Imagine a lovely evening out. You and your partner have been discussing where to eat. You saw an ad, read a review, and one restaurant sounds wonderful. Then you see it. The smell is fantastic, the terrace is inviting, the interior is elegant. A waiter greets you with a warm smile, takes your coats and shows you to a table with fresh flowers. Soft music plays. He hands you the menus, wishes you a pleasant evening and leaves.
And. Nothing. Happens.
How would you feel?
The same thing happens on your website every day
Visitors click through your site, read your material and leave, and nothing happens. The couple in my example had already decided to eat there. Many of your visitors haven’t. But very few people browse B2B websites at work for fun. They came for a reason.
Every click in your reports is a potential customer. Not all are ready to buy. Most of them probably aren’t even in a buying process yet. But some are. Are you going to leave them waiting and hope they come back and press “buy”?
No serious business leaves that to chance.
Nurture with what you already know
This is where the previous layer pays off. When you pick up signals, you know who your visitors are, what they have already read and what they need to move to the next phase.
Each phase of the buying process has a psychological purpose. The buyer becomes aware of a problem, compares change with no change, evaluates the options and finally commits. What they read tells you where they are:
- Reading general articles about the challenges they face: most likely phase 1.
- Watching your webinar on the risk of doing nothing: most likely phase 2.
- Reading a reference story: most likely phase 3. They want proof that you know what you’re talking about.
Don’t rush the call to action
Don’t end an awareness article with “buy now” or “talk to sales”. That is like the restaurant owner dragging a table, flowers and all, out to the street while you are still reading the menu and deciding whether you’re hungry.
With marketing automation in place, buyers get relevant information when they need it and when they are ready for it. When a buyer moves from phase 2 to phase 3, or is clearly satisfied with what they have learned, that is the moment for a clear call to action: “buy”, “sign up” or “talk to sales”.
Do this well, and buyers are expecting your call. Often they want it.