Did you know you’re missing out on sales opportunities by having a poor mobile company website?
We have run into many B2B websites lately that do not work well on mobile devices. A recent post talked about 3 Must Haves (for your company website) and today we are talking about the importance of personalization for your site.
There are still some things that differentiate a B2B (business-to-business) transaction from B2C (business to consumer). B2C has been much more adopted and understood - we are learning more about B2B and know at least this:
Buyers need a level of trust before buying. We need to spend more time creating content that helps to educate them and give them insight into their world. This way we show that we understand them and that there is a much higher probability we can help them.
As social business author and speaker Jay Baer says, “The difference between helping and selling is just two letters – but those letters make all the difference.”
94% of digital marketing professionals surveyed agreed that personalization is “critical to current and future success” according to an eConsultancy study. But where to start?
Here are some ideas to help you get going in the right direction.
Really understand who your buyers are – busy CFOs? IT Directors? What are they most likely thinking about in their daily grind? What aspirations do they have for improving the business they are in? What challenges do they face daily? What are the factors that plague or slow their growth, if anything? Visit sites and online communities where these challenges and aspirations can be found. For example, if you call on primarily CFOs, visit websites created for them.
Create relevant content - Now that you are clear on who your buyers are create content around how you solve issues for them – such as reduce risk for them, or reduce current costs, or help them offer more services to their customers.
Have personalized interaction - have content for each stage of the buying process. Most of us just create educational content for first time visitors. If someone has come back to your site multiple times, are you sharing the same message or taking the conversation further? Did you know that you can do that now?
I’m the kind of person who gets into an airplane and am still amazed how they always take off and land hundreds or thousands of miles away (at least all of my flights have, and nearly all flights do) To see the advances in marketing tools and sales tools – it’s really phenomenal what software can now do. Many of our clients don’t take advantage of these tools yet though.
Finally, start measuring this information (see tools above). By applying science and metrics to your client and prospect buying cycle, you can impact connection and real support to help them.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. I've been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.
Lori Richardson is recognized on Forbes as one of the "Top 30 Social Sales Influencers" worldwide. Lori speaks, writes, trains, and consults with inside sales teams in mid-sized companies. Subscribe to the award-winning blog and the “Sales Ideas In A Minute” newsletter for sales strategies, tactics, and tips. Increase Opportunities. Expand Your Pipeline. Close More Deals.
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