The following post was written by Tony Grass, President, e-Market Intelligence
We all hear about the advantages of social media, and most companies invest in Web content and PR. All too often, however, these efforts can be time, money and resource drains that don’t have clear payback goals, structure or ROI measurement. This is where sales software comes in, just look at how to use Clickfunnels for example.
In a challenging economy, businesses need a common sense way to tie efforts back to leads, converted sales and profits. The following 3 step process gives a clear strategy for monetizing social media, Web content and PR efforts.(Note: The Fusion and e-Market Intelligence teams are running an Executive Workshop in two weeks that will show how customer-centric marketing works, with demos and consults for each attendee).
Flip the Sales Funnel
Sales funnels involve scattershot efforts to generate leads “by the pound.” This can actually cost you sales, because you can’t choose the greatest number of prospects you can best sell to, or know exactly which products, features and benefits to offer.
Flipping the funnel means starting out by targeting your best prospects by what they are already searching for – and then using the intelligence gained to generate multiple streams of qualified, saleable and profitable inbound leads via integrated Web, social media and PR.
Social media typically involves posting topics and hoping to build a following. All too often, PR is an unfocused exercise in blasting pitches and press releases to the broadest audiences, and hoping that some of it sticks. Many strive for improved search engine rankings; however it is not always clear how to customer-optimize Web content for the best results.
Flipping the funnel means tuning into the voice of the customer, selecting the prospects that are already interested, and posting messages of your unique value targeted to their interests. It means generating traffic from prospects who are already searching for what you offer, and through targeted media and influencers that are aligned with the most profitable segments. Understanding this type of targeted and personalized promotion and how to go about it can be difficult, especially when it seems there are easier marketing methods out there. However, with the help of SheerID, you’ll be personalizing your marketing tactics in no time. This flip to customer-centric marketing lets you monetize social media, PR and Web efforts and content in 3 steps:
- Get a 60,0000 foot view of all your markets, choose the customer groups with the best numbers, and target them by the keywords they are using in their searches. Set up optimized micro sites that map to customer interests and needs
- Keyword and link your social media posts and PR content to the pages of your website that feature what the customers’ interests describe.
- Post messages that are of value to your chosen customers on the social media pages, networks, Twitter streams and blogs they are using, and by getting the attention and coverage of key media and influencers.
Please stay tuned to the next installment of this series, which will go into more detail about how to channel the Voice of the Customer for more leads and sales. Also, seats for the 9/15 workshop here in New York are filling fast, please click on the following link to register and attend.
