Skilled entrepreneurs and gross sales consultants perceive that every stage of the gross sales funnel is equally vital in guiding potential prospects on their journey. Content material creation and dissemination performs an important position at each stage of the funnel and the overarching journey, serving to you construct consciousness, spark curiosity, incentivize consideration, and encourage conversion.
Remember that high quality content material performs a significant position in nurturing and retaining prospects as properly, turning them into lifelong model advocates down the road. However what in regards to the backside of funnel gross sales content material, or BoFU content material because it’s additionally recognized? How vital is content material creation for this specific stage, and may it aid you convert extra? The reply is a convincing sure, however it’s essential know what you’re doing.
Let’s speak about BoFU content material, what it’s, why it issues, and the best way to use it to maximise your gross sales potential in 2023.
The gross sales funnel and its levels
Earlier than we speak about BoFU content material and the assorted ways you should utilize to your benefit, let’s first think about the funnel and its levels. The gross sales funnel has three fundamental elements:
- High of the funnel
- Center of the funnel
- Backside of the funnel
The highest of the funnel, the place most of your leads are generated, consists of people that both don’t have any clue you exist or are simply now discovering out about your model. This stage is the one wherein you construct model consciousness.
The center part of the funnel is the place you flip guests into certified leads by offering them with value-driven content material and messaging in trade for his or her contact info—usually an electronic mail deal with.
The underside portion of the funnel is essential for an eCommerce gross sales funnel and different funnels in extremely aggressive industries, as it’s the tipping level for the shopper. This stage is the place it’s essential talk with prospects and ship extra invaluable content material. That is to show you’re the proper selection and quell any doubt they may have about shopping for from you rather than your rivals.
The levels of those three segments are:
- Consciousness
- Curiosity
- Consideration
- Intent
- Analysis
- Buy
- Loyalty
All the things previous the Consideration stage you may think about BoFU, which is the place it’s essential goal leads with conversion-oriented content material with out being overtly sales-y or pushy.
Right here’s the best way to do it.
1. Use critiques and testimonials for social proof
Individuals will seek for and analyze buyer testimonials on a model at each stage of the funnel, significantly on the backside of the funnel as they close to the conversion level. As individuals proceed in direction of the top of their journey and put together to transform, their must validate their resolution to purchase from you’ll rise consequently.
Individuals will search for real written and video testimonials from earlier glad prospects that go extra in-depth in regards to the model and the merchandise they’re seeking to purchase. They should see that others have already put their belief in your model and are glad not simply with the product, however the entire model expertise.
Buyer testimonials are all about constructing social proof in your model. You shouldn’t solely publish testimonials in your web site and promote them on all of your buyer touchpoints, but in addition be sure to have stellar critiques on all third-party platforms, like Google critiques and Yelp.
As for the occasional damaging assessment, do the whole lot you may to repair the difficulty and switch disgruntled prospects into glad ones. You’ll then be capable to ask them to take down or amend their preliminary assessment
2. Invite prospects to a webinar
Excessive-quality instructional content material has a spot at each stage of the funnel, however hardly ever do enterprise leaders use it on the backside of the funnel. This oversight happens as a result of gross sales consultants are likely to focus solely on promoting at this stage and fewer on offering extra worth to the shopper earlier than they’re prepared to purchase.
That’s why you need to take a distinct route out of your rivals and emphasize instructional codecs in your BoFU technique. This doesn’t imply that this content material needs to be the identical instructional content material you utilize for constructing consciousness or sparking intent, nonetheless.
As a substitute, it means optimizing the content material to have a sales-oriented observe whereas delivering worth to the prospect. For instance, you may create an academic evergreen webinar that’s conversion-oriented, focuses on resolving widespread ache factors, talks extra in-depth on a services or products, and even supplies a particular provide.
Everybody who attends the webinar must get one thing tangible out of it— not simply extra info. If persons are prepared to purchase, put together a limited-time provide for the attendees of your webinar.
In the event that they’re not prepared to purchase simply but however are getting there, ship them extra supplies after the webinar like a case examine or a price-feature comparability.
3. Optimize CTAs for fast conversion
Calls to motion (CTA) can typically make all of the distinction for conversion, which is why they’re such an vital component in brand-customer communication on all channels. Irrespective of the place persons are consuming your content material, whether or not it’s in your web site, social media, or in an electronic mail or DM, give them a transparent but value-driven CTA to encourage them to take the following step.
When you don’t have a CTA, you’re letting potential prospects transfer on to the following piece of content material with out ever figuring out that you simply had an incredible provide for them. Due to this fact, it’s essential to think twice about your CTAs.
Among the finest name to motion examples are from manufacturers that make investments closely in personalization and CTA specialization. CTA specialization is when companies optimize a CTA particularly for a sure product or a selected step within the buyer’s journey.
