How many first time visitors to an ‘average’ website go on to buy something? Just over half? One in five?

How about just .. 3%!

Sure, 100% of the people who see your stuff aren’t all actively looking to buy your stuff right then and there.

They might have an issue, but right now it’s not pressing enough to pull the trigger.

Reasons often cited include:

1. They don’t need it right now.
2. They don’t have the budget for it right now.
3. They don’t trust you at the moment.
4. They have more pressing matters.
5. They’re still researching your services.

I know.

All that hard work.

All that care and attention.

Those long nights fiddling and refining the content.

Pairing that perfect sales patter with razor edged graphics.

And after all that effort ..

Just 3 in every 100 opportunities sailing by actually drop anchor long enough to hand over their cash.

Of course, deep down you know it was never gonna be as easy as all that.

The point is: getting in front of potential clients is relatively straightforward, but if you want to bring the sales ...

Repetition matters!

It is a basic marketing principle that it takes several “touches” before someone will internalise and/or act upon your call to action.SocialMediaToday

Stage One: Motivate

1. Your client is becoming aware of a problem and begins research to understand the problem.

Stage Two: Persuade

2. Your client is fully aware of the problem and begins exploring all options available.

Stage Three: Influence

3. Your client has explored all problem solving options and then selects a provider to help.

Working back from specific customer goals, take the time (this can take days or even months but is worth the effort) to get a feel for the online conversations about your industry.

Spot trends that you should be a part of.

Look for gaps that only your brand’s unique expertise can fill.

Insert yourself into the conversation.

Own the conversation.

And do it by being real, not a brand.

Napoleon’s wisdom also said it best:

“Between a battle lost and a battle won, the distance is immense and there stand empires.”