Hit them with the cold hard facts - use data to generate sales
Hit them with the cold hard facts - Use data to generate sales.
Are you supporting your marketing with data that supports what you are trying to sell?
The importance of supporting your services with data is crucial if you want your followers to turn into customers. Data driven marketing leads to increased conversion and customer acquisition according to 78% of companies this shows that data is extremely important when creating a strategy. Think about it like this, if you wanted to buy a new laptop there’d probably be a few key points you’d want to check before you decided to buy. You might want to take a look at the specs like the hard drive, ram or maybe you just pick based on reviews and the product description.
This is how you need to view your own brand or service! If you wouldn’t buy something without checking this information yourself, then you need to give your buyers that information to be able to take the next step. Customers want to know they can trust the product that you are offering or selling, that it has either been proven to help others or has some impressive features they want and there is a strong element of trust needed to get this conversion.
What do we mean when we say data?
There are many different types of data you can collect:
Data you collect from your customers. Email addresses, names, telephone numbers and even reviews or questionnaires they may have submitted.
Data you give to your customers that support what you are trying to sell. Facts and figures that support why they need your services. Or product data to break down what your products offer.
For today’s blog we’re focusing on the latter half.
People want to engage with brands they trust and know are backed up by research or testimonials which make their decision easier. A typical sales funnel is built into three sections after all: Know, Like, Trust. They also want to be able to find this information easily without having to read too much or be endlessly scrolling through your website.
One key thing to remember: A recent study showed that 67% of customers are willing to share their information for some form of benefit in return, that's more than half of your customers data you could be collecting when introducing an incentive. (connext.digitial)
Here are some ways you can use data to connect to your customers...
Don’t be like everyone else
Understand your customers' issues and solve them. Don’t fall victim to the simple marketing jargon most brands still use. “Here at BLANK, we have a range of products and services that..blah blah blah” Stop right there! You’ve already lost people to something more entertaining, typical sales pitches will not work. Solve the problems that your customers may have and bring the solution to them.
Remember people don’t care about your service list or how dynamic and innovative you may be if you’re not supporting this with real facts.
Educate, inspire & entertain
Does everything have to always be so serious? Are there other more creative or interesting ways you can grab your readers’ attention?
Social media is a casual platform, stay casual with your approach too! One of the things we really drill home is creating content your user wants to see. Conduct research on your customer and look at the type of posts they are interacting with, make more of what they like. Different content works well on different platforms, so make sure the content that you are putting out is appropriate for that platform. Whether you’re selling products, or just posting to build brand awareness think about your customer first.
Back up your claims with real data
If you’re claiming ‘my service will save you £XX’ then use previous customer data to back this up. Another way to give claims and facts is through survey results from previous customers. This could be something along the lines of ‘90% of customers would recommend to a friend’ that can support the message you want your audience to grasp.
Build trust
Let your customer know they can trust you, you can help build trust in many ways, having a strong and active social presence, being present and showing your face online, social proof in the form of reviews and user content. Sometimes it can be hard to find faults within our own business strategy, it helps to get an outsider to scan your website or socials so they can make honest reviews. We’re happy to volunteer for this, book a call with one of the team to find out more.
The importance of your USP
Make sure you’re boosting your sales efforts by creating a strong USP (Unique Selling Point) that clearly represents your business and services. Sometimes these USPs can be a little foggy. To avoid customers being swayed to other competitors who are selling similar services you need to make sure you are shouting about what you do and how it is different from the rest.
Keep it Simple
Simplicity is key! Searching and reading through the jargon to find details you are looking for, or simply checking out when making a purchase being overly complicated. These steps of your customer journey need to be seamless and simple, one way we like to explain it is that each unnecessary click loses you customers. How can you take away clicks for your customers’ online experience?
Stay tuned for our other blogs in this Data series, giving you all the info you need to understand and in some cases use your data better! Or if you still need help understanding exactly how to use your data to generate sales, contact one of the team now.