Lesson 2 – Never Kiss On The First Date

Business leaders and marketers are impatient.

We all want customers to buy our products quickly, and no one likes waiting around to make a sale. However, trying to force a conversion from your first interaction with a customer is like proposing marriage on a first date. In B2B tech, it comes across as pushy, overwhelming, and a little off-putting.

So, what does this mean for your marketing strategy? Should you stop using CTAs and offers to try and drive sales, and wait for customers to come to you? Probably not. But there’s a time and a place.

However, it’s worth thinking about how you “nudge” your customers into action when they’re still in the early stages of the purchasing cycle.

When creating content to build relationships with your target audience, the first CTAs you use should be about deepening the connection and providing more information. At Today Digital, we believe demand generation comes before lead generation, you’ve got to build trust with your target audience.

Educate and Inspire Before You Sell

B2B audiences may have less time on their hands than B2C consumers, but that doesn’t mean you can simply skip past the courtship part of the business relationship. Your customers are smart, informed, and focused. They want to know they’re going to get great value from your business before they commit to anything. That means you need to prove yourself before you’ll get a sale.

Since B2B relationships are often long-lasting, your customers will want to learn as much as they can about you and your services before they’re tied down. Business professionals want to learn about how they can solve their problems, why you’re the right solution for their needs, and what you can offer.

The chances are your audience won’t get everything they need from a single video or article. That means you need to guide them step-by-step through an immersive learning experience which enhances their opinion of your company.

Don’t just jump in with a “Buy Now” call to action. Take your time to nurture your audience and warm them up with additional links to meaningful, informative content on each page you produce.

Drive Customers to Action (The Right Way)

All companies want their content marketing efforts to drive positive action from prospects. The key to success is making sure you don’t rush the process. Use CTAs that:

• Deliver value: Tell your customer how you’re going to educate them further (click here to learn more or download our latest eBook)
• Build rapport: Use conversational language to come across as less aggressive. Swap jargon and formality for friendly statements like “let’s learn together”.
• Spark curiosity: Make sure you’re appealing to the curiosity and interest of your target audience with CTAs that promise to solve their problems (e.g. “Find out why…”

The more patient you can be when it comes to nurturing and engaging your audience, the more likely it is you’ll be able to convince your audience you’re worth their time. Don’t just try to push your customers to a buy now page. Take them through a meaningful journey which inspires them to deepen their connection to your brand.

Read the next blog in our Content Code series – Lesson #3 – Who Are You Again?