7 Tips For Online Success
How do top pros close online leads? They follow these 7 insider tips pros use to get the internet to work for them. Internet marketing is here to stay and has fundamentally changed how consumers make decisions. Follow the formula that thousands of pros use when working with consumers online.
7 Internet Marketing Tips
#1: Internet Marketing is a Process
More and more customers are going online to find local professionals. A recent study completed by Comscore Inc. (a leading web behavior research firm) found that web searches for local services grew by 50% last year alone.
This means that having an internet presence in today’s marketplace is required in order to be successful. When you start receiving online leads don’t be discouraged if the first few leads don’t pan out. Use those leads as a learning experience.
Learn how the system works and create a plan that works for you and your business. Target the leads you receive by the type of work and by geographic area, not every marketing source allows you to target in this way.
#2: Make A Good First Online Impression
All shoppers have specific expectations you must meet in order to earn their business. When customers find you for the first time online they likely do not know anything about you.
A strong online profile allows you to create a competitive advantage. There are several components of an online profile that will win you business. Thinks like project photos of your past work, professional credentials, license and insurance information, and customer ratings and reviews are all important elements to include in your online profile.
Ratings and Reviews are online word of mouth referrals that will be shown to thousands of consumers that are interested in the services you provide. Create that competitive advantage and make sure your online presence is as professional as you are.
#3: Respond Promptly and Follow-Up
With internet leads on cliché rings true, the early bird gets the worm. Even though internet customers expect prompt responses, they might not respond as quickly as you do.
You may not even talk to every lead but consistent and predictable follow-up is critical to turning leads into customers. You can never tell what is going on in the lives of the consumers the moment you are trying to speak with them. Consistently following up is a necessary component of working with these types of leads.
#4: Understanding Selling Cycles
Consumers will be at various stages of their decision process and may not be ready to start right away. With the internet the customer is in control. Successful contractors understand there are different selling cycles for different types of projects.
Just because a consumer isn’t ready to start a project right away or is still in the planning and budgeting phase does not necessarily mean they are “tire kickers.”
Provide the consumers a reason to use your business when they are ready to start their project. Creating a follow up system is critical in order to turn prospects into valuable customers. It can be very beneficial to capture a consistent flow of consumers who are in the planning and researching phase of their project if you have the tools to transform these prospects into future clients.
Follow up plans can include special promotions to create a sense of urgency, or even a quarterly newsletter can help you keep in touch with your prospects, you can decide what works best for your business. These simple things can help you gain added creditability on being a trusted expert who cares about your customers.
#5: Build a Pipeline of Prospective Customers
More than ever its becoming imperative to build a good marketing pipeline. A pipeline is simply a list of prospective customers who have either inquired about your services in the past or have been sent to you due to having a need that meets you pre defined work preferences.
In order to build up this pipeline and ensure it doesn’t dry up, you need a consistent and predictable source of prospective customer leads that are relevant to the services you provide. What you have to remember is that when you buy a lead from an internet lead service you’re basically going after a client that may or may not ultimately hire you.
To be successful using a lead generation service, it’s important to have a follow up process in place and a way to measure the total marketing cost against the total income you receive from the leads. This way you truly know what you return on your advertising dollars really is.
#6: It’s a Numbers Game
Capture consumer information into a contact database. Measure your return on investment for online leads, you may find that you’re able to close one out of ten leads and still be very profitable. Keep track of how much the leads cost and compare that to the total income generated from those leads. In fact this is a helpful tool that should be used for every advertising source you invest in.
This way you can compare the costs and returns of different advertising methods. One of the first steps in managing online leads is to create a list of consumer contacts on your computer. Weather you use a spreadsheet or database program, collect all of the information you receive about a consumer including name, address, phone number, email address and project notes so you can follow up regularly.
You can never tell what is going on in the lives of the consumers the moment you are trying to speak with them. Keep in mind that leads are not just a one time shot and some require long term follow up.
#7: Get Customer Ratings After Each Job
Ratings are an important consideration for prospective customers when deciding which pro to hire. If you have eve purchased anything from web sites like Amazon or eBay, you know that reviews from past customers are a big part of helping future customers to decide which products to buy.
Customers do look at ratings and they lead to better response levels and close rates from prospective customers. Be proactive in asking customers to submit ratings. Use your contact database to keep track of which jobs you have closed and who has submitted a rating for you.
Top pros even set the expectation of wanting a rating when they are starting a project letting their customer know that their goal is to complete the project in a way that earns a glowing 5 star rating.
