In our increasingly tough times, it is imperative that we find better and more effective ways to generate Web design leads while harnessing the power of social media – especially now that people are affected by COVID-19, and more and more people are relying ever more consistently on the power of the Internet for their day to day needs. Regardless of your niche, you can encourage more people to go for professionally designed websites through your company – but then again, you need to get more Web design leads.
Continuing the Engagement
In the wake of the coronavirus, screen time has been exploding across the regions and people have become fully dependent now on old and emerging technologies and approaches to find what they need online. We need to maintain engagement as closely as possible despite the crisis because we don’t know how long this will last.
Some experts say it’s going to peak in three months, while others say that there are going to be long-lasting changes in consumer behavior because the crisis may last for as long as six to eight months. Now would be the best time to realign our priorities as marketers to maintain the profitability of our businesses. This is actually a great time to establish a wider network because people are now spending 50% more time on the Internet, with 37% of millennials bringing up the screen time to amazing heights because of nationwide lockdowns.
Customer collaboration is seen as a good way to generate leads, especially Web design leads, as specific campaigns and messages are molded after dialogues/interactions with target markets and customers. Google ads and PPC campaigns are still leading in terms of results and 2020 is not the time to be scrimping on your budget for PPC.
In fact, this is the best time to introduce new concepts to your customers because the whole world is experiencing a form of reset – and who knows? This might just improve the landscape because people have had time to be fully immersed in technology from the comfort of their homes. You may also want to begin looking into different platforms that will create a diverse mix of media necessary to keep people engaged wherever they may be coming from.
Struggling with PPC on Google? Exploring Facebook ads and LinkedIn ads just might make your day. According to current market prices, you will spend 28% less on generating Web design leads on LinkedIn than on Google.
The advantage with Google PPC ads, of course, is you are working with the world’s largest search engine, and Google is still the primary choice for people who are looking for anything on the Web. LinkedIn however, has the advantage of specificity and being able to communicate and possibly collaborate with decision-makers of companies and other businesses, which is basically what the aim of Web design lead gen is all about, in the first place.
Understanding Your B2B Audience
While there are similarities, there are distinct differences between regular shoppers/buyers on the Internet and a B2B audience. A “one size fits all” approach almost never works because B2B audiences come from a diversity of cultures and walks of life.
Secondly, B2B audiences exist to make purchases that are treated more as investments more than anything else. B2B audiences are also engaged in more research and comparing than regular customers/audiences, so expect a longer buyer process than usual. The length of the buying process is can be agonizingly long for some businesses, so we’ve come up with a profile/avatar for each segment so you will know what to expect when working with specific segments of your B2B audience.
B2B audiences have two major characteristics that affect their buyer’s journey:
- They are more invested in what they are trying to find and purchase. Compared to five years ago, it now takes 22% longer for a member of a B2B audience to make up his mind and make a move. This does not take into account all the time a member of your audience spends in doing his own research and figuring out how things work without really reaching out to experts. Reaching out to experts (i.e. scheduling a consultation with a Web design professional like what your company offers) is relegated to the last step (or second to the last step).
- A B2B audience who happens to be browsing your current campaign may not be the decision-maker in the business, and therefore, he may not be the one who fully has control of purchasing decisions.
The weight of the decision to purchase comes from different individuals or parties. This may be influenced by multiple departments as well. Keep this in mind when creating campaigns and content – you have to influence not just one person, but also the heads of different departments, perhaps going up all the way to the CEO of a company.
User or User Group
A single “user” can actually refer to a group or team of people representing a department within a company. These people are then responsible for reporting back to a higher authority or department head in the company. Therefore, it is safe to assume that if you are addressing any material to your public, then it should be addressed to a group rather than an audience.
There is a seismic shift in meaning when we address a team/group rather than just an individual. In the semantics of the corporate world, this means the solution that you are offering will benefit a segment and the business as a whole and not just a single business owner acting as both researcher and decision-maker of the business. Do you see a big difference?
The user group will be responsible for sending up a “smoke signal” to the higher rungs of the company or organization that an emerging solution from another provider may be the key to the company’s current needs. The thicker the smoke signal, the more impressed they are with the solution you wish to provide them. The key here is to keep them engaged and interested in what you have to say.
