The dreaded day has arrived – the one where you routinely sit down and review your marketing statistics. You look at your low marketing email open rate or your lack of scheduled consults, and you groan.
“Why aren’t people connecting with me?” you think. “What am I missing that is keeping my ideal client from wanting to work with me?”
what your clients really want
You want to know why your people decide to join your newsletter or sign up to receive your service. What makes them tick? How can you connect with them in a way that will inspire them to want what you offer?
You’re realistic. You know that people don’t just read a single blog post and think, “I’m going to purchase TODAY!” Probably rarely have YOU ever made a big purchase decision without at least a little research first, so you get it.
But what is the key that you’re missing when you sit down to review the stats or the social interactions, and despite your current efforts, in the comments you only see white space?
people want to get to know you!
Google conducted a consumer behavior study where they found that buyers require 7 HOURS of interaction across 11 touch points in 4 locations before they buy.
They termed that moment of purchase The Zero Moment of Truth. All the moments of online research and interaction that add up to the customer actually handing over their hard-earned cash.
Examples of touch points your people might peruse before buying:
- a blog post
- a weekly newsletter
- a podcast episode
- a webinar
Examples of locations those touch points might be found:
- a website
- an email inbox
- a social media page
Every time someone scans your social media or clicks through to consume your blog, that’s adding to the likelihood that they will end up becoming a client, if they’re a good fit.
and that’s a good thing because…
Now, the cool thing about this is you have complete control over these touch points and locations. That’s why consistency in your business is crucial. Consistently writing those weekly emails. Consistently writing your weekly (or even daily) blog posts or recording your weekly podcast. Consistently posting on your social media page. Consistently interacting online with your people, or networking, or wherever you are interacting with people.
you have power over how consistent you are
You consistently do those things, you show up, then you are offering those touch points, those hours of interaction.
Now you’re probably thinking, “I’m already putting myself out there a lot. And I’m still not seeing the results I want.”
My friend, there are ALWAYS more ways to be putting yourself out there. If you’re writing a monthly blog post, write a weekly one instead. Take a step further into the business realm. Hire a coach if you don’t have one to help you brainstorm what’s next. And give it time.
Putting yourself out there more may not necessarily mean DOING more. It could, but sometimes it’s simply about finding more effective strategies. Or it might mean streamlining your process so that you free up more time for other creative activities.
how to use your website as part of this strategy
As a developer, I have to throw in that this touch point creation consistency, my friends, is why your website is so important. It’s adding to the opportunity for your ideal client to find you, build that connection with you over a several hour (or sometimes much longer) time investment on their part, and then purchase whatever it is you’re offering.
Most of my clients are life coaches. If You’re a life coach, you’re probably marketing a lot to people online. And one really important touch point in that marketing is your website. You can set up a website in a way that your client has opportunities to have a ton of touch points in just that one location.
You might be thinking, “Well, I’m just going to focus on a social media page and interact with my people there.” But in reality, the Google study I referenced shows that you need multiple places where your client can interact with you. To build that know, like, and trust factor. A social media page is a great start, but you also eventually need a website with a marketing system so you can capture email addresses and have a weekly email sent to their inbox – another touch point. Read this post to learn how to know you’re ready for a website.
P.S. Hope this was helpful! Just focus on CONSISTENTLY creating great content that gives to your ideal client, and share it in multiple places online, and you will be well on your way to improving your results.