However, many business owners overlook the power of the marketing funnel and fail to use it to its full potential. Each stage of the funnel plays a vital role in the marketing process and, when used effectively, can be especially beneficial for local businesses. 

According to KhrisDigital, “95% of buyers choose a vendor who provides them with sufficient content which helps them navigate each stage of the buying process.” 

We’ve already covered the top-of-funnel (TOFU) and middle-of-funnel (MOFU) stages of the marketing funnel, and will now complete the series by discussing the final step, bottom-of-funnel marketing (BOFU). This stage is focused on converting prospects into customers and represents the culmination of a well-rounded advertising strategy designed to increase revenue and strengthen your brand.

Before diving into specific strategies for this stage, let’s first clarify exactly what BOFU marketing is.

What is BOFU Marketing?

Unlike the TOFU and MOFU stages of the marketing funnel, which focus on attracting prospects and educating them about your business’s offerings, BOFU marketing is designed to push potential customers toward making a purchase.

This stage involves content that is much more direct than the previous stages and is measured primarily by its conversion rate, which is why it’s often alternatively referred to as the “convert” stage. At this point, the prospect is presumably ready to buy; they just need a final nudge to take action.

Many local business owners find this stage comes naturally, especially if they have experience in sales. However, they may not be maximizing its potential. Others may be unaware of its significance in the overall process, resulting in missed sales opportunities.

Regardless of your level of sales experience, it’s important to understand the primary goals of this stage before exploring deployment strategies. As mentioned, the main objective is to convert leads into customers.

Several secondary goals support this objective. One is to demonstrate that your products or services outperform the competition. This typically involves addressing common objections related to budget, reliability, and trustworthiness.

This leads to another goal, which is to increase the confidence of prospective customers. If they haven’t purchased yet, it likely means they’re lacking the assurance needed to move forward.

Finally, BOFU is also an opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of not just your bottom-of-funnel efforts, but your TOFU and MOFU strategies as well. If your conversion rate isn’t meeting expectations, it may be time to reassess each stage to identify where your funnel is falling short.

Now that we’ve clarified the importance and purpose of the BOFU stage, let’s dive into some strategies that can help you boost sales.

Strategies

There are seemingly endless methods to complete the marketing funnel. Every local business is different, meaning some methods may perform better than others. It’s essential to experiment with multiple tactics to determine what works best for your business, including strategies not listed here. Still, here are 10 effective approaches to help you launch your BOFU marketing campaigns.

Promo Codes, Discounts, and Limited-Time Offers

Every consumer is looking to make the most of their budget, and offering a deal can give your business a competitive edge. These offers work well in various marketing materials but are especially effective in email campaigns and in-store promotions. Limited-time deals create urgency, encouraging quick decisions. At this stage, customers already understand your value, so a small discount might be the final push they need to convert.

Personalized Email Campaigns

It’s well known that email marketing is among the easiest and most affordable ways of advertising for local businesses, but did you know that 59% of marketing professionals believe personalization is among the best ways to increase email engagement, according to Mailjet? By using data gathered from consumer behavior and interactions, you can greatly improve the effectiveness of your email campaigns by tailoring products and services to their preferences. Another impactful tool is sending cart abandonment emails. Data collected by Baymard Institute found that ~70% of online shopping carts are abandoned, so addressing this can rapidly increase sales.

Testimonials and Case Studies

If a lack of trust is holding a customer back, testimonials and case studies can help build credibility. Wyzowl discovered that 90% of consumers trust customer opinions more than a company’s self-promotion. Testimonials can be placed across your website and nearly any marketing material, while case studies work well in email campaigns and newsletters. 

Retargeted Advertisements

Display ads and social media campaigns are effective at all funnel stages. Retargeting these ads to people who have already visited your website or interacted with your brand helps keep your business top of mind. This approach maximizes your marketing spend and becomes even more effective when paired with a discount or special offer.

