How many people visit your website and leave without contacting you? These people are “top-of-the-funnel” visitors that are either just looking or somehow in the wrong place. Did you know that on average, over 85% of website traffic is top-of-the-funnel? That means, you’re likely missing out on way more leads that could turn into customers. Below is a quick 4 step process to help you capture top-of-the-funnel leads on your website.
1. Identify
The first step is to identify who is visiting your website. Look at your analytics, signups and lead conversions over the last few months (look at the previous year if you want to be really exhaustive). Group people into top, middle and bottom of the funnel. In other words, people just looking, actively interested and ready to buy. Create buyer personas around these people so you can better understand their needs, wants and pain points.
2. Plan
Now that you’ve identified who is visiting your website, it’s time to create a plan for meeting their needs. Traditionally, top-of-the-funnel traffic is doing research or lightly testing the waters. You’ll want to provide them with some kind of offer (free ebook, blog post, whitepaper) that will wet their appetite. After you create the offer, make sure to capture an email (at minimum) so you can nurture the lead later down the road.
3. Test
Now it’s time to test. We recommend setting up 2 offers (for a/b split testing) so you can see what works better. You can test them simultaneously or separately. You’ll want to track information capture in relation to your existing analytics so you can set benchmarks. After a few weeks or months of testing, you’ll have a better idea of what works and what doesn’t. When testing your offers, make sure to setup thank you pages and automated email follow-ups.
4. Nurture
Now that you’re starting to fill up your database with top-of-the-funnel leads, you’ll want to make sure you nurture them throughout the funnel. The goal is to continue providing them with resources and information until they become “sales-ready”. A great way to nurture these leads is through email. You can send them new resources, tips & tricks and anything else that might be relevant and helpful.