How do you convince potential clients that your online marketing will be effective?
I'm an online marketing consultant and I'm curious of how others approach leads. How do you convert them? What triggers customers to buy your services? What is important? How do you sell yourself? I'm looking to convince potential clients and gain their trust that our online marketing initiatives will be effective.
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Mar 13, 2015
Hey Lara, The way i have been approaching to new business is this way..i always do a through market analysis and comeup with their market potential , then i do an analysis for current online market share between my client and competitors , then i tell them the current gaps in their digital strategy and how i personally can help them to fill in those gaps and out beat the competitors.
After every thing i present them few case studies and testimonials of my clients and show them how i have helped them in growing their business.
Mar 12, 2015
Before we Approach the client, we need to research the clients product and most importantly his businesses USP. once we know that, when we approach leads discuss more about importance of branding and his USP compared to others in the market and the influence on online marketing on his business.
Mar 11, 2015
The pitch should vary depending on what their offerings are, the stage of the online marketing journey the prospect is in and any nasty past experiences that is making them extra cautious. Based on your discussions, you will be able to figure out their current challenges and propose the different techniques they should have as a part of the online mix.
Each platform has its own pros and cons and what it can deliver. Educate the customer on what's achievable in a set time-frame. Share a checklist of missing elements in their website to get started with digital marketing.
Last but not the least, it's not possible to achieve results from online marketing initiatives without a steady stream of relevant content to attract their target audience.
(The source for objectives and KPI's is from a Marketo marketing collateral)
E.G. Possible Short term objectives for Twitter:
• Compile list of company Twitter users
• Promote company blog post through corporate account
• Communicate support issues from social media to support team, ensure follow-up
• Build reputation
• Promote other social networking activities/sites through Twitter
Sample KPIs could be:
• Friends/Followers
• 2nd-order followers (follower’s follower count)
• Velocity - Avg. of first-and second-order followers attracted per day since the account was established
• Social Capital - influence of twitter followers
• Centralization - how much influence (reach) is invested in a small number of followers
• Pages ranking on key terms from microblogging sites
All the best
Mar 10, 2015
How do you sell yourself online? If a prospect searches your company or name what do they find? Do they find that you are an expert? Do they find your social sites/proof?
There is the often told story of a cobbler who's own children have no shoes and for most online marketers we are guilty of the same thing - too busy helping clients to work on our own site. But you still need to have something for them to sink their teeth into and get taste of past projects, past clients, and possible potential for their company/project.
So to finally answer your question - I have found that having examples of what I did similar to what the client is asking and talking them through things is how I convert my leads. Should they ever get curious about my background I have quite a bit of content out there (sorry to the former Police Chief, the musician, and the Pastor a few states over who share my same name).
Side Note: I see you changed your Twitter http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Wa8yBPYOpr8J:https://twitter.com/lcwilkens+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us recently. i would suggest going back and snagging the old one and simply lock it down or put a post up that directs people to your new account.
Mar 10, 2015
Lara, you have received some great advice. I'll add this: you cannot "convince" a prospect of anything. Always do quality work, gather testimonials, build your portfolio, all essential steps. Then DEMONSTRATE your worthiness "of the customer." That is, let them know more than what you do but how much you want to identify and serve their needs. I suggest you reverse the role and view yourself from the point of view of your prospects. It is a subtle but powerful perspective, which can yield amazing results.
Mar 10, 2015
Lara: I find that providing an initial consultation for free allows me to listen to the prospect, understand their issue(s), and then lay out a high-level plan for them to address their pain points. This allows me to build rapport with the prospect, demonstrate knowledge/proof points (as Robert Minskoff stated), and to tailor an initial engagement should the prospect desire to move forward. I find this is well worth my time. It also helps me expand my network. Even if I the prospect doesn't move forward with me now for whatever reason, it allows me to initiate the relationship. I then tend to keep them updated on information that I think is valuable to them over time. This reinforces my interest in the prospect and sincere desire to help them. Over time, circumstances change and when an opportunity surfaces, these longtime prospects often become clients.
Separately, you may want to connect with John Horsley, Director, Digital Doughnut in the UK to stay abreast of marketing initiatives close to home.
http://LinkedIn.com/in/DigitalMarketing - Connect on LinkedIn!
http://twitter.com/digitaldoughnut - Follow community updates!
http://facebook.com/DigitalDoughnut - Follow updates on Facebook!
Mar 10, 2015
Have you got any clients at all? Have you done for them what they wanted from your online marketing agency? Will they tell others about it?
I can see you are online and using social media to get known. I guess they will look at what you do for yourself and get an impression of what you can do for them.
A very successful online marketing agency does a lot of free training for businesses. Depending on how you like to work with customers but when it comes to online marketing I think if they are not going to be highly engaged and if they don't understand enough about it the results will not be as good so creating a partnership in learning seems a good idea to me.
If you have tips you might consider joining our online community on Facebook (lookup 10to8.com) because my customers are looking at online booking they very often reconsider their whole online marketing strategy and advice, tips are always welcome in the community.
I hope this helps.
Mar 10, 2015
It doesn't matter what you sell, the formula is always the same. THEM-US-FIT-PROOF.
In other words, create a message that engages your buyer where they live. Understand them, and be persistent. Don't stop until you get a yes or a no. Remember, even a no is an answer. In your business, a quality demo & really good testimonials work well.
Good Luck & Good Selling!
Mar 10, 2015
If you have the right product/service, it shouldnt be a problem to close a deal, I find that clients respond well to dedicated problem ownership and transparent terms of service, I must admit that charisma and personal presence are very important but they need a good service to make it all the way, I also tend to offer a flexible contract with minimum notice that puts clients at ease to try my services and compare them with existing provider. But while this works for me I would be cautious about recommending my aproach as it revolves greatly around my personal presence and capacity, my associates/collaborators have varying stances, and to be honest the mix works very well too from client perspective. Also take on board the whole "First Impression" concept.
I would also like to add that if you do use the client's perspective, then try not to overwhelm the client with technical jargon just to impress. Find easier ways to explain your marketing strategies in a way that is relatable to the client's business with simple, yet deep, terminology. At least that's what has worked for me :)