Tweet

Converting Online Leads to Offline Sales

Guest post by: Cidnee Stephen

Article Overview: Websites are no longer an option, they're mandatory. Additionally, social media is no longer its own entity. These sites are simply another place for you to claim your online real estate. For the first time ever, website visits are going down as people rely more on sites like Facebook and blogs to build relationships and check out companies. Additionally, recent trends show that 92% of consumers do their research online for new products and services. So as we enter 2011, it makes sense that online marketing will play even a larger role for SME's to attract more qualified leads. But this is also the year that we are going to see an emergence of old and new techniques to convert these online contacts into offline sales.

Converting Online Leads to Offline Sales

If you were to look at the biggest marketing trend in 2010, most would say it was the year of "Social Media". Small and mid-sized businesses were joining the ranks of large corporations on Facebook, Linked In, You Tube and Twitter, trying desperately to figure out how to use these tools to market their products and services. Websites are no longer an option, they're mandatory. Additionally, social media is no longer its own entity. These sites are simply another place for you to claim your online real estate. For the first time ever, website visits are going down as people rely more on sites like Facebook and blogs to build relationships and check out companies. Additionally, recent trends show that 92% of consumers do their research online for new products and services.

So as we enter 2011, it makes sense that online marketing will play even a larger role for SME's to attract more qualified leads. But this is also the year that we are going to see an emergence of old and new techniques to convert these online contacts into offline sales.

Here are some techniques to consider:

a) TRACK - You need to really get to know your prospects and the best way to do this is to track activity. If you aren't tracking where your leads come from and what they are responding to, it becomes increasingly difficult to tailor the information and stay efficient with your marketing

There are some very powerful tools on the market that make tracking a no brainer. Google Analytics is free and very easy to integrate into your site in order to track where people are going, where they came from and how much time they are spending. "Knowing how a customer acts within your site is vital", says Shmuli Goldberg, director of marketing and communications for online-analytics provider ClickTale. For instance, you can use analytics to find out where users click most on your site, or what grabs their attention and holds it. You can glean how prospects react to your online forms, right down to what they won't fill out. Once you know where you are losing visitors, you can make changes to your site that eliminate superfluous information and allow for a more user-friendly browsing experience.

Another great tracking tool that incorporates your offline marketing initiatives isMy Next Customer.

b) ATTRACT & QUALIFY - Make sure you are including a call to action in your online promotional activities, and really spend some time ensuring this call to action will attract qualified leads. In a recent study of 130 ads, companies simply sent visitors to their home page, leaving it up to the prospect to navigate themselves around the information. It is much more effective if you send them directly to a page with targeted information.

c) ENGAGE - It's one thing to read interesting and relevant information. But it's even better if you can engage the prospect and in doing so, learn more about their needs. For example, can they complete a survey to learn more about their situation or needs? Can they watch a video and answer skill testing questions? Never underestimate the "fun" factor in building relationships.

d) RESPOND- If you are going to ask prospects to submit information or request information online, make sure you are set up to respond quickly - preferably within seconds with an automated email response. There are also services that can do phone follow up for you likeLeadQual who will respond to requests for as little as $5 lead. Remember, the faster you respond to the information the better the results.

e) MIX MEDIUMS - It's never good to assume that all people like to be contacted in the same way. Some people rarely answer their phones, others will ignore your emails and others adore old fashioned mail or face to face meetings. Therefore, consider mixing mediums with your prospects. If they have signed up for your newsletter, perhaps send them an offer like a free CD that would require them to fill in their mailing address. Now, you can mail other information or even Christmas Cards from time to time. Consider asking them to fill out their phone number as a mandatory field which would allow you to survey subscribers about your ezine and their challenges with respect to your types of products and services. Invite them to live events, via email, phone, and/or email. The more you mix mediums the more likely you are to get the attention of prospects and convert them to sales.

f) KEEP RESPONDING - Don't lose heart if leads aren't converting after your initial effort. Leads360, a provider of lead-management, found that making a second phone call increased the chance of making a sale by 87%. Further, the magical number of calls it took to change as many prospects as possible into clients was six. Jeff Solomon, founder and Senior Vice President of Leads360, says the six-call follow-up should take place within the first month of initially hearing from the prospect. If you want to do something other than phone calls, consider "nurture emails or drip campaigns" that contain additional information, such as guides, online calculators and other tools that can help prospects better understand your interest in landing their business. Be patient.

Remember, once a prospect knows, likes and trusts you enough, they WILL buy from you when the timing is right.

Related Articles
  Using Web Analytics for Marketing
  Offline is the New Online is the New Offline
  Offline Marketing for Website Promotion
  Sales Success Tip-Think You Need More Leads? Think Again!
  Injecting Internet Marketing Into Your Marketing Mix
  Differences Between Marketing Your Business Online Vs. Offline
  Sales and Marketing - Yin and Yang, or Oil and Water?
  17 Ideas To Help Women In Business Make More Money
  The Remarkable Power of an Automated System
  Conversions, Part Two
  Seven Tips for Successful Real Estate Marketing
  How Many Poles Do You Have In The Water?
  An online presence is the answer to beating the recession
  Actions upon Contacting Your own MLM Lead Prospects
  MLM Lead Generation- How To Get 15 Leads A Day With Blogs...
  The Main Advantages of Online Businesses over Offline Businesses
  Your Internet Based Marketing Skills are Valuable to Offline Businesses
  Are Free Leads Really
  8 Copywriting Tips the Pros Use
  Generating Leads Through Your Website

Article Tags: business, cidnee stephen, marketing, offline sales, small business, SME



