A sale begins with the first search
Ximena Hernández Buffa
The effective digital approach to selling
Nowadays there are over 4 million searches per minute on Google.
A sale starts with the first customer search, Antonio Chan points out, LinkedIn Sales Manager in LATAM.
These two phrases give meaning to the following one: The customer goes through 57% of their buying journey before engaging with a business executive, according to HBR. In the B2B business context, nowadays the needs of the company are defined by several decision makers, purchasing departments ask for references and evaluate potential suppliers.
The purpose of post-pandemic marketing is to start the sale with a customer who we do not know yet or who was defined at the research stage. Antonio Chan recommends the following:
Create your own content
Prove that you have experience, that you handle a business problem and are capable of solving it, and go beyond publishing it in a brochure. You may do so by creating an article, webinar or video based on a business problem or success story, or give an opinion on a news or trend.
Reuse content
Fragment long content, a presentation, a whitepaper, or business information obtained in a project (remain anonymous if necessary). Re-share it on your LinkedIn account and media after 6 months or a year.
“To reach new prospects it is key to pass through the personal network of contacts”
Antonio Chan, LinkedIn Sales Manager in LATAM
Post articles on your LinkedIn personal blog
If you post an article on your personal LinkedIn blog, your contacts will receive a notification, which makes your content go viral (endorse or like, comment, share). The visibility of your content reaches the contacts of the people who share it, crossing the barrier of your personal network.
Example: Meg Whitman, HPE’s CEO. Its contents are used by sellers and consultants of the firm.
Recommend your channels, website and other content
At the end of your articles, videos, webinars and events, share upcoming activities and invite your audience to follow your LinkedIn company profile, video channel and personal blog.
Create your LinkedIn Company Page and spread your content
Having a company page is free. Publish content, success stories and invitations to events on your website and share them on the LinkedIn Company channel, adding a weekly quote. Invite your officials to follow the company and give “endorsement”. Set a content calendar where possible.
Examples: TOTVS, Avanxo, Salesforce, Blue Solutions.
Sponsor
If the need arises, such as an event or business fair, you can promote a LinkedIn Company post to reach a defined audience (similar to Google AdWords). You can also send a bulk email to a specific audience on behalf of your company. Both are paid solutions.
Conclusion
The importance of repetition
“With these recommendations you can skip the rule of reaching third-degree contacts and reaching target audiences for your company that are beyond your network,” Antonio Chan explains.
A person needs to be in touch 7 times with a company to start remembering it. Therefore, it is key to respect a constant routine on your website, LinkedIn, blog or video channel, in addition to bringing clicks to your site, boosting your digital positioning.
An indicator of your marketing quality is that when you attend a meeting, your potential customer has had contact with you several times in the first 57% of your buying journey. (See article: “The Marketing Quality Indicator: 7- 3E”)
This concept also applies for your current customers to have it in mind in future buying journeys.
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