How to reach more customers in the research phase

How to reach more customers in the research phase

Whilst I talk a lot here about social media, theres a lot more to marketing than just content for social media. One of the best way's to attract new customers and build trust especially in the research phase is to answer their questions.

What? you are thinking... it can't be that easy? Well folks, it really is. If you are going to invest your time in creating content, always start with the questions your customers are asking first. 

Picture the scene: You are a consumer that is looking for a new conservatory (I say conservatory but it could be anything, lipstick, bathroom, dress, software provider or even web designer.) You start researching conservatories in your local area because you are making a substantial purchase and research is really important.

The first thing you do is head to Google you type in:

Conservatories 

You see loads of pictures on image search of conservatories and start to build an idea of what you want. Your next step is to try and work out if you can get this conservatory in your local area, so for this let's say you live in Kent. Your next search is:

Conservatories in Kent

You get a load of results from firms in Kent and start looking at what they can offer you. but before you are ready to call anyone you want to know a few things so you ask:

How much is a conservatory?

How Long does a conservatory take to install?

Do I need planning permission for a conservatory?

Can I install a conservatory myself?

Do I need central heating in my conservatory?

And the list goes on as you start to research.

You find a website that is local and answering all of your questions via a blog, video series or resource centre and you have literally no reason to leave this site, every question is answered, you like this company and you now trust them as they are so transparent with their expertise and with price which is a massive factor in your decision making process. - You call them! 

Now let's flip this on its head you are a conservatory company based in Kent, you have created a blog for every single possible question people ask about conservatories. You've answered all of these questions and these blogs have been an amazing investment because 1. They bring in really qualified traffic (You know people who are looking for your service and are in the research to buy phase) 

Because you have your price on your website your customers are qualified because you know the people who call or make an enquiry understand the costs implied and are happy to pay it - little wastage. 

Because you have such a vast array of content, you can now share these posts to social media and also repurpose them into further social media content pieces. 

This is a WIN WIN strategy and all it takes is for you to write a blog or do a video on the biggest questions people ask about your product or service in the research phase.

You must answer the questions impartially and not use it as a sales pitch, this is the quickest way to turn people off. Just be friendly and give good advice, link through to other helpful articles to encourage the user to say on your website to do their research.

Think about it, you create the content once and it works hard for you every single day! 

So how do you know which questions to answer? This is simple 1. Think about the questions you get ask most often and 2. You can cheat by using a tool called 

https://answerthepublic.com/ this tool will show you all of the possible questions people are asking search engines around a product, keyword, company or anything really. 

So what are you waiting for? Make 2020 the year that you are there for customers in the buying phase when they are looking for your product or service online! 

Thanks for reading, if you liked this guide and you think others would too, please share on your socials! 

 

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