Trust Badges

Another tactic that can appear at any point in the funnel, trust badges provide similar value to testimonials and case studies. These badges can include awards you’ve won, your average star rating from review sites, and companies you’ve partnered with. These visual cues show consumers that your business is reputable, helping increase confidence during the buying decision.

Free Trials and Demonstrations

Confidence is key at this stage of the marketing funnel, and offering potential customers the chance to use your products or services for free or see them in action before making a purchase is a great way to build that confidence. Be clear that trials are obligation-free to ease concerns. Demonstrations are great for overcoming objections by showing exactly how your product or service addresses customer pain points.

Customer Support

While some local businesses may not have sufficient resources to employ a customer support team, it’s still a highly effective tactic that can be adapted for any budget. Whether via phone, email, or live chat, personalized assistance helps resolve last-minute objections. According to Tideo, live chat is preferred by 41% of customers, compared to 32% who prefer phone calls and 23% who prefer email. Additionally, 63% are more likely to purchase from a website that uses live chat widgets. There are free tools available to implement chat widgets, making this a worthwhile strategy for any business.

Checkout Page Reviews

For businesses that rely on online sales, displaying reviews on the checkout page is a simple and persuasive tactic. Reviews help build trust and can also address unanswered objections, providing the reassurance needed to finalize a purchase.

Pricing Page Optimization

Optimizing your pricing page can include several elements previously mentioned, such as free trials, live chat, and reviews. It should be as transparent as possible so the user can make an informed decision without navigating off the page. This can also be an opportunity to perform A/B testing with different designs and messaging to see what users respond to best.

Product Comparisons

This is one of the most aggressive strategies at this stage of the funnel. It directly compares your offerings to a competitor or a generic brand, proving where your business exceeds theirs. Be careful not to create a negative image around your brand by disparaging your competitors. Instead, focus on where your brand excels, such as features, price, and service.

General Tips

No matter how you approach the bottom of the marketing funnel, there are four essential best practices that will help maximize its effectiveness.

Identify Audience

The BOFU stage is designed to push interested and informed prospects toward making a purchase. That’s why it’s critical to ensure your messaging targets the right audience. Using BOFU strategies on individuals who aren’t ready can be off-putting and may drive them away. By tracking interactions on your website, social media, and other advertising channels, you can better identify those who are ready to purchase, ultimately helping you get the most from your marketing budget.

Utilize Multiple Strategies

Each BOFU strategy appeals to different types of consumers. Using a diverse mix allows you to reach a wider audience. Relying on only one or two tactics or limiting your use of marketing channels can restrict your results and lead to missed opportunities. This principle applies to every stage of the funnel, but is especially crucial at the bottom. You’ve already done the work to get leads this far, so now the goal is to get them across the finish line, and different people are persuaded in different ways.

Conduct A/B Testing

A/B testing is key to maximizing both your budget and campaign performance. Testing elements like layout, design, copy, and calls to action can uncover what resonates best with your audience. These insights can boost revenue without requiring additional ad spend and help you avoid the time sink of constant guesswork.

Conversion Rate Optimization

At the end of the day, conversion rates are what matter most to local business owners. CRO involves analyzing your campaign performance and identifying where leads are being lost. By making data-driven adjustments, you can continually fine-tune your approach to boost results. Since the marketing landscape is always evolving, staying current and adaptable is essential for long-term success.

Find Out How Best Version Media Can Help

A comprehensive marketing strategy can be challenging for many local business owners who are focused on the day-to-day operations of their business. Best Version Media makes it easier by bundling geo-targeted social media and display ad campaigns that help you maximize your budget while reaching the right audience.

BVM also provides listings, reviews, and reputation management, all from one easy-to-use dashboard, allowing you to efficiently manage every aspect of your marketing efforts.

Contact BVM today to get started and elevate your brand.

The post 10 BOFU Marketing Strategies Every Local Business Should Be Using appeared first on Best Version Media.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s an impossible task. There are several methods that local businesses can use to drive sales, and it all starts at the top of the marketing funnel. 

What Is a Marketing Funnel?

