Your website has the potential to be your best salesperson, but only if you give it the proper tools & training.
Sadly, many businesses invest tons of money in a website that they think will generate sales for them, only to be disappointed when they drive traffic to it and get zero leads.
You know a good salesperson is always ready to field questions from your prospects. They can solve problems and bust barriers at a moment’s notice.
You wouldn’t expect an untrained salesperson to achieve stellar results, right? For the same reason, you shouldn’t expect much from a non-optimized website.
With a solid content strategy, your website can guide prospects through your funnel.
However, no piece of content can appeal to prospects at every stage in your funnel.
If an article or video tries to appeal to everyone, it won't speak to anyone.
That's like a salesman trying to use the same pitch to get the meeting and close the deal.
Today I want to talk about the three types of content that make up your funnel. If you build your content intentionally, you’ll create a website that never stops selling.
Before we jump in, don't forget to download your free Content Funnel Cheat Sheet. Click here to download it instantly!
Early Stage Content is the icebreaker. It’s interesting, useful, entertaining, and easy to consume. It’s also the easiest to write. You’ll write more early stage content than anything else.
The goal of early stage content is to attract new visitors and create awareness. People need to enjoy the experience of consuming your content, even if they never buy the product.
You need to build trust and credibility, establish yourself as an authority, and show empathy. Keep in mind that at this point the prospect isn’t searching for you. They’re searching for solutions.
Examples of early stage content include top 10 lists, curated lists, interesting videos, industry news, personal opinions or rants, how-to guides, etc.
Middle Stage Content helps your prospects make choice. They aren’t browsing your company any longer; they're flirting with your sales process. This is the stage we really need to provide value because your prospects are doing their research anyway, so you want it to come from you.
Your middle stage content should anticipate and respond to prospects’ questions. It can include customer reviews, product comparisons, webinars, tutorials, case studies, testimonials, FAQs, etc.
Think of middle stage content as the functional piece. Prospects will usually only find it when they need a specific answer or want to dig deeper into your offerings. You want to give that prospect everything they need to sell you to their company.
Late Stage Content is the closer of your sales process. At this point the prospect has gathered most of the info they need to make a decision. If they've already made their decision, this content should reaffirm their choice.
Late stage content continues to focus on being helpful and motivating the prospect to take action. Don't confuse this as an opportunity to be overly self promotional which can still turn prospects off at this stage.
You want to assist your prospects to make the best decision possible. Show them product comparisons, pricing lists, feature guides, product demonstrations, workflows and implementation guides. Don't pretend your competitors don't exist, this is your chance to show how you're different.
Depending on your sales funnel and offering, late stage content can either encourage prospects to buy, or connect with a salesman to close the deal.
Building your content library with these three types of strategic content will turn it into a high-performing, lead generation machine who works 24/7 and doesn’t require commissions : )
The last piece we need for the perfect sales focused website is a way to attract and capture qualified prospects (without looking desperate). I'll show you how to do that in tomorrow's email.
Cheers,
Joel Widmer
P.S. Don't forget to download your Content Funnel Cheat Sheet!