We are so used to being bombarded with advertising at all times that, in the end, we have developed a capacity to ignore scary ads. But, of course, when you are on the other side of the fence and you are the one who wants to send a promotional message, you immediately realize that either you work hard, or you will hardly get your message to your audience. After trying hard, putting different techniques and tips to the test and seeing that nothing works very well, the most normal thing is to throw in the towel and start selling towels on the beach.
Quiet. To begin with, you have the consolation of knowing that you are not alone; We have all suffered and suffered from this situation. In today’s post, I would like to share with you the three steps we follow in Nelio to get more effective traffic campaigns and that, in a way, summarize what we have already commented on previous blog posts.
The 3 key steps to promote yourself effectively
A couple of weeks ago I explained to you how you could get to be the first result in Google. In that entry, we do not talk about the intricacies of the Google algorithm, but we saw roughly what are the objectives pursued by any search engine and, therefore, what things you must take into account to get positioned correctly. When we are starting, then, the most important thing is not to waste time in perfecting the details and focusing on the global vision. In other words, you have to know how to work in such a way that the trees do not prevent you from seeing the forest.
Today I want to transmit a bit the same idea: I do not want to get lost with minutiae or specific advice, because these change over time and what a person works wonders to you is worthwhile. So, I want you to get out of here knowing how to think and understand content marketing so you can design campaigns that really meet the goals that interest you.
For example, for us to understand each other: when we talk about content marketing in social networks one of the first topics to discuss is the frequency of publication in each network and the best hours to share content in them. Ruth, for example, did a few months ago a super detailed analysis of the subject applied to the strategy we followed in Nelio and do you know what was one of the conclusions? Yes, it is good to know this information, but at the moment of truth, it is impossible to give a universal answer that works for everyone. Then I ask myself: why am I going to waste my time giving you advice on something that probably will not work for you and that you will have to try and adjust yourself on your own? Is not it better for me to teach you how to think and reason? Well, that’s what we’re going for.
When you launch a promotional message on social networks you have to be very clear about the target audience that message will have and the phase they are in. That is, you have to keep in mind the funnel of conversion (or funnel ) of marketing:
1. Perception.
2. Reflection.
3. Conversion.
Let’s see what needs to be taken into account in each of these phases.
# 1 Perception – It’s time to let you know
People do not know your product or service, they do not know who you are. In fact, they may not even know they have a problem they need to fix.
If we want our message to reach a greater number of people, we have to make sure that we attack all the stages of the sales funnel and, therefore, we have to start at the beginning. The first phase is one in which the user senses that he has a problem and needs to find a solution.
It is evident that as soon as the user realizes that he has a problem, the first thing he will do is find a solution, right? And if the problem you have is the one that you solve, you will want it to find you and keep you in mind. But, of course, for this people have to know that you exist, you have to know your brand, you have to know that you are a reliable professional for them.
Do you have campaigns that are not focused on selling anything, but simply on making your brand known? Most likely, it does not … It happens to all of us: we want to sell as much as possible (after all, it is what gives us food) and we forget the importance of relating to our potential customers. Before even asking someone to buy, you have to establish a relationship with them.
Recipe. The best formula to spread your brand is, precisely, the inbound marketing. As Ruth said in your post, it is about generating interesting content for which, with luck, you end up being your client. Your goal is to establish a relationship with your readers, get leads and, ultimately, be one of the references they have in mind when looking for solutions.
If you define a good content strategy, carry out effective advertising campaigns to promote your brand is automatic: all you have to do is promote that content on social networks and try to position them well in the search engines to attract more traffic. Notice that, in this way, you will be adding value from the moment zero to your users and, little by little, you will be getting into their subconscious.
Now that we have the attention of our potential clients, it is time to jump to the next phase: reflection.
# 2 Reflection – Take out your chest and strengthen your virtues
People know you, they are aware that they have a problem and they know that you have a solution for them, but they are considering other possibilities.
The ideal person to whom you want to place your product is one who knows he has a problem and, in addition, you know that you solve it. This will only be the case if you have done your homework in the previous phase since you will already know and you will become one of the options that you will consider. But we still have a lot of work ahead of us.
Helping a user to opt for our solution and not our competition is not easy. There are many factors that will influence your decision, so try to put yourself in their shoes and imagine how you would make this decision. What makes you different from the competition? What are your strengths? What makes you better?
Clearly identify the profile of your client and design specific messages for your specific needs, where you highlight the advantages of your product that really matter to you. For example, if you think that your potential customer is especially worried about the price and you are cheaper than the competition, tell them. If you can try the product without having to give your credit card number, let them know.
Recipe. Before making a purchase, the potential client will investigate the possible solutions on their own and compare them. A couple of techniques you can apply to help you in this task are:
1. Direct comparisons with the competition. This can be risky, but it is a technique that can be very useful. When a user hesitates between two alternatives, it is usual to seek the advantage of one and another to opt for one of them. That is why if we can give part of the work done and offer us directly the comparison we can direct your attention towards what interests us. For example, we have already done this when comparing Nelio Content with Edit Flow or with Editorial Calendar. Obviously, you can also trust that your current users are those who, delighted with your product, make the comparison for you.
2. Promotion of your product or service from different perspectives, for different profiles. As I was saying, not everyone is looking for the same thing. Therefore, it is important that you design different messages for the different profiles that may be interested in your product. Usually, this translates into the generation of multiple landing pages, each focused on a different aspect of your value proposition and probably linked to your own Adwords campaign.
# 3 Conversion – Place your product
The user is determined to buy a product that solves his problem.
The “final” phase of the conversion funnel goes through the purchase of the product or service you offer (although this is not always the case, there are times when “they start the free trial ” or “give us your email” is all that we want to get). When dealing with the last step, it is normal to take place on your own website.
Recipe. Examples of tasks to be done that will help improve your conversion rate:
1. Free trials and freemium solutions. Another formula that works especially well is to allow the user to directly test your product or service and make an informed decision based on real experience. This is not always possible, but if you are in the software world like us, it is one of the best ways to promote your solution above the others.
2. Direct dialogue (online and offline). Do not underestimate the strength of speaking directly with the client. Although the ideal (for the company) is that the product is placed alone and you do not need a sales team, there will always be those who want to talk to the team behind a product to opt for it. We, for example, try to fully automate the sale of our plugins, but when a user insists on talking to us, we have no problem chatting on Skype and solve any doubts you may have.
3. Perform A / B tests. It is very difficult to improve what you do not know. The A / B tests are a fantastic technique to improve conversion rates of the different pages on our website.
In many cases, the purchase process is not usually precipitated, but there are a reflection and valuation behind. Therefore, it assumes that the most normal thing is that the same user needs to see several pages or interact several times with you before opting for you. So be patient and look for the means to answer all the doubts you may have.
Now it’s your turn
The phase that most people forget is the first, where you focus on enhancing your personal brand and offering quality content before even proposing a sale. When working on your marketing strategy, always keep in mind the three phases of the sales funnel and strive to improve the efficiency of the actions you perform.
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