Most businesses have a website for lead generation, but not everyone uses their site to its fullest potential. Instead of focusing solely on leads, think of your website as a revenue-generating salesperson. It is, after all, the face of your business and usually the first interaction most people will have with your company.
Take a minute to think about the best salesperson you’ve ever met. They were probably engaging, knew their stuff, and were great at convincing people to work with them. Now, think about your website. Is it acting like a top performer, or is it falling short in helping you generate business?
Let’s look at why you should think of your website as a sales tool and the steps it takes to make it worthy of a spot on your company’s organizational chart.
A Salesperson That Works for You 24/7
While nothing can fully replace human-to-human interaction, your website is one of the most important pieces of your business marketing toolkit. Websites don’t have set working hours, vacations, or company holidays. It’s something that’s always there, ready to provide potential customers with the information they need when they need it. That being said, you have to put effort into making your website an effective sales tool by providing a few key things.
Clear Paths for People To Follow
People typically visit a website for two reasons: either they are familiar with your business and are coming back as repeat customers, or they are out in the market doing a bit of comparison shopping. Both types have different motivations but share a common goal of finding what they need and fast. A salesperson tells people what they need to know, and your website should do the same.
If information is buried or people have to click through multiple pages to find what they need, they’ll become frustrated and go to a different website. For this reason, your website navigation should be clearly labeled and organized, with pages categorized by product or service. Any supplemental information—spec sheets, product catalogs, line cards, whitepapers, etc.—should also be available online for people to download and share with decision-makers.
Useful, Engaging Content
What does your website say? If it only talks about how your business is the best at something but fails to tell people why with specific examples, that’s not helpful. Would your top salesperson say, “Our products are the best. You should buy them!” No. They would explain in detail how your business solves a specific problem and convince people why they should work with you versus someone else.
A sales-focused website effectively demonstrates how you solve problems and backs statements with testimonials and case studies. High-quality photos and videos also go a long way in engaging people and showing them who you are and what you do—this is especially important for service-focused businesses! Another way to engage people and show expertise is by writing blog posts about timely, industry-relevant topics.
Answers To Top Customer Questions
People naturally have a lot of questions before making a big decision, which is why FAQ pages exist! Ask your sales team to provide a list of common questions they get asked, then add them (along with the answers, of course) to your website. Always include a clear call-to-action (CTA), prompting people to contact your team with further questions.
Another option is chatbots, which have become a popular alternative to FAQ pages. The benefit here is providing a way for people to engage in a “conversation” with a chatbot and get answers to a series of questions. The capabilities of these tools vary, ranging from bots that generate answers based on your website content or information you plug into the tool, to programs that allow people to interact with a human customer service person in real-time.
Visibility Into Customer Behavior
Good salespeople take time to understand the different types of customers in their market. Your website can do this, too, with analytics!
Website analytics provide visibility into several things that help guide business decisions and your website marketing strategy. For example, demographics give insight into your typical customer, allowing you to tailor marketing efforts to that audience. Location details can help you identify gaps in specific regions you want to target, and help you dial in marketing efforts to avoid targeting regions outside of your service area.
When it comes to lead generation website efforts, analytics also provide meaningful data on how many visitors come to each page of your website and whether they stick around to explore more. Think about it this way: you won’t get leads or sales if people don’t find your website. If your most important product or service pages have low traffic, it’s time to take a look at search engine optimization (SEO), your content, and ways to promote specific products or services.
An Investment That Can Deliver a High ROI
Not every business can hire a fully staffed sales team. For smaller companies or those with tight budgets, websites are a cost-effective way to handle the front end of the sales process. When done right, your website will produce qualified, well-informed leads for your sales team. Instead of wasting time sifting through a sea of “bad” leads, they can focus on relationship-building and closing sales. Yes, a brand new or redesigned website requires a financial investment up-front, but you will make that money back through improved operational efficiencies and having a 24/7 salesperson working for your business.
Are you ready to grow your business with a lead-generating website that acts as an effective sales tool? As a full-service agency, our team helps you with everything from website design and development to creating a robust marketing strategy that moves the needle. Get in touch to start the conversation!
