If you’re not getting the amount of traffic you’d like to your website, the immediate solution isn’t always a website makeover.
Not getting enough web traffic? Before your company considers spending $15,000 on web design, evaluate your web traffic. If you aren’t receiving a substantial amount of web traffic, your first step will be to make people aware of your organization. How? Implement a social media strategy to Increase Search Engine Ranking, and Increase Brand/Company Awareness.
Watch as Gateway partner, Jason Bahnak, discusses how to increase visibility online without an immediate website overhaul.
When you’re trying to get new customers, your search engine ranking is critical.
Don’t discount websites you think your target market isn’t on. Though they may not be actively searching on social networking sites like YouTube, Twitter, or Digg; Google is actively searching for your content on them.
In most cases, prospects aren’t going to scroll through five pages of Google looking specifically for your company. They’re searching for an industry and clicking on pages that wind up on the first few pages of a search engine – it takes less effort and the closer to page one on Google, the more credible the business appears.
Create a Hybrid Marketing Strategy: Old School and New School.
You’ve currently tailored your online marketing strategy to your target market – which is good, it’s what we marketers have always been taught.
In a time where search engine ranking is becoming increasingly important, it may be time to let go of some of the tactics you’ve grown accustomed to. Now, it’s not only matters who sees your message, but what sees your message. Search engines are ALWAYS looking at content online; they’re tirelessly working to determine which information is credible, and relevant to its particular industry. The more content your company posts in a place that’s discussing news current to your industry, the higher your site will tank on search engines.
Take Twitter for example; the more tweets and retweets your company posts that link back to your website, the quicker your search engine ranking will increase.
Gateway Partner, Jason Bahnak, explains this process in depth in this video.
A Case Study:
Nearly two years ago, Gateway Business Development Group created a promotional video to display on our homepage. The video was professionally produced and explained what we do, how we execute business on a daily basis, a self-proclamation of how great we are.
Since the video has been posted, Gateway has had two to three companies inquire about our services after watching the video. That’s roughly one inquiry every 182 days.
As we grow and change, so do our marketing tactics.
A little over a week ago, we posted a new video on our Facebook and YouTube pages. It was simple- just Jason Bahnak, a Partner at Gateway, getting interviewed by Rise to the Top’s David Siteman Garland. Jason candidly discussed what Gateway can offer companies, and a few words of advice. The interview was very laid back and gave viewers an opportunity to put a face to the company name.
Since the video has hit the web, it’s gotten over 20,000 views, and Gateway has received 5 inquiries has 4 proposals for new business. That’s roughly one inquiry every 2 days.
Prospects are looking for raw, honest information. They’re not looking for a ten minutes sales pitch about the great things you’ve done, they just want to know how you can help them make more money.
For business owners, creating web videos is a win-win situation. The cost of creating these “interview-style” videos won’t blow your budget, and the reach is very extensive. Not only will they humanize your company, they can be fed through a variety of outlets that will, in turn, improve your search engine ranking. You have the ability to strategically place your video on networks and platforms and tailor the message to the network’s demographic.
With the help of a company that specializes in social media, your web video can be marketed in the most efficient way.
Take a look at our newest video blog for Jason’s full take on web videos.
Social Media sure has created a buzz for itself, ironically using social media to do so in many cases. There is tons of information about social media, yet I often get asked the simple questions like “What is social media” and “How or why should my company use it?” Alternatively, traditional B2B lead generation seems simple. You find some targets, pick up the phone and see who’s interested in what you offer. Does simple mean ineffective in today’s business environment? Not at all.
Let me try to kill 3 birds with one stone with an analogy about social media and explain (1) what it is, (2) why you should participate and (3) what to expect:
Pretend the internet does not exist. Pretend there is a large networking event coming up, such as a cocktail hour, and your company needs to make a BIG impression, as you need new business. You also know that there will be some great prospects attending this event, Presidents and Owners of large companies that can make your year if they do business with your company. These prospects will be talking about business, discussing needs, perhaps asking some questions of each other, requesting advice, and generally opening the door for your company to present its solutions.
