You're probably wondering what an online sales silo is and
why you need to create one. In the past, sales and
marketing experts told us to create a sales or marketing
funnel. You dump all of your prospects into a wide funnel
and a few would drop out of the bottom of the funnel that
may turn into customers. The online sales silo takes a
different approach. Using the power of the search engines,
you drop highly targeted prospects into a silo instead of a
funnel. Once they are in the silo, you lead them directly
to the product or service they were searching for and sell
it to them.
Why does the online sales silo work so well? In today's
society we all have the same problems, lack of time and too
much to do. We're unfocused and our attention spans are now
measured in seconds. For example, recent studies show that
when we visit a new website we decide within 3 seconds if
we're going to stay. If the graphics load too slowly, we
don't like the colors or fonts, or if we don't find what
we're looking for in 3 seconds we abandon that website and
move on to the next. We're a society that thrives on
instant gratification because our time is precious and we
have a million other things on our mind.
When you do a Google search you're looking to solve a
problem or you're looking for some form of pleasure or
entertainment. When your prospect has a problem they want
an answer immediately. They type in a keyword phrase and
they land on your webpage where they find your product or
service that solves their problem. They complete their
purchase and it's a win-win for both of you.
Sounds simple doesn't it? Then why doesn't it always work
that way? Because when they type a keyword phrase they're
expecting to land on a webpage that contains those keywords
and a solution to their problem. If they type "lower back
pain" in Google, they want to land on a webpage that offers
a solution to their lower back pain. If they land on a
chiropractor's home page with beautiful colors, holistic
music playing in the background and a picture of him
holding a model spine, they get frustrated and click away.
When someone searches for "lower back pain" their back
hurts and they want to land on a webpage that tells them
how they get rid of their "lower back pain". They don't
care what's causing it and how qualified the chiropractor
is. They want their "lower back pain" to disappear now!
When you create an online sales silo you create a process
that will take them by the hand and lead them directly to
what they're looking for. Imagine walking into WalMart and
the greeter asks you what you're looking for. You say
you're looking for a new pair of running shoes and he takes
you by the hand and takes you right to the running shoes.
He doesn't' take you near the shoe section. He doesn't take
you to the dress shoes or the casual shoes. He takes you
right to the running shoes. No distractions. No confusion.
Instant gratification.
Turning your website into an online sales silo is a simple
process. Using this process will improve your conversion
rate, increase user satisfaction, increase your repeat
visitor rate and improve your bottom line.
Step 1 – Identify what action you want the prospect
to take. Do you want to collect their contact information
so you can contact them? Do you want to sell them a product
on the spot? Determine if your goal is going to be lead
generation or to complete an ecommerce transaction.
Step 2 – Identify the keywords and keyword phrases
that best describe your product or service. Imagine your
prospect searching Google and you want them to land on your
website. What keywords would they type to find you? You can
use keyword research tools like Wordtracker
(freekeywords.wordtracker.com) and Google's keyword tool
(https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal)
Step 3 – Create separate landing pages on your
website for each keyword phrase. This webpage should
contain only information about that particular keyword
phrase. If the keyword phrase is "lower back pain" the
webpage should only contain information about solving lower
back pain. Keep the reader focused on lower back pain and
don't distract them with other services you provide.
The landing page should have a compelling headline that
contains the keyword phrase like "7 Ways to Eliminate Lower
Back Pain Instantly". The search engines like headlines
with keyword phrases. Your content should also contain the
keyword phrase to keep the reader focused on what they're
looking for.
Stay focused on one keyword phrase or topic per webpage. If
you also talk about how you can solve foot pain on the same
page, they'll get distracted and forget about their lower
back pain. Remember to take them by the hand and lead them
directly to the solution their looking for.
Step 4 - Make it easy for them to complete the transaction.
If you're collecting leads then make the contact form short
and easy to complete. Give them a free report, free
consultation or some other compelling reason for them to
you their contact information. If you're selling them
something, make the Buy Now button very clear and visible.
Also make the checkout process very easy to complete.
Step 5 – Give them an easy way to contact you if they
have questions or difficulty on the website. Add your
telephone number and an email address to the landing page
so they can easily contact you.
Step 6 – Add a privacy policy and terms of service
agreement to your website. This adds credibility to your
website and shows the visitor that you are a real company
providing quality products and services.
Step 7 – Follow up the transaction with a series of
emails. The first email should be a "thank you" email with
the details of the transaction. Thank them for signing up
for your newsletter and tell them how to download their
free report. If they purchased a product, thank them for
their purchase and give them some tips how they can best
use the product. Follow up with an email every other day
for a week giving them more information about your products
and services, and always direct them to your website for
more information.
That's how to create your online sales silo. Remember to
keep the website visitor focused on one topic and only one
topic and you'll see your conversion rate soar!
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Ted Prodromou is an Internet Business Consultant and has
been working with the internet since 1991, long before Al
Gore invented it. Ted helps you get more web traffic and
earn more money online. Download his latest report, How To
Maximize Your Website ROI at
http://netbizexpert.com/roi.html
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