Overseas online sales strategy for Chinese Brands

Overseas Online Sales Strategy for Chinese Brands

Increase Sales Qualified Leads and

Profitability with Inbound Marketing

Presented by Gareth Jones

Technical Director, Oxygen 2.0

2

Overseas Online Sales Strategy for Chinese Brands 1st September 2014

Executive Summary

• In this presentation Oxygen 2.0 highlights how to use inbound marketing best practices in tandem with Western social media management to:– Increase website traffic– Increase sales qualified leads– Increase customer acquisition– Increase market share – Increase revenue

3


Agenda

• Current Overseas Sales Practices• Overseas Sales The ‘Oxygen’ way• Inbound Marketing– Defining an Ideal Customer– Educating the Lead– Sharing the Educational Content– Closing and Turning Leads into Customers

• Marketing Automation & HubSpot• About the Author

4


4Current Overseas Sales Practices in China

Let’s look at a typical sales process for a typical solar panel factory based in Shenzhen that is looking to sell to the UK…

5


Solar Panel Factory Lead TimelineLeads randomly selected from a CRM or generated using software

6



EmailEmail may or may not have

been picked up and NOT

personalised

7





personalised

Phone CallCalls made

indiscriminately regardless of email pick up

8



High % of “Leads” Lost



personalised

Phone CallCalls made

indiscriminately regardless of email pick up

Why?

9


Solar Panel Company Lead Timeline

• So, what went wrong?

10



• So, what went wrong?– No belief in or knowledge of the product

11



• So, what went wrong?– No belief in or knowledge of the product– Many emails sent to useless “info@...” email

addresses

12




addresses– Could even be completely the wrong person- not

the ideal customer

13





the ideal customer– No understanding of the leads’ needs

14





the ideal customer– No understanding of the leads’ needs– No rapport with the lead

15





the ideal customer– No understanding of the leads’ needs– No rapport with the lead– Lead not ready to buy

16


Typical Results of This Approach

• A very poor lead: sale conversion ratio• Frustrated sales staff• Angry emails from leads for “spamming them”

with sales material• High staff turnover due to poor sales and lack

of belief• Pressure on management to deliver results

using an ineffective process• Loss of revenue and decrease in market

share

17


17Overseas Sales – The Oxygen WayOxygen uses inbound marketing best practices in tandem with Western social media management to accelerate traffic, drive leads and ultimately increase sales, market share and revenue for our clients

18


The Oxygen Way

• Oxygen uses new and effective approach to online sales called “inbound marketing” that brings together:– Blogging– Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest

etc.)– Content Creation & Sharing (eBooks, videos,

checklists, Podcasts etc.)– SEO (Keyword analysis, analytics)– Email Marketing & Automation

• This approach is proven to increase sales leads

19


19Overseas Sales – Inbound Marketing

Instead of the old outbound marketing methods of buying ads, buying email lists, and praying for leads, inbound marketing focuses on creating quality content that pulls people toward your company and product

20


What is Inbound Marketing?

• Inbound marketing is an online sales and marketing approach that:

21



• Inbound marketing is an online sales and marketing approach that:1. Defines an ‘ideal customer’

22



• Inbound marketing is an online sales and marketing approach that:1. Defines an ‘ideal customer’2. Creates educational content such as blogs,

infographics, eBooks, whitepapers and checklists that solve that ideal customers unique problems

23





3. Shares that content in the places those ideal customers go depending on that ideal customers’ interests and problems

24





3. Shares that content in the places those ideal customers go depending on that ideal customers’ interests and problems

4. Attracts, converts & closes those ideal customers by giving content away in exchange for lead information

25


Defining an Ideal Customer

• It is critical to any sales and marketing efforts that an ideal customer is defined first• An ideal customer should be one that:– Loves your products to the point they tell others about

them– Is easy to communicate with– Makes large orders– Pays on time– …there are many criteria for this, it’s up to you to

decide what’s relevant to your business!

26



• Ideal Customers are created through research, surveys, and interviews of your target audience• You can gather information by:– Interviewing existing customers either in person, email

or over the phone to discover their business problems and what they think of your product or service

– Asking questions on social media as LinkedIn groups appropriate to your industry or product in order to canvas a wider opinion outside of your existing customer base

27



• Focus on:– Background (Job, Family)– Demographics (Sex, Age, Income, Location)– Identifiers (Communication Preferences,

Personality)– Goals (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary)– Challenges (Primary, Secondary, Tertiary)

28



• Focus on:– What can We do? (…to help the customer achieve

the goal and overcome the challenges they face)– Quotes (…about goals & challenges)– Objections (why won’t they buy our products?)– Marketing Messaging (how do we describe our

solutions to them?)– Elevator Pitch (Selling your solution)– Give them a “name”

29


Ideal Customer – “Mike”

30



41 year old University Educated

Male

31




MaleAmbitious, results driven person

32





UK based & has

family of3

33





UK based & has

family of3

SMESolar

Distributor

34





UK based & has

family of3

Works at Medium

sizedSolar

Distributor

Purchasing

Manager, would like to be CEO one day

35





UK based & has

family of3

Needs international

standard marketing and

product support

Purchasing


Works at Medium

sizedSolar

Distributor

36





UK based & has

family of3

Needs international


product support

“I am Concerned

about losing market share”

Purchasing


Works at Medium

sizedSolar

Distributor

37





UK based & has

family of3

Needs international


product support

“I am Concerned

about losing market share”

Needs to convince

local governme

nt

Purchasing


Works at Medium

sizedSolar

Distributor

38


How NOT to educate your leads

• “I tell them about my product straight away, right?”

Wrong!

