Converting Your Leads Into Sales | Digital Marketing Guide

So your marketing channels are performing nicely, and you’re now generating a sustainable stream of leads to keep your sales team busy. That means your job as a marketer is done, right? Wrong! Your prospects may have transitioned from visitor to lead but they’re yet to become a customer of your business.?

Traditionally at this point, the marketer’s role would end here, but it shouldn’t. There are still a number of opportunities we, as marketers, can seize to influence your leads along to purchase. This will help move users along their buyer’s journey more efficiently, as well as provide an extra layer of support for businesses with more intimate teams.

Now, we appreciate that the buyer’s journey can be a complicated beast in its entirety, but it doesn’t need to be. Breaking down the buyer’s journey into smaller milestones will help you understand the process your users travel through to purchase. By looking at each milestone individually you’ll be better equipped to identify bottlenecks and recognise solutions for a seamless experience.?

Specifically in this article, we’re looking at bridging the gap between lead to customer with some great digital marketing tools. If you’re struggling to find new and effective ways to convert your leads into paying customers, then this blog is likely for you. In this guide, we’re going to outline 5-steps to achieving successful lead conversion as well as explore five of the top digital marketing strategies.?

What is Effective Lead Conversion?

Lead conversion is the process of transitioning your users from leads to sales. The lead in this instance has already expressed an interest in your business by submitting a form or via a sign-up. Your lead conversion strategy is what follows, it should outline the steps required to influence your lead towards a purchasing decision.

Lead conversion, as outlined above, is traditionally the responsibility of your sales team. However, we’re in the realm of modern commerce, where sales and marketing teams work stronger together.?

For many forward-thinking businesses, effective lead conversion strategies involve utilising marketing material to help stimulate a desire to purchase. Your sales and marketing departments often deliver these via various channels. Together, you can build an effective lead nurturing programme that will generate a sustainable stream of customers for your business.?

Why Does Lead Conversion Matter?

The long and short of it is, if your leads didn’t convert then your business would not have any customers. Arguably a lead conversion strategy is more principal for B2B businesses which are often subject to lengthy buyer’s journeys. However, the truth is, both B2B and B2C businesses can uncover the benefits of a solid lead conversion programme. This approach isn’t exclusive to a particular industry or niche either, brands across different markets can benefit.?

The purpose of lead conversion is to support your business’s sales team in closing more deals. By understanding how your company can improve lead conversion, you can create a more effective sales funnel and accompanying marketing strategy. Both of which will be centred around increasing your brand’s revenue.?

With a more efficient sales funnel, you can move your leads through your sales pipeline faster and with less legwork. Helping to keep your leads warm and nurture them with content when they’re ready.?

5-Steps To Sustainable Lead Conversion

1. Understanding Your Target Market

The first step to achieving sustainable lead conversion more or less goes without saying; you must have a strong understanding of your target market. The key to securing new leads and ultimately sales for your business lies in defining exactly who it is your business is targeting and why.?

By conducting comprehensive research into your target market, user segments and buyer personas your marketing strategy will commonly follow. Your market research should uncover unique insights about your target buyers which will form the foundation of their buyer’s journey.

In addition to plotting the buyer’s journey, you should also build a bigger picture surrounding the consumer’s needs, challenges and goals. You can then use these insights to craft high-impact marketing messages that can help seal the deal.?

If you need support with building your buyer personas, download our?free?digital persona template?to help get you started.?

2. Establish & Build Trust

Now more than ever brands are required to work hard in order to win the consumer’s trust. Without this trust, it’ll be next to impossible to influence your users to make a purchasing decision.?

By this stage in the buyer’s journey, your business should have already instilled a level of trust in your lead, otherwise, they wouldn’t be there. At this crucial stage, it’s all about tipping your user into a sale, a moment that rests on a knife edge. Depending on the scale or monetary value of the purchase, your user will require reassurance that they are making the best possible decision.?

As a marketer, you need to think about what types of content and trust signals would help influence your purchasing decision. Do you scour reviews, read testimonials or download trials? Consider which channels and tactics can help push that final vote of confidence to your lead.?

3. Communicate With Your Audience

This one is predominantly relevant for your sales team, but there are some takeaways for marketers. Consumers don’t wish to be spoken?at, we as people generally like to converse with others. Depending on your market, leads can be hard to come by, making them a commodity for your business.?

The way in which both your marketing and sales departments communicate with these leads will be the make or break of the sale. You want your leads to know you are there when they are ready, not to push them into being ready. Any hard-sell techniques will likely have your leads signing the dotted line with a competitor.??

Both your sales and marketing communications should address your lead’s concerns and queries, helping to alleviate any potential barriers to purchase. In summary, you want to show your leads that you care and that you’re willing to work to get them onboard.?

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Hey, if you'd like to learn more about how to effectively convert your leads into sales you can continue reading our latest blog on our website. We've also included 5 effective lead conversion strategies for you to include in your marketing plans.