There are now more ways than ever to market your company to a specified target audience. Whether you’re using a website, emailing or social media, it’s highly probable that you can make an impact with one or all of these methods. However, what exactly is it that creates the right marketing mix? The content you produce is number one, above all. When reaching out to potential customers you are making an introduction, and you only get one chance. Make sure you engage them in a way that makes it hard for them to not come back for more. Don’t give away all of your facts and secrets, but just enough that makes them curious enough to request more.
Our main channel of communication at Sales-Link is email. When deciding the key communication channels to include in your marketing mix, first consider where your customers are. This is the most used source of communication other than phone/text, but 75% of emails today are first read on a mobile device. It is email that enables marketers to have that valued instant contact with customers. You also have a choice to use plain text or HTML, so think about your audience and ready, aim, fire!
Having that emphasis on communicating via email also means that you have to make sure you’re email message is in a format that is easily readable on a mobile device. Some companies have learned that the hard way, and when the potential customer can’t read their email it goes by the wayside. Email is also important because it allows you to provide customized content across multiple channels like your website, video, collateral and social media.
With social media becoming the way of the world nowadays, it’s important for your business to be part of the movement. It’s an easy and effective way to communicate with the everyday individual on a B2C perspective, but also a chance for B2B to globally reach other businesses that may someday use their product/service. Each social media platform is unique and their trends with influential buying powers must be considered before selecting social media outlets best for your marketing efforts.
LinkedIn is my preferred social media option as many of the people I want to communicate with are frequently posting and reading that site. This has helped get my take on lead generation out to folks who I never knew were reading my blogs. Conversely, other industries like sports or media are using Twitter and doing it quite well.
Pinterest has been a big hit, mainly with the female demographic, according to reputable reports. Since its inception in March 2010, Pinterest has been offering users a concept of pinning pictures, graphics and checklists in picture form, by subject and category for easy access. Sales-Link’s Pinterest is used to offer support to the sales person in a unique way. Specific categories I include in our Pinterest are restaurants, hotels, sales and marketing checklists.
Getting back to B2B lead generation, Sales-Link has begun working with clients regarding their content and how to more effectively position marketing information for readers to learn the value our clients offer. We strategize on the opening letter and various links for click-throughs, and once they are selected we trigger a second, more defined, letter regarding the product/service the reader revealed interest in, by clicking. The metrics collected in following this matrix reveal useful information to better position our customers with their potential prospects.
At the end of the day, lead generation is about establishing relationships. Getting that right mix of marketing and interaction through emails and click-throughs can catapult your business into that next stratosphere.