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The Inbound Growth Blog covers all topics relating to an integrated marketing strategy. We write about inbound marketing, social media, integrated marketing strategies and the sales process.

4 Online Selling Tactics that Work for Small Businesses

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Posted by John Beveridge on Apr 30, 2013 10:32:00 AM

 online selling tacticsInbound marketing brings potential clients from search engines and social media straight to your website. But once they arrive, how can you convert them into paying customers? Converting online sales prospects into clients is one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses. While conversion rate optimization is important, if you spend all your time A/B testing button colors, you’ll miss out on the most critical online selling tactic: relationship building.

The online world is just like the offline world: the relationships that you form with potential clients are essential to generating sales. Sure, you aren’t relying on flashy graphics and pop-up ads to push products on potential customers (right?), but your online selling tactics may still be failing to build mutually beneficial relationships. Here are four of the most effective online selling tactics that small businesses underutilize or fail to use altogether.

#1: Give it away.

In today’s competitive marketplace, companies must first “prove” their value to potential clients. Giving away free but relevant information is the perfect opportunity to establish your company as an industry authority and introduce potential customers to your services. There’s no need to do extra work for this information – simply recycle and repackage existing content into a new form. Post a recent white paper, curate useful industry knowledge, or create a “top 10” list for your website’s blog. Giving away your knowledge allows potential customers to “sample” your services and demonstrates that you are up-to-date on current industry trends.

#2: Cultivate prospective customers with email campaigns.

Email campaigns build trust with relevant sales prospects, keeping your prospects engaged until they are ready to make a purchase. Email campaigns can also redirect potential customers back to your company’s website – the perfect setup for future sales. Balance your email campaigns between informative content and specials/promotions. For example, an email announcing a new product or service promotion should be followed with an email offering a free download for your company’s latest white paper. This way potential customers are aware of your business’s products and services, but do not feel like they are being spammed with constant sales pitches and promotions. Above all, email to those that have opted in to receive your communications.

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#3: Drive sales through thought leadership.

A company’s brand is no longer defined by a flashy website. What matters now is how the company presents itself in public forums online and through networking opportunities. Don’t wait for business to come to you – leverage networking to reach a wider audience of potential customers. For example, join industry groups and contribute a guest blog post or whitepaper to the group’s website. Depending on one's web presence limits your business’s ability to sell online and connect with potential clients.

#4: Make selling social.

Is your business active on LinkedIn? If not, it should be: LinkedIn is the most popular (and under utilized) social network for B2B online sales leads – more than 33.4 million professionals use LinkedIn each month to build and maintain industry contacts that are key to online sales. A successful LinkedIn lead generation strategy will leverage the power of professional networking and communication to reach an entirely new customer base.

Not sure how to get started with social media marketing? Consider this LinkedIn success story: in 2011, Ultimate Software, a maker of human management capital solutions, launched a comprehensive LinkedIn engagement initiative, generating 107 sales leads. The company took an active role in LinkedIn Answers and LinkedIn groups, establishing themselves as an industry thought leader by providing strategic insight and free information that built a loyal LinkedIn following. By building an active presence on LinkedIn, your business can achieve similar success.

Summary

Relationships generate sales. Whether your business has five employees or 1,000, online selling tactics that foster personal relationships with potential clients provide a strong foundation for company growth. Nurture your sales leads through email marketing campaigns that bring potential customers right to your website for free valuable content that is exclusively available for download on your website. Sell your services and expertise by offering free advice and problem solving via LinkedIn Answers. Leverage the power of networking to sell more. Integrating these online selling tactics into your sales strategy will build stronger relationships and ultimately increase sales.

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Topics: Inbound Marketing, Business Management

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