Everything is within our reach through the internet. People selling different kinds of services online from a local spa service to the most intricate web development service. The pandemic might have affected your business in many ways. Maybe you even needed to close your shop because of the decline in customer visits. Some of you may have started an online service in a last-ditch attempt to save your business.
Selling services online can be challenging. Some businesses are bound to adapt more easily and achieve success; and some not so much. Being able to effectively market your service is the game-changer.
We will discuss what will make your business stand out from your competition. We will also discuss how to engage with your prospects using your website. There is a lot to talk about so you might want to keep a pen handy and take some notes.
Move through the funnel using these 6 marketing strategies based on the AIDA (Awareness, Interest, Decision, Action) Model
Sales Funnel
Ever heard of the term sales funneling? Think of a funnel that filters everything that you pour through it. For sales funneling, you need to understand the four filters.
- Awareness
- Interest
- Decision
- Action
These four filters are essential for your online marketing strategies. The goal is for the visitor (prospect) to reach the end of the funnel.
In this article, we will provide you 6 online marketing strategies to make sure that you get the most out of your website. Through these optimized strategies based on the AIDA model, you’ll convert your prospects into valuable customers.
Awareness
1. SEO and PPC
Pay Per Click (PPC)
Pay Per Click (PPC) is a marketing strategy that allows you to put your website as the click on an advertisement. This makes your website appear at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs).
PPC campaign, as the name implies, costs you money whenever a prospect clicks on your website. This may cost you a lot of money if you don’t convert your prospects into buyers. If they don’t know you, they won’t trust you.
Online advertising companies, such as Google Ads, offer discounts if your website has a high Quality Score. This is where you want SEO on your website.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) allows your website to rank higher on SERPs. Optimize your website so it will be relevant to keyword searches of your prospects.
To do this, you must know the keywords used for your prospective customers’ online searches. You can place these keywords across your content, setting yourself up to appear as a search result more and more often.
Effectively placing these keywords throughout your website will increase your rank on SERPs. However, this requires time and a lot of effort to do so.
The application of SEO drives organic traffic to your website. It also increases your Quality Score.
The higher the number of visitors your website has, the more people will trust your website. This will ultimately increase their awareness of the service you can provide.
Interest
2. Provide content that will suit your target audience
Creating a website can be tedious as most of us don’t have the technical capability to put it together. Luckily, WordPress helps you create a website without the need for complex programming. The best part is it’s easy and it’s free!
You need to keep in mind that you have to make your website as user-friendly as possible. You can hire professionals to help you optimize your website to improve user experience.
Another integral part of attracting interest from your prospective customers is through your content. Updating your content from time to time conveys relevance and keeps your prospective customers informed and updated on your online service. When you can’t hire your own team, you can go for a digital agency for content creation team.
Also read: 6 Factors to Consider Before Hiring a Web Development Firm for an Ecommerce Venture
3. Understand your audience
Align your content with your prospect’s demographics. Knowing their age group, gender, preferences, etc. will help you relate to them more. If you know what they need, you’ll know what to provide.
Communicate with your prospects with easy to understand words. Avoid using jargon and highly technical terms when creating your content.
Lastly, adding freebies to your services entice your prospects. Be sure to include this in your promotions. Who doesn’t like freebies?
Decision
4. Provide testimonials and reviews
For your prospective customers to decide to avail themselves of your services will be all about trust. They simply won’t patronize your service if they don’t trust you. That’s why companies, like Amazon, have worked very hard to gain consumer’s trust.
Testimonials on how your services provided a qualitative improvement in the lives of your customers’ are critical for prospects to consider. If your business has positive reviews from media publications, be sure to include these on your website.
Don’t be afraid to interact with your customers’ reviews and testimonials. This shows that your business is willing to make adjustments to satisfy consumer needs.
Your prospects gain a sense of security about trying your services when they see positive reviews and testimonials. This increased perception of trustworthiness can subtly influence their purchasing decisions.
5. Use promotions from social media influencers
Social media influencers are influencers for a reason. They have a huge number of followers that track the what, when, how, and why of their lives. This way, they’ve built up authority and trust among their audience.
Being able to win new customers and actually receive a review with its positive testimonial, is a tremendous boon to the business with great potential for increased sales. A lot of people that follow these “online stars” will try your service just because their idols tried it!
Be sure to make their experience as hassle-free as possible. Provide them free service together with other freebies.
When these influencers write reviews and blogs about your service, this tiny investment will return to you tenfold, or even more!
Action
6. Provide ease of transaction and guarantee
A hassle-free transaction is what we all want when we subscribe to a service. We want to make sure our money is securely transferred from our hands to that of the business owner.
Make sure to cover almost all the ways your buyer can pay for your service. This includes payment through a bank, online payment services, etc.
Provide an email confirmation that you received their payment. Also, provide an online receipt so they are secure in their transaction.
But, if your service did not meet their standards — and this can happen — make sure to provide a return guarantee. In this way, the risk associated with trying a new online service is mitigated and your new customer will continue to hold all-important trust for your business.
Having a solid return guarantee shows how confident you are with the service you are providing them. This, too, strengthens consumer trust in your business.
Final Word
Running an online service business can be challenging. Making solid online marketing strategies based on the AIDA model will boost your sales. Convert your prospects into sales by following the 6 marketing strategies mentioned above.
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