How to Turn More Advertising Leads into Paying Customers

In an ideal world, all of your leads would automatically be converted into paying customers. But the real world requires a bit more time and effort spent on finding and implementing conversion strategies.-

Online marketing success is measured through website conversions – that is when a visitor performs a desired action. This can be in the form of filling in a web form, downloading an eBook, or more.

While lead conversion strategies are one of the best ways to grow a business, they are often overlooked or not acted upon in a timely manner. Research shows most companies are not fast enough in following up with leads. More specifically, 24% take more than 24 hours to respond, and 23% never do it at all.

Once you invest in online advertising, you have to make sure you have a strategy in place to support the traffic and potential customers. Just remember that all the money, time, and effort invested in getting more leads won’t pay off if you don’t focus on converting them into paying customers.

1. Invest in great copy

As you already know, your website acts like your 24/7 sales agent. It is critical to make sure you’re sending the right message.

Great copy means visitors have everything they need to know exactly what your business does and also convinces them to leave their information to learn more.

Neil Patel has published many super-helpful articles on this subject so we won’t insist, but we’ll leave you with a list of must-have elements of every great site:

A crystal clear, benefit-driven sales pitch – This should be short and is the response to “What’s in it for ME (the client)?”
Testimonials from relevant entities within your industry – All testimonials should have a real picture of the client and, if possible, some form of contact. As Neil says: “If a lot of people are doing something, they must know something you don’t, right? Showing how other people are using your product or service can boost your signup rate.”
A portfolio and/or case studies – Let people know you have enough experience to do the job right.

Visible contact information – Add your address(es), phone number and email. These add an extra layer of trust.

2. Timing is key

Leads (a.k.a. people) don’t wait around – especially online, where they can move from one site to another with one click. They tend to stay on sites that provide one of the following 3 benefits:

educational materials (like TED),
utility (like Basecamp or Buffer),
or feedback (like Facebook)

Implementing a routine for handling incoming leads (especially hot ones) will not only ensure quick management, but also a way of capitalizing on golden opportunities. You can either use customer service software, or a company mail to which specifically trained people have access.

Speed is paramount: acting slowly means losing business to competitors, whilst quickness results in more sales and a much better onboarding experience for the client.

3. Set up your marketing process

Speed relies strongly on the lead generation process you’ve set up for your team. Each member should be aware of their role and be trained for doing specific tasks. This ensures all stages of the process work flawlessly.

Train your staff to know exactly how web or phone leads are handled, who follows up, when’s the right time to do so, and how inbound leads are tracked.

Using tools like Sales Force can help you stay organized and on top of the progress of your leads.

4. Lead Scoring

In terms of marketing theory, there are two types of leads: MQL (marketing qualified lead) and SQL (sales qualified lead). An MQL may only go as far as downloading a white paper, while an SQL might request a meeting – this means they’re located in different stages of the buying cycle.

However, both leads qualify as potential paying customers. The only difference being that one of them is ready to invest, whilst the other is just doing research. Identifying which is which will aid you in making a valuable first impression.

5. Tracking & Analytics

Tracking isn’t only for informational purposes. It helps you differentiate between leads to further personalize your various sales messages. As a buyer, there’s nothing more convincing than a sales page that seems written specifically for them.

More so, analytics allow you to pinpoint where your leads are coming from, so you’ll be able to segment them into different lists. That way, you can send them emails with content tailored to their specific needs.

6. The power of email marketing

If you haven’t already, we recommend you start building an audience with the help of any basic email marketing software. The process is quite simple: sign up, pay a monthly fee, create Web forms to capture leads, and setup automated email campaigns.

Research suggests that you only have a window of about 90 minutes before your lead loses interest. Increase your chances of converting them into customers by sending an email as soon as they choose the “Sign Up for a Free Trial” button.

Furthermore, don’t be scared to send up to 3 emails to someone who has signed up for a free trial or demo. For example, Kingspoint’s conversion rate crash course delivers 8 emails in 14 days and has an enviable open rate of 65% and a click-through rate of 31%.

It’s also wise to make your emails appealing. Invest time and money in designing them to look good no matter the device they’re opened on. According to Litmus, “nearly half of emails are opened on smartphones and tablets—a 500% increase in four years.”

7. Get personal

As we mentioned in our last Vlog, personalization is super crucial to driving conversions.

Oddly enough, 70% of brands fail at personalizing their email messages. A personalized subject line can make a huge difference – a 5% increase in opens and a 17% increase in click-throughs to be more precise.

Customers are driven by emotional triggers that ultimately drive actions. To influence and understand them, you need to identify and utilize those triggers in your lead generation process.

Also, highly personalized follow-up messages are a great and easy way to build a connection with your leads.

When it comes to sales, you either hit or miss. As a result, we urge you to design and implement a lead conversion process using strategies like we mentioned today. They will help you to maximize ROI from ads and other marketing initiatives.

To learn more about how to personalize your efforts, check out Episode 2 of our Vlog