A marketing funnel is a visual representation of the stages that potential customers go through before making a purchase. It serves as a guide for marketing teams to generate leads through content and lead individuals through the buying process.

The funnel consists of three stages: top-of-funnel (TOFU), middle-of-funnel (MOFU), and bottom-of-funnel (BOFU). While all stages are vital to the process, this blog will focus on the first stage, as it’s the starting point for new customers to find and interact with your business. According to HubSpot, “At least 47% of buyers view three to five pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep, and most expect brands to create content to gain their interest.”

TOFU content intends to address that and build awareness among potential customers. You’re not selling anything yet; instead, you’re simply increasing brand recognition by creating content that engages and informs while improving search engine optimization (SEO).

This means it’s essential that the content demonstrates your expertise and authority in your industry, ultimately encouraging individuals to move further along the funnel. There are several ways to achieve this, and some ways will work better than others depending on your marketing goals, target audience, and other factors.

To help you get started with your marketing funnel, here are 10 effective TOFU tactics that local businesses can use to attract interest and drive sales.

Tactics

1. Content Marketing

Content marketing is valuable at every stage of the funnel, but it’s especially crucial at the top. Its greatest strength is its ability to adapt to any audience and for any objective, whether it’s addressing pain points, explaining your products or services, or showcasing your general expertise. Content marketing can take many forms, including blogs, infographics, videos, case studies, and more.

2. Social Media

Social media advertising offers a variety of platforms and marketing strategies to choose from. The platforms you choose typically depend on your target audience. For example, Facebook tends to attract an older demographic, while Instagram appeals more to younger users. Your content strategy will also vary based on your audience. Creating eye-catching graphics, hosting giveaways, and running contests are just a few effective ways to use social media at the top of the funnel.

3. Search Engine Optimization

When someone searches online for the products or services you offer, you want your business to appear as early as possible in the results. HubSpot reports that 75% of search engine users never scroll past the first page of results, and 61% click on one of the top three results. To improve your ranking, include common keywords and phrases on your website that your target audience is likely to search for. This strategy often overlaps with content marketing, as blogs, infographics, and similar content can help boost SEO. If you’re new to your industry or community and find it difficult to compete with established businesses in the surrounding area, consider targeting secondary markets with your keywords and phrases.

4. Display Ads

Display advertising is highly effective for local businesses for multiple reasons. One of the biggest advantages is the ability to target internet users based on geographic location. You can customize your targeting to reach only the areas you serve, and your ads can appear across nearly every website your local audience visits. Display ads also allow for creative freedom, as they can achieve many goals and have several different placements on websites.

5. Testimonials

If you’re trying to establish credibility with someone unfamiliar with your business, testimonials are one of the most effective ways to do so. Research from Wyzowl shows that “9 out of 10 people say they trust what a customer says about a business more than what that business says about itself.” Testimonials can be collected and displayed in various ways, and experimenting will help you determine what works best for your business. Common sources include reviews on listing sites and social media pages, which are often unsolicited and perceived as more authentic.

6. Direct Mail

While it may seem outdated in today’s digital age, direct mail can still produce impactful results, especially for local businesses. Like display ads, direct mail can target specific audiences and often feels more personal than digital marketing. It tends to leave a longer-lasting impression and is far more likely to be read in its entirety. It also offers more space for detailed and visually appealing designs compared to limited online ad formats. Local newspapers and magazines are still regularly distributed, helping maintain a strong connection between advertisers and their communities.

7. Referrals

Word-of-mouth marketing is among the oldest forms of advertising, yet it remains one of the most effective. Like testimonials, referrals tend to be more trustworthy than traditional ads. While it’s ideal when satisfied customers voluntarily refer others to your business, you can also encourage referrals with incentives. Offering discounts on future services or bonus credits can build customer loyalty while expanding your reach, without using significant marketing resources.

8. Broadcast Ads

Television, radio, podcasts, and videos are excellent platforms for forming emotional connections with consumers. These formats allow for creative storytelling that appeals to your target audience better than many other advertising options. They also provide the opportunity to be selective with the channels you advertise with, as each platform hosts a variety of shows with a wide range of topics.

