You might be doing a fantastic job of getting your business noticed. You're posting regularly on social media, sharing useful information, building connections and genuinely making an effort to get your name out there.
But what happens when someone decides they'd actually like to work with you?
Can they easily find out what you offer? Do they know how to get started? And more importantly, do they feel confident enough to take that next step?
It's worth looking at occasionally, because we can become so focused on getting people to notice our businesses that we forget to consider what happens once they do.
And sometimes, a few relatively small changes can make a big difference.
Do people actually know what you do?
This might sound like a silly question, especially if you've been running your business for years.
But think about how often you explain your services online.
You might often share helpful advice, industry news, behind-the-scenes updates or examples of your work. All of that can be valuable content, but it doesn't always mean people understand exactly how they can work with you or how you can help them.
I know a few businesses where I know the person, enjoy their content and have a reasonable idea of their area of expertise, but couldn't confidently tell someone what services they actually offer.
And I'm sure there are people who follow Nota Bene who know I work in digital marketing but couldn't tell you everything I can help THEM with either.
It's easy to assume people know.
But they probably don't.
That doesn't mean every second post needs to be a sales pitch. Please no! But explaining your services, who they're designed for and what problems they help solve should be a regular part of your content.
You might introduce a particular service, explain what happens during a consultation, share an example of a project or answer a question you frequently receive.
The aim is to help people recognise when they might need you, and understand what they can expect if they get in touch.
Is the next step obvious?
Imagine you've been following a business for a while and decide you're interested in working with them.
What do you do next?
Some businesses have a clear booking link. Others ask you to complete an enquiry form, send an email or give them a call.
There's no single approach that works for everyone, and the right process will depend on the type of business and service you're offering.
But whatever that process looks like, it should be easy to understand.
If someone has to hunt through your social media profiles, search your website and eventually send a message asking how to get started, you're making things harder than they need to be.
And while a genuinely interested person might persevere, someone who's still weighing up their options will probably just move on if it’s too hard.
Have a look at your business from the perspective of someone who doesn't know you.
If they landed on your LinkedIn profile, Instagram account or Pinterest content today, would they know where to go next?
And once they got there, would it be obvious what they needed to do?
Answer the questions people have, before they ask them
When someone is considering working with a business, they usually have questions.
How does the process work? What will they need to provide? How long does it take? Is the service suitable for their situation? What happens after they make an enquiry?
Depending on your business, they might also want to know about pricing, availability, locations or what a particular service includes.
You probably answer many of these questions regularly in emails, phone calls and meetings.
Which means you've already got a pretty good source of content ideas.
For example, a business consultant could explain what happens during an initial strategy session. A photographer might share how clients prepare for a shoot. A tradesperson could outline the steps between requesting a quote and having the work completed.
This kind of content is useful because it helps people understand what they're getting into.
It also gives you an opportunity to explain the value of your work, rather than expecting someone to make a decision based on a brief service description.
And if the same questions keep coming up, that's often a sign the answers could be easier to find.
Not everyone is ready to work with you yet
This is something we often forget.
Just because someone has discovered your business doesn't mean they're ready to buy.
They might be researching their options, waiting for the right time, saving for a project or simply becoming familiar with what you do.
And that's normal.
Think about your own buying decisions. There are probably businesses you've followed for months, maybe even years, before eventually making an enquiry or purchasing something.
Your online presence should make room for those people too.
Social media gives them an opportunity to stay connected and get to know your business. Blogs can help them explore topics in more detail. Pinterest can introduce your content to people who are actively searching for ideas or information. And email marketing gives you a way to keep in touch with people who've chosen to hear from you.
These channels can all play different roles, but together they help people become familiar with your business over time.
The important thing is to make it easy for someone to stay connected without feeling pressured to make a decision before they're ready.
An invitation to join your email list, download a useful resource or follow your business might be a more appropriate next step than asking everyone to book a call.
And when they are ready, they'll hopefully already have a pretty good understanding of who you are and what you offer.
What happens after someone gets in touch?
You've attracted someone's attention, helped them understand your services and encouraged them to make an enquiry.
Excellent.
Now what?
How quickly do they hear back? Do they receive confirmation that their enquiry has been received? Do they know what happens next?
This part of the process is easy to overlook when you're concentrating on marketing, but it's an important part of the overall experience.
If someone fills out a form and hears nothing for several days, they may wonder whether their message arrived. If they receive a response but aren't sure what they're supposed to do next, the conversation can lose momentum.
You don't need an elaborate automated system to make this work.
Sometimes a simple acknowledgement, a clear explanation of the next step and a realistic timeframe for getting back to someone are all that's required.
And if you're going to be unavailable for a while, let people know.
Good communication shouldn't suddenly stop when someone moves from being a follower to becoming a potential customer.
Try looking at your business through someone else's eyes
Here's a little exercise you can do.
Pretend you've just discovered your business for the first time.
Start with whichever platform people are most likely to find you on. That might be LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or somewhere else entirely.
Then see whether you can answer these questions:
What does this business actually offer?
Who are its services or products for?
Why might I choose this business over another?
What can I expect if I decide to work with them?
How do I get started?
What can I do if I'm interested but not ready to enquire yet?
You might find the answers are all there and easy to locate.
Or you might discover that some of the things you take for granted aren't nearly as obvious to someone who doesn't already know your business.
It's worth asking someone else to try the exercise too. Preferably someone who isn't involved in your business and won't automatically know where to look.
You might be surprised by what they notice.
Make it easier for the right people to say yes
There's a lot of discussion about reaching more people, increasing engagement and growing audiences.
And those things can certainly have their place.
But before putting more time and money into attracting attention, it's worth making sure you're doing everything you reasonably can to help interested people take the next step.
Sometimes that means explaining your services more clearly. Sometimes it's sharing more examples of your work, answering common questions or making your enquiry process easier to follow.
And sometimes it's simply remembering that people need to hear about what you offer more than once.
You don't need to turn every piece of content into a sales pitch.
But you do need to give people opportunities to become customers.
After all, that's one of the reasons you're putting time into marketing your business in the first place.
Could your online presence be working harder for your business?
At Nota Bene, I help businesses look at the bigger picture of their online presence, from the content they're sharing to the platforms they're using and how it all supports their business goals.
That might involve developing a content strategy, improving how your services are communicated, planning your social media and email marketing, or taking care of the ongoing content creation and management.
If you're putting loads of effort into being visible online but aren't sure whether it's helping you attract the right enquiries, I'd love to have a chat.