First, you need to identify every aspect of your sales funnel. The funnel begins with marketing, involves the sales process and ends with a paying customer. First, identify the channels you’re already using to market yourself. Most businesses start with a blog, a Facebook page and may also utilize a Twitter account or a YouTube channel. Take a quick stock of the real estate you own for your brand on the Web, and note any obvious holes (for example, a fashion brand not maintaining an Instagram).
Start by improving your existing properties. This can be as simple as posting more often or adding photos to your existing profiles. Then, identify any industry-specific outlets you might utilize. Is there a trade magazine you can buy ad space in, or a popular forum you can join to engage with your customer base?
Everyone knows about Google’s Ad Network, and people are beginning to learn about how easy it is to use Facebook for outreach. These sources are over-utilized, and prices are rising. If you want to stay cost-efficient, then take some time to improve outreach through sales channels more directly related to the type of business you operate.
The Middle of the Funnel
One of the more overlooked stats by beginners is “bounce” rate, as shown in Google Analytics. Whatever name it goes by, this statistic gives you a percentage or ratio of users who visit and leave immediately. That user is said to have “bounced” from the site, rather than staying and checking for more information. Typically, this means your site failed to provide a positive user experience for that visitor – maybe it isn’t offering what the user was hoping to find, or it could be that your site failed to load quickly enough.
Bounce rate is a good indicator of what isn’t working on your site, and can be a starting point for improving the experience that users have with your website and with your brand. Improving your site to reduce bounce rate may be something simple, such as adding a headline that succinctly explains what you do, or adding better content that is more related to the keyword the user entered to find your page.
Finding Opportunities
Opportunities exist everywhere, which is why it is important to continually evaluate your sales funnels and assess the brand experience your business provides to its potential customers. Look for ways to improve your outreach and improve the content and messaging on your site so that it aligns with your goals. This might include featuring promotions are high-profit items on your homepage and landing pages, or suggestive upselling on product pages. By staying vigilant about your current strategies and efforts, you’ll be more ready to improve your conversion rate and your revenue.
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