I really don’t know much about baseball, but one thing I realize is that every run on the scoreboard doesn’t come from a home run. Home runs are great and should be pursued, but a successful baseball offense needs to be built around base hits. It’s the same way in marketing online.
Always Be Closing
As Vin Diesel reminds us in Boiler Room, you must always be closing (ABC) – “telling isn’t selling”. In web marketing we would typically call this a Call to Action (often referred to as a CTA). On any page of your website you want to be thinking in terms of what you want the user to do on that page. There often should be a clear call to action button guiding the user in that direction.
The Sales Funnel and Base Hits
Let’s say you manage a website for your insurance company. Most likely for you a home run action would be for the user to to complete a quote request – which is great and you should direct the user to do this. But if this is the only option for the user you are probably missing out on 90% of the leads which you could be getting. Instead, provide a benefit to the user which may convert at a higher percentage. The options are endless, but could include.
- Have an insurance question? Ask us on Twitter (then link to your Twitter profile)
- Learn the 3 Easy Steps to Reducing Your Monthly Premium (link to your special content and ask the user for their email address to download)
For most business models, the offline sales funnel is not just one step. It’s multiple steps where you intentionally guide the customer along the funnel to the sale. These small steps (base hits) are just as important online for the user and can make a big difference on the bottom line.
Key Takeaway
In any marketing channel which you are participating in (website, Facebook, Twitter, etc) always ask yourself:
- What action do I want the user to take?
- Have I given the user an easy base hit option, or do I have to get a home run to win?
- What benefit does the user have to take this action? Am I framing the action from this benefit perspective?
