What is Audience "Warming"?
Audience "warming" is a crucial element of sales strategy. Companies aiming to increase brand loyalty and conversion use it to carefully introduce customers to their product ecosystem. The goal is to gradually create demand without provoking a rejection of the purchase.
Audience "warming" helps sellers:
Increase sales without gathering more leads or traffic.
Boost conversions at specific points of interaction with the product.
Control customer behavior and actions on the site, guiding them to the target action.
Which Companies Use Audience "Warming" and Why?
This method is used across almost all fields, from online schools to physical stores. However, it's most commonly employed by companies with long sales cycles, such as real estate agencies, car dealerships, IT companies, etc.
Remember, audience "warming" is necessary if you sell complex or expensive products that require customers to take time to consider their purchase.
The Essential Tool: The "Warming Funnel"
The "warming funnel" is a sequence of steps aimed at gradually attracting customers. Each step involves a specific message, based on the lead's "temperature" and readiness to buy.
When visualizing the stages of preparing a customer to buy and points of contact with potential buyers, they resemble funnels. Each level corresponds to interaction with the audience, similar to sales stages but with certain peculiarities.
Key Steps in Audience "Warming"
The process of audience "warming" should be task-oriented, as it is always a unique and individual process. The goals and tasks will differ for each business. However, the basic steps include:
1. Defining the Task: Clearly formulate what you want to achieve.
2. Analyzing the Audience: Study the target audience's behavior, needs, problems, and pain points.
3. Developing a Customer Journey Map (CJM): Analyze each point of contact the customer has with the product and determine the questions they might have at each stage.
4. Creating a "Warming" Content Plan for Each Stage: Plan the content for each step.
5. Choosing Communication Channels: Decide through which channels you will communicate with your audience.
6. Launching: After testing and adapting the strategy, launch a full-fledged "warming" campaign. Monitor the process and results to continuously optimize it
What to Do If "Warming" Doesn’t Yield Results?
If a client buys from a competitor, postpones the purchase indefinitely, or stops responding, don’t give up on the "warming" process. It’s often a mistake to consider the potential of customer contact exhausted at the first stage.
Try to revert such a customer to a previous stage and maintain the connection. Many factors can still draw the customer to you, such as negative experiences with competitors' products. You still have chances to win them back, especially if your product is unique and high-quality.
Common Mistakes in Audience "Warming"
Selecting the wrong segment due to insufficient study of the target audience.
Weak analysis of data and activity outcomes, which should identify weak points in the "warming" process.
Lack of varied offers and content for different segments.
Unappealing content. Technical issues can drive customers away.
Lack of remarketing. Reminders and additional information positively influence purchasing decisions.
Weak social presence around the brand. Regular interaction with customers is crucial for building trust and attracting them.
Absence of A/B testing. Testing different versions of landing pages, ad videos, and good visuals are essential for retaining or attracting customers.
Ignoring feedback. Always survey the audience to understand what hinders their purchase to properly adjust the "warming" strategy.
Conclusion
Audience "warming" has several key benefits that can help determine whether this process is necessary for you:
It helps sellers gradually acquire loyal customers, increasing the number of leads and sales while reducing customer acquisition costs over time.
Testing various channels and techniques to increase traffic can help cover a larger audience and boost overall conversion.
By building a more versatile and deep connection with customers, sellers can differentiate from competitors and increase the likelihood of customers purchasing from them.
Establishing a reasonable connection with existing and interested buyers while attracting more new customers.