Content Marketing
What Are Customers Looking for at the Bottom of the Funnel?

What Are Customers Looking for at the Bottom of the Funnel?

June 29, 2016
4 min read

At the bottom of the marketing funnel, your leads start taking a hard look at a very specific set of questions and concerns. In order to convert, those questions need to be addressed – and addressed quickly.

Because of this, it’s important to plan out a strategy for addressing those needs at the bottom of the funnel. You’ll want a plan of action that helps you move those low funnel leads right on through to the customer side.

So what are customers looking for at the bottom of the funnel, you might be wondering? In this post, we’ll cover five key areas that address their common questions and concerns.

1. Social Proof That Addresses Their Concerns

Low in the funnel, your leads want clear evidence that proves you can deliver on the things you promise. And they want to hear that from someone other than you. Enter social proof.

Increasingly, review sites like G2 Crowd are becoming more and more browsed and relied upon for low-funnel leads. This gives them the general experience of current or past customers. Make sure you encourage great customer successes to leave their reviews on these sites.

Other social proof comes in the form of testimonials, case studies, and results produced for clients. They not only provide concrete evidence that you can provide real, tangible value for clients, but it also allows them to see for themselves what past customers have to say about working with you.

Take this example from Super Spicy Media, a social media management company. They leverage social proof in the form of testimonials to show how they addressed customer concerns and produced positive results. Promoting these assets to leads in the bottom of the funnel gives them one more reason to stop worrying and to take action.

2. A Discount or Deal to Overcome Price Objections

For other bottom-of-the-funnel leads, it’s a pricing issue that’s keeping them from converting into a customer. They see the value of what you can provide, but they’re not convinced it’s worth paying the full price tag.

For these customers, a discounted period or free trial can allow them to get hands-on experimentation with your product or service (and to see for themselves the many benefits of your offering.) During this time, customers come to realize the value of the investment in a more long-term relationship with your product.

Unitrends offers cloud-based backup services to enterprise clients, and they use a 30-day free trial to get bottom-of-the-funnel leads interested in using their service for the long-term. Bonus: In collecting form field information up front from mid to low-funnel leads, they ensure they can follow up with them when the time comes and help them convert.

3. Content That Proves Value Within Their Niche

Potential customers also want to know that you can help them address concerns that are unique to their individual niches. For example, a hair salon owner exploring appointment software wants to see some content that indicates other hair salons are successfully using this particular product.

Highly relevant content (again, like a case study or testimonial) that shows similar businesses’  positive experiences are powerful because they are more tailored to the lead’s individual concerns. It’s not a catch-all – it speaks to more specialized needs.

Kissmetrics does a nice job of this in an in-depth case study with a client in the eCommerce world, Ecwid. They show how their services helped a company working with this highly specialized subject matter used their tools to produce amazing results.

4. A Demonstration of Authority & Expertise

It’s always a good idea to remind your bottom-of-the-funnel leads of your authority and expertise, as this drives up your ethos with your audience. It’s a basic principle of Rhetoric: Remind your audience that you’re an expert they can trust with proof they can evaluate for themselves.

So how do you do that? Showcase your awards, achievements, press, and praise in a way that convinces leads to follow through and convert.

Mentalist Vinny DePonto has an entire page on his website that indicates his expertise as a performer, and it includes reviews from respected theater publications, praise from past clients, and more.

5. Quick Follow-Up

Bottom-of-the-funnel leads don’t want to wait around for answers – they need fast responses that address their questions. In fact, data from InfusionSoft shows that If you wait more than 30 minutes, then your lead is 21x less likely to turn into a sale.

Because of this, it’s important to have options like live chat and email support that can help resolve issues for these leads efficiently. Automated emails can also help ensure your potential customers know help is on the way. If someone is having an issue with checkout, your website navigation, etc., these features keep you from losing those leads who are ready to buy.

Nordstrom uses live chat for this very reason. Right from the checkout screen, customers can resolve issues in real time thanks to handy live chat features.

Address the Concerns and Questions of Bottom-of-the-Funnel Leads

Here’s a quick wrap up and review of what you need to remember for your bottom-of-the-funnel leads:

  1. They want to see social proof
  2. Discounts and free trials can help customers see value
  3. Niche-related content drives up relevancy
  4. Authority proves your expertise (and trustworthiness)
  5. Fast answers are essential

If you can do all of these things, you’ll be on the path to converting more low funnel leads into happy, loyal customers for the long-term.

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Michael Brenner

Michael Brenner is an international keynote speaker, author of "Mean People Suck" and "The Content Formula", and Founder of Marketing Insider Group. Recognized as a Top Content Marketing expert and Digital Marketing Leader, Michael leverages his experience from roles in sales and marketing for global brands like SAP and Nielsen, as well as his leadership in leading teams and driving growth for thriving startups. Today, Michael delivers empowering keynotes on marketing and leadership, and facilitates actionable workshops on content marketing strategy. Connect with Michael today.

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