9. Sponsorships and Events

Sponsoring or participating in local events is a great way to increase brand awareness and foster a sense of community. Setting up a booth at a fundraiser or festival, or sponsoring a local youth sports team, are just a few examples that have proven to benefit local businesses. These efforts are typically cost-effective and offer face-to-face interaction with potential customers, something digital advertising can’t replicate. 

10. Influencer Marketing

While large corporations have the resources to hire celebrities to endorse their products, local businesses can adopt a similar approach on a smaller scale. Many communities have local influencers with dedicated followings who share content about businesses, events, and news in the area. Collaborating with these influencers can boost your credibility and help you reach audiences you might not have accessed otherwise.

Let Best Version Media Help Boost Your Brand Awareness

You don’t have to increase brand awareness on your own. Best Version Media offers the ability to bundle geo-targeted social media and display ad campaigns, helping you maximize your marketing budget and reach only the audiences most valuable to your business.

In addition, BVM provides listings, reviews, and reputation management, all from one easy-to-use dashboard, so you can efficiently manage every aspect of your advertising without wasting valuable time.
To take the next step in your marketing journey, reach out to BVM today.

The post 10 Top-of-Funnel Tactics for Local Businesses That Actually Attract Leads appeared first on Best Version Media.

That’s why it’s especially essential for local businesses to utilize ad targeting, as they often lack the extensive resources available to large corporations. Every dollar needs to count, and targeted marketing campaigns consistently outperform mass marketing efforts in delivering results.

In fact, the US Data Corporation revealed that targeted ads are twice as effective as generic ones.

However, not every targeted campaign reaches its full potential. Many local business owners fall into the same common traps that lead to wasted time, effort, and money that they simply can’t afford to lose. To help you make the most of your targeted advertising strategies, here are seven mistakes to avoid. But first, let’s define what ad targeting means.

What Is Ad Targeting?

Ad targeting is a marketing strategy that focuses on a specific group of people who are most likely to engage with a business. The goal is to avoid wasting resources on consumers who have little to no interest in a particular product or service.

There are several ways to define a target audience. Demographic factors, such as age, location, and income, are among the most commonly used, but targeting can also consider shopping behaviors, potential challenges, communication preferences, and personal priorities.

This information will vary between businesses depending on their goals and values, but the objective remains the same, and that’s to place the business and its offerings in front of the most valuable audience.

It’s an incredibly effective strategy that every local business should embrace, but be sure to steer clear of these frequent mistakes.

1. Broad Targeting

Broad targeting occurs when the targeted audience isn’t well defined. If an ad reaches beyond the population who is most likely to be interested in a business’s offerings, the message of the ad often fails to resonate, and it will result in lost ad dollars.

For example, if a beauty salon targets only individuals aged 18-29 but doesn’t refine any other criteria, their ads are likely to be shown to many people who aren’t likely to engage, such as men or those who live outside the local community.

Even if you believe the products and services your local business offers appeal to everyone, it’s still best practice to identify the most responsive audience and focus your marketing efforts towards that group. After all, the most effective ads are the ones that feel personalized.

To solve this issue, clearly define the type of consumer you want to attract and build your marketing campaigns around that profile. Just be mindful that it is possible to be too specific.

2. Narrow Targeting

While a broad approach undermines the purpose of ad targeting, narrowing your audience too much can be just as harmful. It creates the opposite problem of broad targeting, which is overlooking those who may be genuinely interested in your business. 

For example, a senior care center that only advertises to individuals over the age of 65 who actively need their services may miss out on slightly younger adults who are beginning to plan for future care needs.

To avoid missing out on valuable opportunities, take the time to evaluate what audience is ideal for you. Don’t fall into the trap that many local businesses do, which is relying on assumptions instead of data when identifying your target customer.

