Your website should be the cornerstone of your marketing and advertising program. No longer just blurbs about products, the new era of web presence requires the site to actually offer something to visitors. To make your site work for you, remember that every visitor is a potential client. Here are five pointers for turning a passerby into someone who will stay to learn more. Implement these tips and you will turn prospects into customers!
Without the visitors email address, you essentially have no way of initiating any further contact. A good way to to do this is to offer a resource that can't be accessed without an email address. This could be a newsletter, a free report, checklist, subscription, or anything else, as long as it stands behind a wall where the key is contact information. Once that information is given, you can begin to build a relationship and move the prospect further in your sales funnel.
Everyone has questions. Presumably, a lot of your potential clients will have the same questions, so why not address those questions (or objections) right up front. Use a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) tab on your website to respond to the questions you hear most often. This lets your site visitors know that other people have the same problems and that you have the solution.
Now is not the time to be bashful! When someone gets to your website, it is the perfect opportunity to show that your knowledge and expertise will solve the problem they are seeking a solution for. Use the "About Us" section of your website for more than just your address and your hours. Consider recording a video introduction, adding your special training or credentials, or introducing your team so that visitors get a good idea of who you are.
The more convenient it is for people to move to the next step in the sales process, the more likely they are to take that next step. Consider adding a calendar plug-in to schedule appointments directly from your website - if they are looking at your site outside of regular business hours, you won't take the chance that they will remember to call you tomorrow! If you sell a product, make sure that your shopping cart is secure and easy to use.
Over half of all websites are viewed on mobile devices, and that number is expected to rise continually over the next several years. Put your best foot forward and make sure that your site looks as good on a phone or a tablet as it does from a desktop. Not sure? Look at it yourself from mobile devices - if it doesn't look good, contact your website designer or hosting company for help in getting "mobile friendly".
If it has been awhile since you have updated your website, now is a great time to do that and implement these tips to take your website - and your business - to the next level.
To your success!
Laura
P.S. If you are a small business owner (or want to be one), whether you are just starting out, or have been in business for awhile, I hope you will become part of the Next Level family. Visit our Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/NextLevelAd) for tips, tools, and resources to help grow your business. We now have a Facebook Group, Next Level U, for those who are interested in joining a private community of small business owners and marketers.
Some of the links in this publication are Affiliate Links, meaning that – at no additional cost to you – Next Level Advertising may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Please know that when you see an Affiliate link from Next Level Marketing it is for a product or service that we use ourselves or that we have thoroughly researched and reviewed!
Laura Olson-Oxley is an entrepreneur, coach, speaker, marketing and business consultant, and sales professional. She has over 25 years experience working with small businesses in a variety of industries, focusing on strategic business growth through effective marketing and advertising. Also a strategist, numbers nut, project manager, and life-long learner, Laura looks at the big picture to analyze and recommend the most effective tools to take businesses to the Next Level.
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