Related Forum Posts
Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing
Re: Online Sales and Marketing vs Traditional - [quote="ltrahan":31w9r2iz]Hi Evan, I am noticing that many of the posts in the Sales/Marketing section deal with online marketing, SEM and and SEO and Affiliates. I was wondering if it might be a good idea to separate that section into two; 1) Online Sales and Marketing; 2) Traditional Sales and Marketing[/quote:31w9r2iz] I second the request...
Seek Venture Capital & Funding - Hello, Greetings from India. I am Seeking Venture Capital for Offshore Software Company Start-up. Need advise along with Business Model Sample. I have a basic outline for an offshore company. 1. Technology - like Microsoft Dot Net, Java, LAMP 2. Talent Team - Found Good Technology Developers. 3. Where I can get the leads/potential customers - Leads have been identified who are willing to move forward offshore projects. 4. I do not have resources like funding. It is a very critical factor to me Industries: Manufacturing, Real Estate, Retail, Insurance, Distribution & Logistics, Healthcare, Industry Associations and Software Product Development, Agricultural Industries and Etc. Services: Offshore Software Development Company. Offices to be located: Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India and USA. Products/Services/Applications in areas like POS & Billing, Sales & Distribution, Production Planning, Material Management, Inventory Control, Plant Maintenance, Purchasing, Accounting and Logistics. Dynamic Web Programming with Database Driven Content Management Systems, Online Stores for E-Commerce, B2B Solutions, Community Portals, Website Redesign and Development, Custom ERP with Enterprise Wide Functional Modules such as Marketing, CRM, Accounting, Inventory Control, Sales & Distribution, Production Planning, Purchase & Stores, Logistics and Supply Chain. Seek your further questions and help. Thank you, Best Regards, Jayapratap.
Money I made while in School - While in university I did have a Student Loan (still paying that bugger off) and had a part-time job as a Call Center agent (inbound). *Canada* I also designed websites (outsourced all the work). I just worked on getting new customers, managed the projects to completion and helped create Marketing Plans for my clients (Online and Offline). *Canada* When I was studying the in the States I also made some money as a Part-time Flight instructor. *USA*
Getting Started In Your New Internet Business - I always think it’s fun and exciting to start a new Internet business. I know for me that I would do something that I’m interested and passionate about. Otherwise the new venture doesn’t last for long. As it’s just as important to have passion, motivation and interest, there are a few areas that help me succeed in business. Promoting Your Internet Business I would call this the “show me the money” part of the business. Without money or income, there is no business. Therefore it’s important to promote your business and turn your promotional activities into sales. At every opportunity, try to promote your business through passive means: e.g. through your stationary, letterheads, emails, brochures and any other promotional material you may use. Even if it’s just an article you write for a directory, remember to put your website address at the bottom of it. In the past, I made stickers of my logo that I could easily stick on my products. Also I made sure that every email I sent out to a customer had a company logo in it. This all helps with creating the brand for the business. It’s crucial to develop a marketing plan that will not only sell your products, but also your brand. Here are some other articles I recommend to read to help you promote your Internet business: * Spreading The Word: Turbocharge Your Traffic * Converting Traffic Into Sales Part 1: Generating Leads * Converting Traffic Into Sales Part 2: Profiting From The Back-End * 12 Sales Effective Marketing Tips Operating Your Business This is the “lifeblood” of the business and I’m amazed at the amount of businesses that still operate without having good systems in place. An electrician I use from time to time asked me how I maintain my book work and said he doesn’t know how to do it. I was shocked because I’d known him to be trading for over 2 years and he probably doesn’t know how much money is being made in his business or let alone lost. What I am saying is to not be like my Electrician friend and make sure you buy an accounting software to track all your accounts and paperwork. I would suggest hiring a book keeper because it will save you the hassle and time of doing it all yourself. Some good software packages out there that are under $500 like MYOB Accounting and QuickBooks will be more than sufficient when you start out. Another area that most people forget or get caught out on are getting the appropriate insurances for your business. The most common are public liability insurance, fire, burglary, vehicle and workers compensation insurance. All these can be easily found via a quick search on Google. I would recommend ensuring both public liability and fire insurances are in place before even running your business. Keeping Pace And Staying Up To Date This may sound all too overwhelming when you have to promote, operate your business and keep up to date with your industry. Believe me it’s not as hard as it sounds. Take the first step and join a trade association or your local Chamber of Commerce. You will find it both informative and beneficial to your business. To know what is happening in your area and within your industry can help you make better decisions for promoting your product or service. Whether it may be time to change a product line or add more services to your business, you will be keeping up with the industry and making sure you are not missing out on opportunities. Also it’s a great way to network and promote within your trade associations and Chamber of Commerce. Simply write an article to contribute and it can be used as great public relations (P.R) for your business. Also I emphasise to have a well prepared business plan created before starting your business, because this will be your starting point. A business plan is useful for so many areas for your business from sourcing finance to implementing a growth strategy for the next 5 years. Once it’s written down, it will become a living breathing document that you can update and review over time. I’ve just finished preparing my business plan for this business which took nearly 3 weeks to complete but I can tell you that it is well worth the time and effort to do. Learn how to put your own business plan together and I can guarantee you that you’ll get finance and negotiate business deals much easier. The Future Of Your Internet Business Starting your Internet Business is rewarding and if you look into those areas I have mentioned, then you will have a good foundation to running a successful Internet Business. Take action today and know that you deserve to live your dream. Tyrone Shum Internet Business Coach


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Good News Travels Fast

20 MORE Must-Have Search Engine Marketing Tools

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.