When you buy a product or service for personal use, do you have a process you go through? Typically, if I am buying a consumer product, I look at online buyer ratings, ask friends and acquaintances about their personal experience,comparison shop different manufacturers for pricing and features, or look up consumer reports. Whether I am buying a new electronic device or a car, there are many steps I go through before I make a buying decision.
Your Prospect is no Different
Just like today’s average consumer, Engineers, Commodity Managers, and Project Managers are doing their research. According to SalesForce, it takes 6 to 8 touches before a customer becomes a viable lead. Those touches cannot rest solely on the shoulders of your Business Development team. Handing your sales person a list of customers to “smile-and-dial” may be accepted practice, but is it truly effective? Just like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to convert a customer into a viable lead.
Lead by Example
Some organizations fail to recognize that each employee plays a vital part in creating those touches. A key element in that is Senior Leadership utilizing Social and Business Media tools to reach out and touch the customer. Shakespeare said that all the world is a stage, and if you are a CEO, CFO or COO you are under the spotlight. You set the tone for promoting both interest and shareholder value in your organization. Your customers and your employees are watching. Publicly traded companies do shareholder presentations, investor meetings or host earnings calls. In these cases, the senior leaders act as“brand evangelists” to promote the company. If you are a privately held company your investors are your customers and employees, and they want to know you are passionate about your organization.
It IS Your Job
In today’s digital age Senior Leadership cannot take the attitude that it’s “not my job” to make those connections and help create brand awareness on LinkedIn. WantLeverage reminds CEO’s that they shouldn’t underestimate the power of their LinkedIn Profile. In your position customers are more likely to connect with you and take notice when you post or “like”something that shows up in their news feed. But if the content you post, like or follow doesn’t pertain to your company or your industry, how are you creating brand awareness or improving shareholder value? Will your customer peers scroll past your post or will they stop and take notice because they view you as a “thought leader” and subject matter expert? In a report conducted by Weber Shandwick, it was determined that 81% of global executives identified CEO engagement and visibility is critical for building a company’s reputation. It is your job, and it is critical for your company’s growth and profitability.
Solutions
If your goal is to create content that attracts, converts, closes, and delights your ideal customers, then you need the commitment, excitement, and dedication of your entire company to make it happen. ATG recognizes that you are busy and that you have other responsibilities that are mission-critical to your organization’s success. We can provide you with ideas and solutions for your social media marketing strategy that create brand awareness. Or ATG can create the content and manage it for you. Let us share with you how you can create "touches" that will create leads, fill the funnel and lead to Accelerated Tangible Growth.
Next week I will provide some suggestions and ideas that can be easily leveraged and implemented to help you create "touches". Subscribe to our blog so you don't miss out.