3. Assuming Ideal Audience

If you’ve been running your local business for a long time, chances are you’ve become an expert in your industry and can solve most problems instinctively. While trusting your gut can be an effective method of management, it’s not always foolproof.

It’s especially true when it comes to identifying your ideal audience. While you may have a strong sense of who that is based on daily interactions, more reliable methods exist to take the guesswork out of it.

Utilizing research tools like Google Analytics and others can provide valuable insights about your audience that you may be unaware of. You may discover customer behaviors or influences you hadn’t considered that could be missing from your current marketing strategy. 

These insights can come in several forms, preferred social media platforms, common interests, or behavioral trends. Analytics helps ensure you’re targeting the right audience and tailoring your campaigns based on what resonates most.

4. Popular Targeting

Identifying the most attractive demographic for your business is an important step, but narrowing it down to just one type of customer often misses the mark. This is especially true if you’re not already the leading business in your industry within your area, because the odds are that your top competitors are already targeting the most obvious audiences.

This doesn’t mean you should ignore your ideal demographic, but relying solely on it can limit your results. If you find yourself struggling to keep up with local competitors, it’s worth identifying additional segments within your broader target market to reach with your advertising efforts.

Many successful businesses have adopted this approach. For instance, SpotHero, a premier name in parking services, recognized that many similar businesses were competing to offer the lowest price point for their service. In response, SpotHero pivoted to a secondary market, the average business parker. As a result, they emerged as an industry leader.

If your goal is to attract as many customers as possible and grow your business, this is a great way to do so while making the most of your budget. Eventually, you may even become the leader in your industry and gain access to a broader consumer base.

5. Egocentric Targeting

When creating an advertisement, many local business owners fall into the trap of designing it to appeal to themselves. Some may not even realize they’re doing it, but this mindset can be a tremendous detriment to marketing efforts. 

Even if you’re an expert in your industry, basing your ads solely on what appeals to you can cause you to miss the mark with your target audience. This is another reason why gathering analytical data is crucial to marketing success. It provides genuine insights into what your customers want, rather than what you assume they want.

Egocentric targeting is another strong argument for working with a specialized marketing team. You’ll avoid wasting your ad dollars while developing campaigns that resonate with your target audience, instead of just yourself.

6. Failing to Adapt Targeting Strategies

Maximizing your marketing efforts isn’t just a one-time task. Even if you create an ad that delivers strong results and drives business, that doesn’t mean your work is complete.

Social and market trends as well as customer behaviors and needs are constantly shifting. Keeping up with these changes is a necessity for success, especially for local businesses. It’s vital to regularly review and update your marketing campaigns to evolve with your audience and remain relevant in the space.

This includes monitoring trends, experimenting with new products and features, and exploring new markets. Staying proactive ensures your business never falls behind and continues to attract your ideal customers.

7. One-channel Approach

This is perhaps the most detrimental mistake that local businesses make. A business may decide that one marketing channel, such as Facebook, sufficiently reaches its target audience, is easy to manage, and stays within budget.

However, this strategy comes with some fatal flaws. A one-channel approach severely restricts your ability to reach your target audience, no matter who it is. It also makes your efforts overly dependent on changes to the platform’s algorithm, which can change unexpectedly, reducing the effectiveness of your marketing efforts.

Instead, use insights from analytical tools to identify which platforms perform best for your business, and be sure to test several platforms to find the right mix for your audience. When in doubt, consider using your marketing budget on professionals in the industry to maximize your reach and results.

The Challenges of Ad Targeting and How Best Version Media Can Help

While these are critical mistakes to avoid, it’s not always easy to address them on your own. Hiring a team of professionals is the most effective way to get the most out of your marketing efforts and attract more customers, but many local businesses don’t have the resources to do so in-house.

Best Version Media solves that problem by offering geo-targeted display and social media ad campaigns along with listings and reviews management across multiple directories and search engines. This approach ensures you maximize your budget and reach your ideal audience, all from one easy-to-use dashboard.
To enhance your advertising campaigns and grow your business, contact BVM today.

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