The mightiest oak was once a little nut that stood its ground.
You might have seen that quote before, courtesy of your Facebook friend who likes to share inspirational memes.
It’s a good message to keep in mind when thinking about inbound marketing for manufacturers: the smallest action taken by one of your prospects could have mighty results.
We call these actions “micro conversions.” The term describes a scenario where a prospect does something that shows interest in a company, although not to the point that the prospect is ready to be considered a sales lead.
Here are five kinds of micro conversions companies should watch out for.
Prospects Who View Your Content
Prospects at the beginning of their search can learn tidbits about your company through the content you create, whether it’s through a well-written blog post or an engaging video.
This kind of content can establish you as an expert in your field, and show potential customers you’d be able to solve their problems.
It’s always a good sign to know potential customers are watching your videos and reading your blogs – or better yet, sharing them. Even if you haven’t gotten contact information from them, you can find out what kind of content is getting the most views and adjust your marketing accordingly.
Prospects Who Download Your Content
While it’s important to use inbound marketing tools such a social media and blog posts to tell your company’s story, there are times where you might need to go a little deeper.
E-books, white papers and other in-depth downloadable content can give your prospects plenty of helpful information about who you are and what you do.
And in exchange for this valuable info, visitors will be glad to share some info of their own. When they download your files, have them fill out a form. Nothing too elaborate, just name, e-mail and their company. You’re not out to make a sale just yet. You do want to keep in touch, so it may be a good idea to email them to thank them for downloading your guide.
Prospects Who Subscribe to Your Emails
Think about how many times you’ve hit “unsubscribe” at the bottom of a company’s weekly/monthly e-mails.
Giving your e-mail address to a company – and then sticking with them – is a big deal. It means that what they send out each day matters to the people getting it.
By subscribing to your e-mails, potential customers are showing that what you have to say matters to – or at least interests – them. Reward their commitment by sending them relevant blog posts and new downloadable content. Don’t bombard them with constant messages.
Prospects Who OPEN Your Emails
You have prospects reading your shorter content and downloading your longer form work, and you’ve been following up with them via e-mail.
What’s the next step?
Marketing automation softwares can help you see how your emails are doing. Did the prospect read the e-mail? Follow a link? Or did she just send it to the trash?
Knowing the answers to those questions helps you not only determine whether a prospect is interested, it also helps you understand how effective your emails are. If you see a bunch of your messages sitting unopened, it may be time to try new subject lines.
Prospects Who View Your Products
It’s pretty simple: If someone is viewing your products online, chances are they’re very close to becoming a sales lead.
These views are another type of micro conversion, one that can tell you about how effective your efforts are. If you’re seeing a lot of page views but not as many website leads, ask yourself whether you’ve made the next steps – calls to action, contact forms – easy to navigate.
The rule is the same for every type of micro conversion: move prospects to the next step as seamlessly as possible. By focusing on these micro conversions, you can make a larger conversion – from prospect to customer – down the road.
Micro conversions are small actions taken by prospects, but they’re a great way to spot larger trends in how people respond to your marketing.