Now imagine the best possible way your company could be represented in this environment to impress prospects and generate opportunities. Would you send your “closer” to this event, someone who doesn’t take “no” for an answer and will ask prospects the equivalent of “what can I do to get you into this car today?” Will you send your engineer, who has the most detailed knowledge of your process, but also has trouble talking with people? Neither.
Here’s how I imagine your best presence: You send someone who communicates well, but listens before they jump into a conversation. This person circles the room, first gaining an understanding of what prospects are discussing. When they encounter someone who has a general question relating to your industry, rather than try and “close” them, your representative politely answers their question, asking nothing in return, and hands them a business card in the event they have further questions. When your rep encounters a prospect with an immediate need, they eloquently describe how your company has helped other companies like theirs, and extends an invitation to present your solution at a later time. When your rep meets someone who doesn’t express either a need or a question, they communicate with that prospect on a personal level, trying to get to know them rather than appear to have an agenda. Best of all, if a prospect asks another event attendee if they know anyone who can help with a specific issue, that person points to your rep and says, “He’s provided us with some great advice and he knows what he’s talking about, I’d ask him.”
What I’ve described above is, in essence, social media marketing. Social media marketing is communicating with peers on a one-on-one level, but using the Internet to do so. It’s not “selling”, it’s “talking”.
You should participate because the conversations I described above are happening by the thousands, daily, by prospects who you want to attract. It’s worth mentioning that, like my analogy, these online conversations are not “sales conversations” by nature. They’re conversations involving the “asking for” and “providing of” advice…for free.
You should expect to generate interest in your company…not close business quickly. Much like marriage, dating comes first, and before that, friendships, and before that, communication.
B2B lead generation on the other hand is the more direct approach. In the example of the networking event, it’s as if you’re only jumping on the “immediate need” conversations. It is the quickest, most direct path to new opportunities. Where social media takes time, and is geared toward developing relationships, B2B lead generation (prospecting) tries to “cut to the chase” and convert leads into sales. It’s a focused effort on new business…finding the low-hanging fruit. B2B lead generation is a direct tactical approach to new business…it doesn’t beat around the bush.
When budgeting for either social media or B2B lead generation, consider your immediate needs. If they’re primarily to build relationships or interest, social media works great. If your need is to drive new business NOW, consider B2B prospecting. It’s more direct, and less “conversational”.
I hope this post has been helpful to those wondering where to allocate resources and what to make of this “social media revolution”. For any further questions about either topic, feel free to visit our blog at www.gatewaybizdev.com/blog.
A Dedicated Account Manager
In order to successfully connect with a prospect, you need one Account Manager dedicated to developing a business-to-business relationship with them.
Outsourcing your B2B lead generation to a firm that uses dedicated Account Managers will dramatically increase the effectiveness of the campaign by developing one-on-one relationships with prospects.
Using multiple sales representatives to contact the same prospect runs the risk of losing potential partnerships, as the prospect will get the impression they’re being passed around your organization with little concern about them personally.
Collaterals That Stand Out B2B decision makers aren’t always available by phone, and if they are they may not have time to speak with you.
It is imperative to consistently maintain contact with prospects. In cases where the decision maker is unavailable, you must have relevant collaterals on hand [such as videos, emails, and quality direct mail pieces] that can be delivered by a dedicated account manager through a variety of formats.
Prospects are receiving information from many of your competitors, which means your company’s collaterals must stand out to cut through the clutter. Standard html emails and voicemails can get buried amongst your competitor’s collaterals.
Effective Nurture Program Outsourcing to a firm with effective nurture programs is essential in advancing any area of B2B lead generation. It allows a continuous and structured flow of communication, but should vary based on a prospect’s disposition.
Historically, 85%-95% of outgoing phone calls will not result in a live connect, and those who are reached may not yet be in the market for new business-to-business relationships. No matter the situation, even if the prospect won’t be in the buying cycle for 6 months, the nurturing program must communicate to the prospect accordingly.
The Account Manager will be delivering messages to the prospect to maintain awareness over an extended period of time.Outsourcing to a firm who tailors each nurture program according to the prospect’s disposition ensures your company will be in the forefront of the prospect’s mind when they enter the buying cycle.
This blog was created to share our thoughts on B2B customer development in the hopes that this information will be useful for organizations working toward increasing new sales opportunities.
