By Erin Walker:
Vice President of
Products & Services and Resident Website Conversion Expert Medium Blue
Long before online sales
and online sales leads became a reality, there were techniques and tactics
used to sell just about anything. Successful businesses use these
techniques to generate revenue and gain a competitive advantage.
Unfortunately, whenever a new communication medium or technology becomes
available, we tend to rely too heavily on the efficiencies and
functionality of the tool and lose focus on the purpose it was created to
serve. The internet, with all of its bells and whistles, often actually
hurts the bottom line of businesses. Whenever this is the case there is
usually a common cause- the company is not using the traditional sales
techniques that made them successful in the offline world to generate
online sales or online sales leads.
To succeed on the
internet, look at what's worked for your company in the past and extend
these successes online. Here are just a few things that can easily and
effectively be taken online to help in the online sales medium:
Advertising
If generating new
customers through traditional advertising has proven effective in the
past, make sure you're taking a serious look at online opportunities such
as search engine optimization, pay-per-click ad buys and site
sponsorships. Each of these can deliver targeted online sales leads and
offers substantial ROI data.
Product
Demonstrations
If your sales staff
relies on product demonstrations to help close sales, look for ways to
demonstrate your product online. You can provide live or archived demos on
your website (and often realize substantial savings in reduced travel
costs). Whether you're presenting to one or many, the advent of high-speed
connectivity and affordable multimedia production companies make online
demos a viable option for most companies.
Public
Relations
If your company has
realized value from PR efforts, look for ways to get similar publicity on
the web to generate online sales leads. Regardless of your industry, there
are sure to be related websites that rely on content to promote visitors
and attract advertising dollars. Ask your trusted PR person about such
opportunities.
Direct
Mail
Whether you're
communicating with your current customers or trying to obtain new ones,
direct mail may be something your company has relied on as a way to get
out your message. If you know your customers are online, an opt-in email
marketing campaign is an alternative and sometimes-preferred method of
turning them into inline sales leads. Again, like most online marketing
campaigns, you can get valuable response data in nearly real-time. Another
attractive benefit of email marketing is that you can make frequent and
subtle adjustments to your campaign at virtually no cost. Try getting that
from your printing company!
Referral and Customer Appreciation Programs
If you rely on customer
referrals and repeat customers, you've probably tried or currently have
some sort of referral program in place. The internet provides the perfect
environment for facilitating and measuring the effectiveness of such
programs. Look for ways to encourage online referrals and reward repeat
customers. Let them know their opinion counts with easy to use feedback
mechanisms. You can also conduct customer surveys, polls, and use other
interactive ways to generate online sales leads.
If you're not exactly
sure how each of these can be applied online, don't hesitate to ask
someone who has experience in internet marketing (we all love to talk). Of
course, before embarking on any campaign to increase online sales leads,
there should be clear goals and a way to measure the campaign's success.
Good luck!
Erin
Walker is the vice president of Products & Services and
resident website conversion expert at Medium Blue, a search engine optimization company. Erin
applies the art and science of website conversion to
client websites, influencing visitors to take the next
step. She has a degree in Professional Writing from
Carnegie Mellon University and her articles have been
published on numerous websites, including ISEDB,
WebProNews, SearchGuild, and MarketingNewz. Medium Blue Search Engine Marketing was named the
number one organic search engine optimization company in
the world by PromotionWorld in 2006 and 2007.
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