Complaints about not generating enough sales conversions abound. Perhaps you have heard or seen the daily requests from companies that are looking for an “Experienced business development director” who can bring in the bacon! I receive these types of requests from companies as well. It’s quite understandable really, given the current business climate, and it drives to the heart of what’s really needed. These companies are looking for radical and often quick answers to their decreasing sales problem. Perhaps you find yourself in the same position and are asking what can I do about it?
Quick bold steps you can take immediately
1. Cross-media marketing. Most companies are engaged in a multiple set of marketing and branding that might include social media, direct marketing, direct selling, conferences, and public relations. Few though are driving an integrated program across many media channels working in concert with one another with one brand platform. If you want to engage your customers and prospects you need to create a holistic approach that allows for both push and pull marketing up and down your sales and marketing channels.
2. Interaction through conversation. The primary strategy is to create engaging conversations with your customers and prospects alike and often the best way to accomplish this is by asking them for their opinions, allowing them a place to express themselves on your website or on your forums, or any number of other means to get the conversation started and keep it going on a two-way street.
3. Guard against too many messages. There is a saturation point for your customers and prospects given how many messages and items they will respond to. Sending out multiple messages each week to the same list, over and over again, is a dangerous tactic if you learn that your customers really only want to think about your brand on a twice-monthly basis. This goes against the hard-pressing sales marketing team that pushes on and on regardless! Trouble is, this outdated thought-train can get you opted out faster than much else since many people are trying to streamline their workflow.
4. Be responsive. Quicker is always better than slower. If you can reply to a message in a few minutes, rather than hours, you may just beat out your nearest competitor who does not consider that a priority.
These simple principles can make a positive impact on your branding. By listening and testing new ways to communicate you can find the right balance of push and pull marketing that every marketer needs to sustain its branding program.