Remember that it’s not simply what the CTA says, it’s additionally in regards to the visible design and the location of the button. Listed below are some key suggestions:
- Use contrasting visuals to make the CTA pop however keep away from spammy purple hues
- In emails, put your CTA within the above-the-fold part however not earlier than the primary sentence
- In your web site, place a couple of CTA on each web page however not more than three
- On social media, one CTA per put up is sufficient
- Use an lively voice within the first individual
4. Use direct messaging for content material dissemination
Direct, or immediate, messaging platforms are an important a part of your general communication, advertising and marketing, and gross sales methods. These direct messaging platforms each ship worth on to prospects and aid you obtain many objectives pertaining to gross sales, advertising and marketing, and help.
Direct messaging contains on-line and offline communication channels, the whole lot from good outdated SMS to WhatsApp and Messenger. For instance, utilizing WhatsApp in your gross sales funnel permits you to preserve communication with leads and disseminate gross sales content material to BoFU prospects.
You may ship out automated messages and hyperlink to invaluable content material in your web site, which can range relying on the precise place of the person within the gross sales funnel. Hyperlink to your new case research, product excursions, and worth comparisons, and don’t neglect to ship out offers and reductions to those that are able to convert.
5. Present them with a related case examine
Case research are the best content material format for BoFU leads; you need to use it extensively in your gross sales technique. Case research improve in relevance and significance because the lead strikes via the funnel and turns into extra engaged and within the model and what you’re promoting.
As their curiosity peaks and so they start thinking about a purchase order, prospects will search for informational content material that validates their resolution. There are different vital varieties of web site content material it’s essential use at this stage, resembling guides and product excursions, however the case examine reveals prospects concrete numbers and outcomes.
Your purpose in sharing case research is, as all the time, about personalizing the expertise in your prospects. Don’t simply ship out the identical case examine to each lead; as a substitute, curate your choice. Match case research to related lead segments and guarantee they get the content material they really want.
This method will make all of the distinction together with your potential prospects and can present them that you simply present precisely what they’re on the lookout for.
6. Use video content material to your benefit
Through the years, video content material and video advertising and marketing have grown in reputation to turn out to be one of the vital highly effective content material varieties within the on-line world. Whereas it received’t dethrone written content material, it’s vital to leverage movies in your gross sales and advertising and marketing methods in 2023 and past.
The truth that this format is very partaking and shareable makes it straightforward to optimize your gross sales funnel with video that educates your viewers and conjures up them to take the following step. It may be particularly useful for BoFU leads that need extra content material selection and are already updated in your written and user-generated content material.
Your movies may range of their codecs and the subjects they cowl. Use a advertising and marketing video maker to generate new product excursions, explainer movies, case examine breakdowns, and different high quality video content material to maintain issues contemporary and personalize the expertise in your potential prospects.
7. Gamify the BoFU expertise
Gamification has not solely turn out to be an especially in style tactic for producing leads, but in addition for maintaining engagement excessive all through the gross sales funnel and the shopper’s journey to conversion. Gamification can be an effective way to nurture and retain prospects after the sale, as you may shift the format to open cross-sell and up-sell alternatives.
On the subject of closing the deal within the first place, nonetheless, generally a easy product suggestion quiz adopted by an in depth touchdown web page or a comparability sheet is simply what the prospect must make the proper resolution. Any such quiz is an effective selection for leads that aren’t but able to convert however are extremely fascinated about your model. The quiz reveals them a few of your product choice and the product finest suited to their wants.
Promote your quizzes on social media, DMs, electronic mail, and on different communication channels. Remember that there are lead era quizzes that individuals can play in trade for contact info; nonetheless, these are finest for high of funnel methods.
8. Win individuals over with particular offers and promotions
Do you have to provide a reduction or a particular deal to a possible buyer? Completely, as a result of many shoppers are ready for a product to go on sale or to get a small low cost to make the acquisition. As a substitute of letting them go to your rivals, shut the deal immediately with a singular low cost.
Particular promotions and offers additionally require high quality BoFU content material as a key a part of your gross sales course of; a reduction itself is just not sufficient to transform. Individuals want to attach with the model, they should know why you’re providing the deal, and they should really feel appreciated. That’s why such a content material calls for personalization.
When your advertising and marketing and gross sales consultants are crafting this promotional content material and presents, they should leverage the info out of your CRM and dig deep into your lead segments to personalize the messaging for every group. This method causes the promotional materials to face out and conjures up individuals to lastly buy a product.
Personalizing this and different content material ensures prospects really feel extra appreciated and units the stage for a deeper brand-customer relationship.
Over to you
The underside of the funnel is a stage the place persons are both contemplating making a purchase order or are prepared to purchase and want an additional nudge to take motion. This stage is the place BoFU content material is available in as one in every of your strongest conversion instruments that not solely builds model belief and authority, but in addition supplies conversion-ready prospects with all the data and validation they should take that remaining step.