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The goal of every marketing and sales team is to guide their target audience through each stage of this funnel.ÌýBut how does one go from one stage to the next? And what’s the right push at each step?

Every part of the customer journey requires the use of multiple tools and channels, like the ones above.ÌýMost importantly, all the stages following awareness constitute some form of direct engagement—the focus of this blog. But before we dive into engagement for conversion and retention, let’s also briefly look at the steps leading to it.

Awareness

How do youÌýget started?ÌýFirst,Ìýyou need to get your brand out there. Let everyone knowÌýthat you’ve got the solution to a problem or need.ÌýIn some cases, you may have to tell them about the need itself or even create it (yeah, brands doÌýthatÌýall the time). There’s a multitude of channels you can use to convey your offerings to your market and to create brand recall.

You can read aboutÌýsome ofÌýthem in depthÌýhere:

15Ìýuntapped sources to drive quality traffic to your website
12 companies who drove insane organic traffic to their website

ÌýConsideration

So you’ve created awareness and have aÌýgood amount of traffic on your site, but how do you tap intoÌýit? Your visitorsÌýneed to start considering your product/service as a solution to some problem or need they have. But for them to consider your offering, you need to really stand out in their memory orÌýshow upÌýwhile they’reÌýsearching for a solution. At this point youÌýcanÌýstart engaging with them, toÌýshow them what makes you better than your competitors.ÌýThis step is all about turning your visitors into leads. Here’s anÌýin-depth guide on how you can do just that:

16 insanely effective lead magnet ideas to convert visitors to leadsÌý

ÌýConversion and retention (loyalty)

Now you have a regular in-flow of leads who are genuinely interested in your product. One small,Ìýwell-timedÌýpush is all that you need to convert them into customers. Your leads are considering your product, weighing whether they’ll really benefit fromÌýit, andÌýwhether it’ll be worth their investment. They have these questions andÌýmany more. Maybe they’re wondering if your product has a particular feature, how easyÌýit isÌýto use, or if they couldÌýfind a cheaper option. So what should you do now? You need to clear up these questionsÌýright when they’reÌýmulling over them, therefore, directlyÌýinfluencing their decision. There’s twoÌýsteps to doing this:

1. Identify their point ofÌýdecision making.
2. Pitch inÌýto clear up their questions andÌýconvince them.

To identifyÌýwhen purchase decisions are being made, you need toÌýmap your visitor journey and activity on your website. You should ideally initiate a conversation with your visitors via live chat at this point.ÌýThisÌýpivotal moment willÌýchange based onÌývisitorÌýprofiles and traffic from different campaigns and sources, but the key is to personalize your engagement specifically for each of your visitor personas.Ìý

All of this is made possible withÌý×îв©²ÊÍøÕ¾ÌýSalesIQ,ÌýourÌýprospect and customer engagement platform. Here’s an outline of the basicÌýfeatures of ×îв©²ÊÍøÕ¾ SalesIQ:

You can try thisÌýall-in-one website engagement platform forÌýengaging prospects, right from their first visit,Ìýto converting them,Ìýto supportingÌýthem as long-term, happy customers. ×îв©²ÊÍøÕ¾ SalesIQÌýeven includes lead-scoring andÌýautomation features for highly targeted engagement, with insightful dataÌýthat helps you personalize yourÌýinteractions with your visitors.

Needless to say,Ìýnow that you have them,ÌýyouÌýneed to nurture your customers to keep them happy and loyal. This can be achieved through great support and by makingÌýsureÌýthey feelÌýcared for. Negative wordÌýofÌýmouth spreads twice as fast as positiveÌýones,Ìýso good support is crucial in preventingÌýthese undesirable wildfires.

Live chat isÌýyour best option here, beingÌýthe quickest, simplest, most accessible medium of support, withÌýtheÌýhighest satisfaction rates.

×îв©²ÊÍøÕ¾ SalesIQ can be used for marketing, sales, and support, making it a versatile tool for this kind of direct prospect and client engagement.

Read more on how to convert and retain customersÌýusing this customer engagement tool:

A Guide to Using Live Chat to Grow Your Business

Advocacy

AndÌýthat brings us to our last stage—advocacy. Happy customersÌýare natural brand advocates, and you can always ask them to spread the message, refer your business to friends,Ìýor give aÌýshout-out on social media. Recommendations from people who aren’t directly associated with your brand haveÌýmuch more influence,ÌýsoÌýto ensure they remain your advocates, you need toÌýcontinue toÌýnurture your brand’s relationship with them. Customers at this stage have the highest lifetime values, and generate the maximum ROI from your marketing efforts.

Read more onÌýdeveloping and nurturing customer advocatesÌýhere:

We hope you found this post helpful, and if you have any comments or questions, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!Ìý

Happy selling!