September 20, 2016

Why a Well-Oiled Online-Offline Cycle is Key to Conversion

3 min read

Every action should be executed with a goal in mind. If your action is lead generation, then conversion should be your goal

Databowl

Every action should be executed with a goal in mind. If your action is lead generation, then conversion should be your goal.

You already know that the best way to prepare your leads for conversion is to nurture them through personalised SMS and Email campaigns, and you already know why nurturing your leads in this way has such a powerful effect on conversion. But if you don’t have your end game sorted, then lead nurturing becomes a waste of time.

So what is the best setting in which to convert those leads you’ve been lovingly nurturing since the day they were bought? Well, the majority of conversions happen in an “offline” setting. Let’s take a look at what that means.

Taking Your Data “Offline”

To put it crudely, taking your data “offline” simply means reaching out to your prospects in a way that doesn’t involve the internet. For example, you might export your big list of hot prospects, and then engage them with a direct mail campaign (such as a special offer via post).

There are lots of offline marketing channels. Typically though, if you’re looking to achieve a set of high-priced conversions, then your leads will end up in a contact center, where a trained professional will be able to interpret the information you have gathered about each lead, and then work with your prospects to find the best service or product that matches their interests and income levels, and the best approach to trigger a conversion.

Want the best offline conversions? Watch out for this…

Where “Offline” Conversions Fail

“Offline” conversions have the potential to be the most effective conversions of all. But if you don’t keep your finger on the pulse, they can fail miserably.

In the attention economy of 2016, advertisers don’t always have the time to work out which products to offer which prospects for the highest chance of conversion. Why? Because it requires granular data analysis. For example, if an advertiser is trying to encourage customers to book a test drive, then they are going to need to take the time to work out which car meets the prospect’s wants, needs, and budget. If your conversion agenda is too narrow, then you will lose sales – imagine trying to get all of your prospects to test drive a Ferrari, when in reality, most of them are only 19 years old, and can only afford a Vauxhall Corsa?

As such, it is very important that you have an efficient way of collecting as much detail as possible, and then passing all data along when you take it offline. For example, if you are sending data to a call centre with a view to booking test drives, you will also want to send information such as the budget each prospect has, perhaps their age and occupation, as well as what they want from their future car (e.g. safety, style or fuel efficiency).

With this kind of information, a good call Centre agent will be able to match the appropriate offers to the relevant prospects and smash conversions through the roof. Without it, they will either be wasting valuable conversion time trying to gather the relevant information manually, or simply trying to sell the offers that are never going to convert.

Being able to take personalisation data and pass it on to your offline marketing channels is something you need to master if you want your conversions to improve. A good lead management system will help you do this with very little effort.

Taking Your Data Back Online

It doesn’t just end with successfully transferring all relevant data offline, either. For maximum success, you need to follow a three-point process of Online to Offline to Online.

We’ve covered the Online to Offline aspect, so why take your data back online?

Well, once you have finished your initial conversion wave, you’ll be left with a lot of data that didn’t convert. You would be throwing money away if you packed up at this point – this data can be further nurtured and retargeted in future campaigns! Just because a person doesn’t want your offer right now doesn’t mean they never will, having a system that can specifically take the offline events back online with a follow up action plan based on what has happened.

And it’s not just about converting the unconverted, either. What about upselling opportunities?

Here’s how the cycle works: