The internet has changed everything, including marketing and sales.

In today’s digitally connected world, the way people shop for and buy products has changed and the sales process along with it. The salesperson is no longer the ultimate source of information about products; consumers can find out what they need to know through a Google search.  

The bottom line: physical marketing isn’t as effective as it used to be. Today’s sales people must be able to leverage digital tools and technologies to connect with, engage, and convert prospective and existing customers.

To do that, sales professionals must become proficient in digital marketing.

What is Digital Marketing?

In short, digital marketing is online marketing. It encompasses the use of search engines, social media, email, SEO-optimized content, online stores, and marketing platforms to connect with and sell to current and prospective customers. 

Check out our article on Localized Marketing Strategy.

Strategies to Attract Online Customers

There are some ways and means to attract customers online. We mention a few here.

1. Leverage social proof

You can gain the trust of prospective customers through social proof in the form of online reviews, testimonials, influencer videos, and mentions on other websites.

Consider these statistics to understand how the experiences of others influence your prospects. 

• 90% of customers read online reviews before visiting a business
• 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations 
• 72% say positive reviews make them trust a local business more
• 72% of consumers will take action only after reading a positive review

Testimonials are another great way to attract buyers. Testimonials represent the words of real people who have benefited from your products and services in the past and serve as proof of your company’s integrity. Consider that nine out of ten people say that they trust testimonials more than what companies say about themselves.

When potential customers see that your product or service has been vetted and approved by an outside source, it adds credibility to your brand. The boost in popularity may also help convince them to buy.

2. Discover ways to increase traffic to your site

Understand SEO. Your first target should be to rank high on Google. This is not merely a simple exercise in choosing a few keywords. To really see traffic to your website increase, you need to make a serious study of SEO and SEO tools like Google Analytics that help you understand how visitors engage with your website.

Establish yourself as an expert. Ranking higher on Google will increase organic traffic to your site. One way to do this is to establish yourself as a topic expert by posting long blog posts that give an overall overview of a topic. Then you develop around this a number of shorter, supporting posts with long tail keywords. When Google sees all this content, it regards you as a topic expert and starts giving you priority ranking, which drives traffic to your site.

Use your presence on social media platforms. Share links to your promotions, website content, webinar content, and more on your chosen platforms. Again, make sure you understand the pros and cons of organic traffic. 

Use the power of influencers. Social media influencers are here to stay and you can use them to your advantage. They are the internet version of word-of-mouth marketing doing the job for you through posting post discount codes, reviews, and links to important information. Influencer marketing is cost- effective – businesses earn $5.78 ROI for every $1 spent on influencer marketing.

3. Deliver top-quality content 

One of the best ways to attract qualified leads to your company is through quality blogging. For this to work, you must know your buyer personas. A buyer persona is a representation of your ideal customer profile.

Once you have identified your buyer personas, you can direct your copy directly to them for the best results. You can find out what your personas are searching for by conducting an SEO search. Creating buyer personas will ensure that you create content that converts. 

Keep these stats on persona-based marketing in mind:

• Personalized emails lead to email open rate increases of 2-5 times
• Persona-specific emails lead to a 14% increase in conversion rates 
• Persona-based SEO tactics boost organic reach by 55%

4. Leverage the power of email marketing

Email marketing is a proven business strategy to attract and retain customers. In fact, the ROI for email is $36 for every dollar spent. According to Hubspot, 77% of marketers have seen an increase in email engagement over the last 12 months.

Emails containing snippets about a new blog or offer can boost your website traffic. Here are some tips on how to build your email list.

• Require visitors to your site to provide their email to access certain content.
• Have email sign-up forms on all your website pages. 
• Promote your email newsletter on all your social media channels.

5. Offer an introductory discount for new customers

Everybody loves a bargain, and your offer might be the factor that lands you a new customer. Bargains like 20% off a first purchase can be the deciding factor for a prospect considering doing business with you but needs an incentive to make a buying commitment.

6. Ask for referrals

Current customers are a great source of new customers. This is because referrals tend to grow exponentially since a person who became a customer through a referral is more likely to make referrals in turn.

When a satisfied customer gives you referrals, it is the ideal door-opener to the next customer relationship that might lead to a sale.

7. Don’t forget your existing customers

While most companies focus on gaining new customers, it is more cost-effective to retain existing customers. It’s a well-known fact that it costs five times more to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one. In addition, research shows repeat customers spend more on each purchase than first-time buyers.

One way to retain customers is through a customer loyalty program. Customer loyalty programs are effective because they provide several benefits. Loyalty programs:

• Make customers feel valued.
• Prompt customers to spend more.
• Encourage repeat purchases, with repeat customers spending 67% more than new customers. 
• Lead to more customer referrals, which is good for the brand.
• Encourage customers to leave reviews.

8. Consider using abandoned cart software

Did you know that over 70% of e-commerce shoppers abandon their carts at checkout? They put items in their shopping carts but never place an order. Abandoned cart software allows online merchants to reconnect with these visitors and guide them to complete the checkout. The software can help shop owners understand why customers leave the site without completing their purchase.

The software automatically triggers re-engagement emails to bring shoppers back to the website to complete their checkouts. Abandoned cart emails are an example of re-engaging with existing visitors, which can be a lucrative decision if you can re-engage them.

Check out our article on Low-Stress Jobs That Pay Well Without a Degree.

9. Use urgency tactics

This is a common tactic that’s been used for decades and it still works. It doesn’t have to be high-pressure sales tactics – short-term deals and discounts are good examples of urgency tactics. So is creating an impression of scarcity: the message that there aren’t many in stock or that the offer is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

For this tactic to work, you must understand your prospect’s pain point in depth and be able to offer an immediate solution that will solve their problem.

Final Thoughts

In the digital age, a lot of sales happen online. In addition to traditional sales tactics used during personal interactions, businesses today need to be proficient in digital marketing and sales tactics.