The Dance From Prospect To Customer

In this article, Progress digital experience thought leader Gregg Shupe discusses the complex journey that is turning a prospect into a paying company and how having the right tools can assist.

What’s the best way to turn a prospect into a customer?

Digital marketers are bombarded with hundreds of different data points which can theoretically be used to gauge the potential interest of a user in a product or service.

The challenge now lies in identifying which indicators to pay attention to and which to ignore, as well as placing the right customers into the appropriate conversion filters.

This is what optimises the chance of turning a tyre-kicking prospect into a satisfied customer.

But it isn’t that simple. Markets are overcrowded and increasingly complex.

Marketers need the right tools to push their leads ‘down the funnel’, and it starts with content management.

A simple approach

Progress’s unique Web Content Management system Sitefinity allows marketers to optimise their databases through a centralised and dynamic digital platform.

It’s a system that puts its fundamental purpose to the fore – simplified management of web content.

In the journey of turning a prospect into a customer, marketers need to be able to firstly ensure they can keep their house in order, so to speak.

There’s nothing worse than setting out on a campaign only to be held up by an overly complicated interface and systems that just don’t work.

With Sitefinity, users can easily edit, publish and even translate their content from a multi-site and multi-channel platform.

For those managing a large number of web pages, Sitefinity enables simultaneous updates and as a result, seamless brand continuity.

At Progress, we work to create systems that strike the balance between being easy to use for the customer yet sophisticated enough to deliver results.

Sitefinity helps navigate this dichotomy by creating a user-friendly experience through its clean and simple interface, while also being developer-friendly in its multi-layered architecture, designed to supported extensibility.

Is loyalty dead?

It is sometimes suggested the notion of customer loyalty is fading. I don’t believe this is true.

Customers are still loyal, but the loyalty is now tied to the experience, as opposed to the brand or the product.

Digital experiences are built around the hundreds of touchpoints available, each one representing a new point of interaction between brands and customers.

The better the digital experience you provide a customer, the more likely you are to succeed. And with that, the more likely a customer is to return.

Sitefinity gives marketers the platform to manage each of these critical touchpoints in a user-friendly manner, thus giving the framework to maximise a customer experience.

The P-Word

They say content is king. But if you’re only putting out standardised and bland content to audiences, you risk wasting your time and the attention of your would-be customers.

When it comes to engaging with potential customers, we now know it’s all about personalisation.

But personalisation doesn’t just happen, it is a complex system that builds upon algorithms, data and a touch of creativity to deliver direct messaging and specific calls to action.

With Sitefinity, you are able to deliver different versions of content, page assets and pages to different audiences, through accessing user segments.

Segments can be created around factors like audience behaviour, demographics or phase in customer journey.

Personalisation can then be as simple as modifying local content for users based on their geographic location or as complex as combining different dynamic widgets on a single page.

It is widely-believed personalisation requires the collection of Personal Identifiable Information. This isn’t the case.

Personalisation starts at a much broader level. It is initially about identifying things like user activity, demographic and geographic location.

Even with this approach, it is still possible to create a targeted and personalised campaign, without the need to use overly complex systems.

Either way, you are able to amplify the message you are delivering to the prospect by engaging directly.

It is this directedness which can be the first step in a customer relationship.

With customers now so spoiled for choice, the smallest things can make the largest difference. It is important to remember this when thinking about personalisation – never underestimate its value.

To find out more, visit the Progress Sitefinity website or request a demo to see how Sitefinity can meet for your needs.