Let’s face it. There are a lot of bland websites out there that are simply not helping sales success. The key reason is most websites talk about product or service details, instead of buyer motivation. This isn’t simply a missed opportunity, it can literally stall your sales team’s efforts. Buyer psychology could be the missing ingredient in your B2B website’s success. So, what is buyer psychology? It’s the study of how and why people make purchasing decisions. In other words, it’s understanding the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that influence a person to buy a product or service. In the B2B world, buyers are not just looking for products or services; they are seeking solutions to their business problems. This means that your website needs to do more than just showcase what you have to offer. It needs to connect with and address the pain points of potential buyers.
To truly understand buyer psychology and use it effectively on your B2B website, you need to start by identifying your target audience.
Keep in mind that:
- 94% of business buyers do online research
- 84.3% of B2B buyers check business websites
- 45% of buyers say a brand or manufacturer’s website affects their purchase decision
In other words, your website is an intrinsic part of the relationship your prospect is building with you!
Your Website Should Be A Sales Enabler.
It should:
1) Resonate visually and inspire confidence.
2) Answer questions and build anticipation.
3) Engage in a conversation that will continue.
In this day and age, buyers are the ones who define the buyer-seller relationship. You must tailor your messaging strategy according to how the buyer finds and processes information.
Consider:
- What is it that they really care about?
- What are their goals, fears or challenges?
- Why do they act the way they do?
4 Key Strategies to Connect with Customers and Enhance Credibility
Blender has a formula below called the “messaging funnel” to help power your website to speed up the buyer’s journey and sell more. Marketing strategy and messaging work hand in hand.
1) Your homepage and introductory content should mirror the pain or goals of your decision-maker.
Short quiz: how many times do you say “I”, “We” or your company’s name on your website homepage? You must talk to your audience about what they care about. Think about the actual people you serve. What challenges do they face? What do they desire? A lot of B2B websites fall into the trap of talking about themselves and their product instead of talking about the customers’ needs. This mistake prevents you from successfully connecting with customers and establishing a relationship that is based on trust and credibility.
If your messaging does not mirror their motivations, and make them feel that you understand their problems, you immediately lose your chance of being positioned as the premier or expert choice. You kill your opportunity to be the early front-runner.
2) Offer an educational insight that helps prospects make a better decision.
We all love to buy, but hate being sold, right? Instead of trying to sell, switch your focus on helping customers buy. Buyers who are in the stage of gathering information or evaluating opportunities will welcome your guidance.
Selling experts agree that providing educational insight will not only speed up the buyer’s journey, but also remove customer suspicions of self-serving agendas. Positioning yourself as a trusted adviser can influence their decisions and nurture their interest in how your product might apply to them.
You can go a step further by creating helpful tools that enable your prospects to act on what they have learned. Offer checklists, whitepapers, or guides on your website. You can exchange your expertise for their email address and add an additional avenue for nurturing the relationship.
3) Prove the truth of your insight and remove fear from the decision using data, statistics, testimonials, or stories.
It’s not enough to provide information to your customers, you must also establish trust. Psychology shows that people are hardwired to more quickly understand and believe visual elements and stories. The caveat is that you must have the discipline not to do this too early in the process, otherwise it will come off as self-serving.
Here are some examples of data and story that can help establish trust:
- Industry trends and statistics
- Testimonials
- Video narratives
- Quantified outcomes from your product or service
- Case studies
- Examples
- How-tos
- Checklists
- Research
- Examples or stories from other industries to support your insight
Many of these can also be used to build your email list, as mentioned in suggestion 2.
4) Now you’ve earned the right to sell your features, benefits, and differentiation.
After providing a B2B decision-maker truly beneficial information, their guards go down and they are ready to consider your product or service as a possible solution. Go back to their motivations to effectively communicate how they will be in a better place after having bought from you. Then, be amazing in communicating why you care, why you are so passionate about your work, and why you are the best choice for them among the many options in your industry. Be clear in your differentiation; your “why” and your “how” are the keys to making sure you stand out from the crowd. Don’t just use words that summarize your strengths. Give specific examples and stories to show instead of tell.
Uncovering how customer motivations and emotions come into play is key to your website’s success. Following this messaging funnel will speed up the buying conversation and assist your sales team in overcome objections.
Maximizing Post-Purchase Satisfaction
Once a customer makes the decision to purchase from your business, they are looking for reassurance that they have made the right choice. This is where effective communication comes into play. By clearly communicating how their life or business will be improved after buying from you, you can solidify their decision and create a sense of trust and confidence in your brand.
But it’s not just about selling your product or service. It’s about conveying why you care so deeply about what you do, why you are passionate about it, and why you are the best option for them in your industry. When customers can feel your genuine enthusiasm and dedication, they are more likely to choose your business over others.
Want more specifics on how to apply these ideas to your website?
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