Users or user groups are also extremely interested in two things:
- A detailed or high-level summary or overview of the solution you are presenting, as well as an explanation of how your solution compares to existing solutions in the market from similar providers. The distinctions have to be clear and on point, so the information can be relayed quickly to decision-makers in the company or organization without delay.
- A rundown of the essential functions, features, and benefits of the system or solution you are offering. It would also be a good idea to include a lot of graphics, info graphs, and video demonstrations of how your system works, as well as additional information on how your business will provide after-sales support and guarantees. Providing information on troubleshooting options in various areas of the solution is also a plus.
Influencers
Influencers come from all walks of life. Some of them have a massive following online, while others have smaller networks but they possess stellar industry experience and people look up to them. We don’t discriminate B2B audiences based on how big their online following is. We are only interested in tapping the networks of people who view our content and campaigns.
Because one influencer that promotes your Web design portfolio can mean a ton of work and contracts on your end, even if the guy who did the influencing only has 500 LinkedIn contacts. B2B influencers are different from social media influencers peddling products and brands on Instagram. That type of influencer runs a content program that is honed toward a specific audience. Not all business-oriented influencers have a regular content strategy like that – but when a good solution catches their eye, they can promote their professional networks.
You never know who in your current list of acquired leads are influencers, so it is essential that you continue engaging with them – regularly, whenever reasonable and possible, so the message about your solution is transmitted regularly to different networks as well.
As we move on with this desperately challenging year in digital marketing, we need to be as consistent as possible not just with the message but with how we communicate with our leads and customers. 47% of nurtured leads are more likely to make huge purchases compared to non-nurtured leads. Why? Because the trust factor is already there, and it’s easier to make purchasing decisions when they trust the brand already.
Decision Makers
Decision-makers are the ones that are usually at the higher rungs of the organization ladder, and these people tend to think differently as well. For example, if the solution you are offering is more expensive than what is currently being used by the organization, then the decision-maker would have to thoroughly weigh the pros and cons of shifting to your solution or system.
You need to understand the level of vetting that is common of companies or organizations that you usually serve in the market. There has to be a thorough communication of what differentiates your solution from other solutions, and also provide the decision-makers with essential facts and figures that will enable them to push through with your solution (instead of the previous ones) with full confidence.
When designing your campaigns or content, keep in mind the following:
- What are the different pain points addressed by the solution or system?
- What are the unique and powerful features that you provide in Web design?
- What kind of value do you bring to the bigger picture?
- How can your solution or system improve their profitability in these challenging times?
Adventures in Social Media
Social selling – it’s not a new concept, but seeing that everyone is stuck in their homes, it may well be the one thing that will salvage a lot of struggling businesses around the world. We know things are hard now, so we’re going to refresh your minds with some social selling and social media strategies that we know will work.
1. Identify your candidates for social selling through social media
This is bound to be easier when you are advertising on Facebook because Facebook allows you to whittle down the criteria for ad exposure to the molecular level. The question is how you are going to whittle it down effectively. Use your current customer avatar and apply it when designing campaigns on social media. Whether you have a reliance on boosted posts or Facebook ads, it doesn’t matter: your campaign has to be based on a well-thought-out customer avatar.
2. Have goals, end up with success
Getting random likes and comments are not the goals of social selling. You need to set milestones and other objectives per post to see how truly effective your campaign is. And we are not going to be passive or static about this either – if you are not hitting your goals, then you need to adjust to your audience so you can start reaching the audience that does matter to your business.
Some milestones that you can use include measuring engagements and reactions, appointments that have been booked, number of followers amassed, deals, or projects that have been actually closed, etc. The milestones don’t necessarily have to be tied with just audience growth, though you may focus on this in one part of the overall social selling process.
3. Determine the platform that will give you success in the long term
Not all platforms are equal when it comes to generating Web design leads. So it’s safe to say that you need to circulate through the major platforms to see which one brings the most sales. In the end, sales and repeat business, as well as organic influence, are what truly matter. Measure, adjust, and test, test, test!
We’ll see you in the next blog post.
