The Question Everyone is Asking!
People buy from people they know like and trust. This means when you meet someone at a business networking event, and take the time to have a chat and connect with them meaningfully, it is likely that 1 in 4 of these people will either become a colleague, supplier, client or friend. I like these statistics, because they represent a strong conversion rate and also demonstrate the importance of connecting face to face with people and having meaningful conversations. In recent times, our conversations may have been online, but hopefully soon, we will be able to utilise both online and in person opportunities.
But how do we move from first meeting to enticing people to consider how our services and products may be the answer to some of their problems or challenges? Whether you are new to business, or Melbourne, and wishing to expand your networks and clients, or have been in business for some time, this is a question everyone is asking.
In order to write content to engage and start, or continue (as the case is with me) the conversation as part of your sales funnel you must follow these 4 key steps:
1. Have a clear picture of your ideal client, their pain points and how your business helps.
2. Know where your ideal clients can be found online and where they read their news or search for information.
3. Have a strong presence on these platforms and provide consistent and regular value adding content.
4. Be prepared to sometimes ask for the sale with strong call to actions as part off your content mix.
So let’s look at each of these in more detail to help understand how this can be related to your business and goals.
1. Understand Where You Can Find Your Ideal Clients Online
The first place to start is to consider what your ideal clients read or where they are spending time online. Purchasing decisions are now strongly influenced by peer referrals and so the internet is a critical touch point for businesses, more so than ever before. Online social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat may be where your demographic spends their time, or, for more mature and educated communities, LinkedIn and Twitter are more likely to be where they read their news and spend their time online.
To help you understand where your ideal clients spend time, I encourage you to review the Sensis Social Media Report 2016 How Australian people and businesses are using social media. Released 1 June 2016 www.sensis.com.au/socialmediareport.
Once you better understand where your ideal clients are spending their time, this will help you determine where you need to be to attract, acquire and engage your community. So many of the connections I make are first face to face and I then nurture this through adding value to them by connecting them with others. For those who are members of my YTM community, I regularly share information via my closed Facebook group. My presence on LinkedIn via my profile, articles and company page are also very important touch points for my business.
2. Develop a Content Marketing Plan
By developing a content marketing plan for your business, it means you are considering the types of content you can create and share online that will be useful for your potential clients, as well as the business community who already know you and will engage in your content. By liking, commenting on and sharing your content, this acts like a peer referral and enables others to see your content too. This is especially the case on platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.
3. Have an Online Presence & Provide Consistent and Regular Value Adding Content
When people engage with my content online it is via my LinkedIn or Facebook posts, or they may choose to sign up to my newsletter via my website. For YTM, I give people a strong sense of how I help, what they can expect from my events and, most importantly, provide value adding content via my regular blogs, video updates and networking tips. My focus is on helping people solve some of the problems they are facing in their current roles or businesses.
4. Have a Call to Action
It is also important to have a strong call to action within the mix of the content you share. For example, in this blog I am providing you with useful information about how to write content to engage and start the conversation as part of your sales funnel, while also letting you know about an event you can attend that relates to this topic. This information is featured at the end of the article along with my bio to remind you who I am and how I can help!
Hi, I am Kerryn Powell, and if we are yet to meet, I help people connect by creating opportunities to have meaningful conversations, learn and grow to achieve greater business success. If you’ve attended one of my Your Time Matters events, you will know that we keep a close watch on business trends and invite leaders in industry to share their insights on innovation and change. Check out our upcoming events HERE
