We all know designers and developers who have lost clients for one reason or another after a long term relationship. In fact, the odds are good that it’s happened to you in the course of your work. Separation from clients happens for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the client’s needs change. Sometimes your business model changes. Sometimes the client simply closes their business or gets acquired.
But one all-too-common reason that digital professionals lose work with long-term clients comes down to a failure to deliver on what the client expects. What used to be “good enough,” like a professional and secure website, is now simply table stakes in the digital world. Clients seek conversions. They seek provable returns on investment. And they expect the agility to keep up with their competitors in today’s business landscape. And while no one ever wants to admit that they’ve done a poor job in serving their clients, the reality is that sometimes that is exactly what happens. If you aren’t adapting to the times and incorporating new tools then you may well be on the short end of a client conversation…and that’s if such a conversation hasn’t happened already.
Finding ways to drive more conversions for your clients
Competition online is fierce, and agencies that can’t help drive positive outcomes are quickly becoming obsolete. Gone are the days where updating plugins and sending over the occasional Google Analytics snapshot will satisfy business clients. Your agency has to be active in the lower half of the funnel as well: driving leads and sales. And if you can’t prove that you’re part of that solution, then you run the risk of being replaced by someone that can.
So what’s the best way to move from maintenance and upkeep to providing business-oriented solutions to your clients? Believe it or not, making this transition or adding more services to your portfolio has never been easier. The last couple of years have seen a rise in new tools designed to convert website visitors into leads. Here are three of our favorites:
On-site Chatbots – Companies like LiveChat, Apex Chat, and NGAGE offer front of site chat technology that greets visitors and provides useful information as they browse the site. Statistics show that 92% of visitors to a business website will never return and never contact the business for service. While the internet is full of “window shoppers” it can’t be missed that most visitors come to the site with a purpose. Letting more than nine out of ten leave without any form of connection is a wasted opportunity.
Upside: With on-site chat technology your client can start delivering excellent service and building a relationship with a visitor as they make their purchasing decision, not just after they’ve already done so.
Downside: Someone has to be answering the chats from the client side. Services like Apex and NGAGE offer chat agents but depending on your client’s needs that can be an additive and variable cost.
Facebook Chatbots – Melding the on-site chatbot experience with artificial intelligence, Facebook chatbots can be built to answer simple questions automatically and provide information to visitors of your client’s website as well as your client’s Facebook page. Even better, once a client interacts with the chatbot you can continue to use that connection to push them messages through Facebook Messenger.
Upside: AI-powered technology means you don’t need humans answering chat inquiries. Additionally, once the chatbot is engaged then the communication can continue with the visitor, allowing your client to push messages and promos directly to them
Downside: The AI that powers Facebook chatbots remains somewhat limited. Complex queries and questions aren’t always answered which can lead to a frustrating experience for the site visitor.
Direct Lead Collection – Products like LeadLander work behind the scenes to collect information about potential leads as they visit the site. Instead of creating an immediate interaction as with a chat bot, LeadLander works to understand who is visiting the site and what their intent is. From there, you (or your client) has not only a data set to understand who is visiting the site and how they are behaving, but you also have context with which to proceed. With this data your client can work with the most promising leads in the most productive way to create opportunities and close the sale.
Upside: LeadLander provides the most accurate and applicable information regarding site visitors, helping your client recognize the best opportunities and understand visitor behavior and intent.
Downside: Without a proper sales process or follow-up strategy, having leads delivered to your inbox from LeadLander won’t necessarily lead to more customers and revenue.
Conclusion
Whereas in the past it was good enough to measure traffic and generally correlate that traffic to sales, analytics and tools alike are now much more advanced. As a result, expectations have changed for both web professionals and their clients. Clients no longer want to hear that traffic has increased or bounce rates have decreased. That simply isn’t enough. By implementing a tool like one of those listed above you can provide a plug-and-play solution that drives the outcome your clients seek. If you’re offering ongoing services then it is time to stop thinking that you’re in the web development or design space. The world is changing, and you’re also in the business development space now. Helping clients grow their businesses is the aim, and the tools listed above can help put you on the fast track to doing just that.
If you’d like to learn more about how LeadLander can be the tool in your toolbelt that delivers actual leads to your clients, contact us here for a free demo. We would love to show you the most advanced – yet easiest – way to help your clients get the most out of their digital presence.
