When you have a web-based service or tool where the target clients are of business-to-business nature, you don’t expect them to see your product once and would make up their minds to purchase from you. There is a buying process which certainly takes longer than an eCommerce store.
The Buying Process
The buying process consists of a full sales funnel with multiple stages that include awareness, interest, evaluation, decision, decision, purchases, review, etc.
Getting Awareness
Your marketing team has placed online ads and spread the brand of your business across many niche websites in your industry. You would publish posts on social media accounts (such as Facebook) and have your marketing spread your brand’s messages either organically or through paid ads. Over time, this would have generated awareness in your potential customers.
Getting Interested
In the next stage, you will see those potential customers who have the impression of your business, may start searching your business with your brand name. At the stage having some search engine covering is important, as you don’t want someone who searches your brand name on Google not seeing your business or website shows up.
Having your website optimized for search engine ranking is important. At this stage you want your website to show up number one when people search for your brand name.
To double up the coverage, you may sign up with Google Ads (formerly AdWords). With Google Ads, you can create your campaigns and ads for specific keywords which are your brand names.
Getting your Website Ready
From the very beginning, you should have your landing page or even your entire website developed and ready. On your website, you should offer a free trial or a demo version of your web-based tool. This is important for your potential clients to evaluate your product. At this point, you would have the contact information (such as phone numbers and email addresses) of your potential clients.
Now, this is where email marketing automation strategy and your sales team would come in, as your potential clients are in their decision-making stage. If the client has decided to buy your product, you’ve succeeded.
Using the Product
This isn’t the end of the sales funnel. When your clients are using your product for the next 12 months, they are constantly and actively reviewing whether your product is great, and if your web-based service suit exactly what they need. A decision by the end of the 12-month period would be made again to whether to continue using your product.
