Every business wants more customers. Every business also has their own, slightly different, definition of what a “customer” actually is. For some businesses, a customer is only a “customer” if they continue a subscription. For others, a customer is a “customer” if they purchase a single product a single time. What a customer “is” can vary from business to business. However, what a customer “was” is the same no matter where you go.
Before you have customers, you have leads
Before a customer became a customer, they were a lead. A lead is any person that has shown any interest or qualification in your business. Common leads are personal referrals, ideas from existing clients, or people/businesses that could potentially become a customer based on your perceived interests of your business in their eyes. You thought gaining new customers was hard? That’s nothing compared to gaining leads. And what’s worse is, no new leads equals no new customers.
There are numerous ways of gaining new leads such as radio ads, tv ads, billboards, a sign on your storefront, word of mouth, your website, and more. The most effective lead generators are those that touch on the specific need of the person. This is why marketing your website is the most effective method of getting new leads for your business.
Why inbound marketing is so effective
A specific inbound marketing plan will identify and strategically target the people who have a problem that your business can solve. This is most effective because when a person has a problem, they do what most other people do, they “google it.” If your business in the search results looks like it will solve their problem, they’ll go to your website. Plain and simple.
Now, once they are on your website, you need to actually be able to solve their problem! Being ranked high in search engines is not enough these days. You need to be able to take that “visitor” and convert them into a “lead.” Without first becoming a lead, that visitor will never become a customer.
An effective inbound marketing strategy will cater to your potential customers in each of these stages: Visitor, Lead, and Customer. The inbound marketing strategy should ensure that all of their needs are met–whether it is to learn about your business, purchase a product, or simply to be able to contact you. Tracking the behavior of your users is another great advantage of online marketing compared to other forms of marketing. Being able to see patterns and behavior allows a website marketing campaign to remain flexible and accommodate changes as they happen.
Building an effective online presence takes time
At WESFED, we learn your business and its customers. We represent our clients online in the most professional fashion, then market their websites so that new leads are captured and the business grows. Every business can benefit from building an effective online presence.