Marketing automation: simple tools for converting more leads to members

Marketing automation is a way of letting someone (or rather, something) do the work for you. After plugging in contacts, automation systems take your leads through a sales and marketing process. It's all about contacting the right leads at the right time with the right content.Gathering leads is one thing, but converting your leads into paying customers is an entirely different ballpark. That's where marketing automation tools assist you. No lengthy CMS updates, no confusing systems written in Excel. With the help of technology and online tools, you can ease the transition from lead to customer in no time. Below are four technology-based tools and techniques that you can use to show (not tell) leads that your business is worth investing in.

Automated lead nurturing

Lead nurturing is the process of pushing your leads through the sales funnel with the ultimate goal of converting them to sales. Lead nurturing generally involves sending a flow of emails to leads with a variety of content depending on where they are in the sales process. When you automate your lead nurturing, you can make sure that your leads are getting the right content at the right time. A lot of CRMs have automated marketing tools built into their interface, or there are specific email automation companies like MailChimp and Drip that can save you time and energy. For instance, if you are a gym owner automating your lead generation process is a crucial part of your gym digital marketing strategy.

Create an effective and easy to use website

Well-designed websites are a game changer when it comes to transitioning leads to customers. According to research from Stanford University, 46.1% of people say a website’s design is the top criteria for deciding if a company is credible or not. So it’s extremely important that your design looks professional. Other studies state that if your website is unattractive, 38% of people will leave your site altogether. Below are a few tips you can use to create a more effective website:

• Hick’s law, providing fewer choices leads to higher conversion
• Always put your call to action button above the fold
• Focus on the psychology of color to elicit specific responses from your visitors

Use a lead scoring system

Lead scoring systems is a strategy you can use to help transition your leads to customers. This strategy can help you quantify and scale your targeting requirements. With lead scoring assigns each lead a numerical value based on firmographics data acquired during lead capture (department, role, company size), as well as actions a lead has taken (browsing behavior, email engagement, downloads, social media shares). Once a lead has achieved a certain score number, they are considered "qualified" and continue down your sales funnel. A lot of people are hesitant when it comes to lead scoring, saying it can contribute to a decrease in your number of leads. However, lead scoring helps you sift through your leads and pick out only the most qualified. This leads you and your fitness studio to a higher conversion rate. 68% of people that use lead scoring says it has improved their programs’ revenue contribution.

Capture payment info upfront

Transitioning leads to customers can be a lengthy and often difficult process. One way you can shorten this transition period and quickening the signup process is by focusing on capturing your leads’ payment information upfront. With software like Hapana, you can easily collect payment from your members with their direct point of sale. Making it simple for leads to sign up and put in payment information reduces wait time for the sale.Easily create membership packages with automated billing and allocate sessions to clients for specific services. Allow your leads to use a specific number of session credits when booking and paying for classes, and send them a push notification if a payment fails, is automatically taken out, or a subscription expires.

Offer perks that will make your leads’ lives easier

Most of your leads have already shown interest in your business by signing up for your offer, which means that all you need to do is set yourself apart from other businesses vying for their time. By showing your leads how your business fits into their busy lives with easy to use online tools, you can ease their transition into a customer. OneFitStop, along with offering upfront payment options, also offers technology tools that can make your leads’ lives easier such as:

• All-in-one fitness tracking platform
• Simple online booking
• Ability to send clients homework
• Up-front payment

By offering your leads perks that make their lives easier and ones that other fitness studios don’t have, you can boost your conversion rate.Technology is a great tool when it comes to transitioning your leads into full-blown customers. Whether you’re using an automated lead nurturing tool, trying out lead scoring, or focusing on how you can make your leads’ lives easier, there’s a great tool out there for every part of your business.