Marketing Conversions
Most people that spend allot of time marketing their company focus on ROI, CPC and a wide range of analytics. Always optimizing and trying to squeeze every last drop out of their campaigns. At Blue Light Labs sometimes we will get 3 conversions a month, others 12 or more. After hyper focusing on analytics and campaign statistics, conversions are still very random.
Educating Our Clients
The way we look at a customers now is way more 3 dimensional and it has opened up a whole new world of opportunity. Half of the time it’s only a matter of reminding people that you exist and how you make a difference to them. There are so many small things you can do out of habit to start opening your network so you can shake the bushes every once in a while.
One of the hardest things about owning a responsive web design company is trying to get our customers off to a good start. I don’t have a degree in internet marketing and I don’t call myself a professional. However, we picked enough up to know-how over the last 20 years to send our clients off in the right direction.
Most of our web development customers start off with an idea and think it is just going to take off as soon as we push it live. I try to be honest from the get go with all our clients. Unless they have some sort of huge media driven launch or expensive strategic campaign ready to take off. It is unlikely that they are going to be an overnight success. Clients need to get consulted and introduced to the idea that there will be some work on their part. Success rarely ever comes without a price, when entering the world of the internet. It is important understand that you still have to do your homework to get the ball rolling.
In this respect, every new customer needs to be informed, nurtured and educated about the road ahead of them. By building a great relationship. You are creating a sleeper sales force that will help you grow your network for years to come.
The Importance of Collecting and Organizing Contact Information
Get as much information on a client as you can from the get go. Try to get additional details other than standard name, email address and number. Start a profile! Do they have a family? What are their names? What are their interests? What role do they play at the company? A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform, can be a valuable tool to use for organizing all this data.
Promote Friendship
The more personable with your clients you can get, the more active they will be as not only a client but a new friend. I don’t mean to mix business with relationships per say. Getting off on the best foot possible with a client will ease the stress of the process. Each new client you acquire, try to make an effort to add them to your social channels, newsletter, address books and mailing lists.
It’s all about how you can use the information. Small references like Birthdays, Holidays, Special events. Even the occasional sharing of a funny cat video that went viral. These types of interactions can all act as opportunities to stay connected with your client. They also show your client that you are legitimately concerned and engaged with them. For example, first I would friend them on Facebook or LinkedIn. Using my personal accounts, then a few days later ask them to follow the Blue Light labs web design fan page.
Offer Incentives
If a client gives you a good recommendation, lead or prospect. Reward them for it! Give them a discount on services or even go as far as paying them a commission. This method works because no one forgets getting rewarded it is human nature. I can’t tell you how many new web design customers we have acquired. Sending as much as a 10$ Starbucks card to referrers can make a huge impact. The next time they have a friend colleague that is looking for your services. Who do you think will be at the top of the list?
Send Them Business
Whenever there is an opportunity send business their way. Start your own virtual lead trading meet up group. If you scratch their back most of the time they will scratch yours. For example we have a IT and remote networking company that we designed a website for that we trade leads with. It is with out a doubt a WIN-WIN scenario. They are always getting asked if they can develop websites. In parallel we are always asked if we can provide networking support. Between the two of us I am sure we have given each other over 10 pieces of business each at this point. That is almost half a year worth of business that came out of one client!
In short, get the most out of your connections and opportunities. When you win over a new client they could be worth your next 10.
