Marketers get potential customers interested.
Salespeople close the deal.
Okay, it’s not really that simple. There is definitely crossover and I know plenty of great salespeople that do all their own marketing.
But in general the idea is that marketing gets people to know that you exist and interested in what you can offer them while the sales side is more about closing the deal on the actual sale.
When it comes to creating a website for your business I like to remember the marketing and sales relationship.
Your Website Is Your Salesperson
What is the goal of your website?
For just about every business the goal is for the website to earn sales for the business.
Some people prefer to learn about a company online instead of in person or on the phone. The number of people using the Internet continues to increase. Most businesses want to capture potential customers that are using the web to find information.
So having a website makes sense and it’s obviously important that your website is designed to bring you sales.
That’s where things get tricky. I find that not many people consider their sales process when creating their website.
I like to go through the process that happens when a new lead comes in and I work with them in person. Then I take that interaction and replicate it on the website.
All the questions the most common lead asks during the sales discussion need to be answered on the website. And those questions need to be answered in the right order for the lead to be comfortable and confident in moving toward making a sale.
Your Blog Is Your Marketer
Now let’s take a step back in the sales process to the step where someone first comes into the situation as a potential lead.
Online, people are looking for information. They’re looking for information on how to improve their lives, both personal and professional. They’re looking for information about their interests. And they’re looking for information that is entertaining.
The goal of a blog is to attract your ideal customer by writing about the things that affect their lives. If you can help someone with something they’re struggling with you can earn their attention and trust.
A blog is about answering the questions your ideal customer has before they know you exist. A blog is about answering the questions your ideal customer has before they know they want or need your product or service.
Answering Questions: Blog vs. Website
Let’s use an example.
A home builder has a website and blog.
The builder’s ideal customer is someone that wants to build a new home or do remodels on their existing home.
As you can imagine, most people aren’t thinking about those issues most of the time. But we are thinking about things related to our homes.
A home builder can earn the attention and trust of potential customers by answering all the questions people have that relate to their homes:
Why is my HVAC unit leaking?
Why does water run into the corner of my basement?
How do I fix the space at the bottom of the front door?
You’ve had questions like that?
Those are blog questions. They’re perfect for blog posts.
When you answer questions like that you’re bringing people to your website and introducing them to your brand. And you’re also building the overall authority and reputation of your website.
The more questions you answer and the better you answer questions for your target customers the higher the odds are that your main website pages will rank well on search engines for keywords more related to sales questions.
Now let’s say someone is searching for a question like:
Who builds custom homes in my city?
Who can remodel my garage?
Who can update my bathroom?
Those are website questions.
Final Thoughts
A blog is meant to bring your ideal customers to your site when they’re not really thinking about your services or about your brand. You’re still providing a great value and earning trust. And you’re building your reputation in the industry, which helps the other pages, the selling pages, on your site rank well.
So when you’re auditing your website and its content look at the questions you’re answering and where you’re answering those questions.
Make sure you have the keyword focus in the right area. And make sure your blog is acting as the marketer and your website is acting like the salesperson.