The way people purchase has fundamentally changed. Now, when someone has a problem or pain point, they immediately pull up Google or voice assist to search for a solution. They look to blog posts for a deeper understanding, they research products, brands, reviews and prices. Not only are customers searching for their own answers, they are highly influenced by what they see.
Everyone talks about how much time people spend on smartphones, but believe it or not, there are companies that still haven’t realized how much this changes the equation. Now no matter where they are, even if they have a minute of free time, they’re browsing blogs, websites and social media.
All this browsing is impacting how they see the world. Content that comes from brands, paid ads, celebrities, influencers and those they trust (friends and family) will influence ideas about what they need, what they should want and what brands they trust. It’s gone beyond the fact that they enjoy the content, now they’ve come to expect it.
Provide content that works.
Your audience is already looking for answers. Publish the kind of content that offers help or supports the prospect’s journey toward said answers, and you’re well on your way to building real, authentic relationships with qualified leads.
Draw leads in with initial content that answers the questions they’re asking and helps them move naturally towards conversion. Be customer-centric and not brand-centric. Remember, timing is everything, so don’t push sales too early.
It’s your job to solve problems, right?
Most businesses are built on their ability or intent to solve a problem. People want to solve their pain points, so a clear solution is a truly motivating argument. If you can hone in on this pain point in your content, then you can target the right content to bring in qualified leads.
Even better, great content works 24/7—never taking a sick day, needs a salary or pushes a product your customer doesn’t want. Using an established content funnel to draw the customers in also works to end the lead generation drought.
Use content built by your team.
Great content working in a sales funnel method not only builds qualified leads but also actually allows you to put your employees to better use than cold calling or answering FAQs.
Automate your lead generation and basic cultivation so that employees aren’t doing pointless work. Use your sales team to design and support that process. Let top sales associates or customer support reps brainstorm content ideas and provide you with questions most frequently asked by qualified leads so that the right answers are there for the finding.
Content is designed to get people in the door and will often lead to a conversion. Use your team to personalize the experience for the customers that reach out looking for support. The right content will do a lot of that heavy lifting without ever making a customer wait on hold or taking a day off.
If you need help finding leads, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d be happy to assess your current strategies and suggest improvements to revitalize lead generation and automate the underlying cultivation process.