39



• “I tell them about my product straight away, right?”

Wrong:– Most potential customers aren’t ready to

buy yet so providing them with sales material straight away will drive most away

40



• “I tell them about my product straight away, right?” Wrong:

– Most potential customers aren’t ready to buy yet so providing them with sales material straight away will drive most away

– You will make leads feel like you are only interested in spamming them with sales material and don’t really care about them

41


How TO educate your leads

• Armed with a passion for your product and an intimate understanding of your ideal customer needs:

42



• Armed with a passion for your product and an intimate understanding of your ideal customer needs:– Solve your leads’ specific problems by

providing useful and interesting educational content

43





– Establish genuine trust with your leads

44





– Establish genuine trust with your leads– It is much easier to turn leads that trust you

and see you as a thought leader in your field into customers

45


Attracting Leads by Educating

• Blog• Infographic• eBook• Whitepaper• Podcast• Video• Case Study• Catalogue• Price List

46




Less product related,more customer problem

focused

47




Less product related,more customer problem

focused

More product related,still customer

problem focused

48


Socially Sharing Content

• It is important you share your educational content in the places they are likely to hang out– for example, if your ideal

customer uses LinkedIn, frequently posting interesting content as well as your own offers on LinkedIn is a good idea

49


Social Sharing Platforms

• Overseas leads are not going to be using Chinese platforms like WeChat and Weibo, you must share content and communicate with them on networks they use such as:

50


Converting

• “How do I capture lead information after creating great blogs and interesting educational content offers such as eBooks, podcasts and videos?”

51


Converting


– It is essential that any content you create gives you the option to capture lead information such as name, address, company, job title, website etc.

52


Converting


– It is essential that any content you create gives you the option to capture lead information such as name, address, company, job title, website etc.

– By creating CTA’s and Landing Pages with forms you can capture that lead information

53


Converting - CTAs

• A CTA or ‘Call-To-Action’ is exactly what it is says it is “A call to action”, causing the visitor of your website, social media or blog to perform an action such as download an offer such as eBook

54


Converting - CTAs

• A good CTA will usually feature:– A problem that the offer solves or benefit to the lead– An attractive and relevant image to the offer– A clear instruction to click the CTA in order to get the

offer– A link to a unique ‘Landing Page’ that contains a form

where you can capture the lead information

55


Converting – CTA Example

56


Converting – CTA Example

Attractive &

relevant image

57


Converting – CTA ExampleProblem: needs overseas sales

Solution: business blogging

Attractive &

relevant image

58


Converting – CTA ExampleProblem: needs overseas sales

Solution: business blogging

Clear instructions & links to the landing page where the eBook

can be downloaded

Attractive &

relevant image

59


Converting - CTAs

• The CTA can then be placed:– At the end of a blog post that is related to that offer

i.e. if the blog is about gaining online sales overseas then an eBook about blogging for business is relevant

– On social media channels such as Facebook and Linked

– At the end of YouTube videos– Embedded within SlideShare presentations

• The key point is that the content relates to the offer and that the CTA provides a link to a Landing Page where lead information can be captured

60


Converting- Landing Pages

• The Landing Page is a page on your website that:– Explains the benefits of the offer to the lead– Explains what will be gained or learned– Contains an attractive cover image related to the

offer– Contains the lead capture form that collects the lead

information– Contains social media sharing buttons so that

visitors can share the offer on their social networks

61


Image & Header Lead

capture form

Benefits of the offer

Social media sharing

62


Converting- Example Landing Page

63


Converting- Example Landing Page

The pagetitle

clearly explains the offer

and is also good for SEO (getting found on Google)

64


Converting- Example Landing PageIn order

to download the eBook the lead enters their

personal information in the

lead capture

form and submits

the form- we now have a lead!

The pagetitle

clearly explains the offer

and is also good for SEO (getting found on Google)

65


66


The question helps identify if the offer is relevant and useful to the

lead

67



lead


68



lead


Tells the lead what they will

learn

69



lead


Tells the lead what they will

learnInstructions to download the

offer

70


Social sharing icons allow the offer to be shared across the

internet increasing leads

71


ATTRACT

Create interesting

content (blogs, eBooks, videos,

infographics etc.) to attract

the ideal customer

CONVERT

Turn website visitors into leads, with

unique content by capturing their data in exchange

for content

CLOSE

Turn your leads into customers

by sending them content and

offers that are relevant and interesting

Attract, Convert & Close

72


Mike’s Lead -> Customer JourneyLead finds blog

Blog is on new sources

of government funding for renewable projects in

the UK

Lead Information:

Trust:

73



Download Link

Attractive call-to-action to download

whitepaper



the UK

Lead Information:

Trust:

74



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper

Based on renewable trends in Europe in

2014



the UK

Lead Information:

Trust:

75



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014



the UK

Lead Information:

First Name, Last Name, Email, Country,

Trust:

76



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014

EmailPersonalised

email sent out



the UK

Lead Information:


Trust:

77



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014

EmailPersonalised

email sent out

VideoWatches video on

solar proliferatio

n in Germany

on website



the UK

Lead Information:


Trust:

78



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014

EmailPersonalised

email sent out


solar proliferatio

n in Germany

on website



the UK

Download Case Study

Downloads company case

study about how we cornered the Spanish market

with extra marketing support

Lead Information:


Company, Job Title, Website, Industry, Number of Employees

Trust:

79



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014

EmailPersonalised

email sent out


solar proliferatio

n in Germany

on website



the UK

Download Case Study




Lead Information:



Trust:

80



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014

EmailPersonalised

email sent out


solar proliferatio

n in Germany

on website



the UK

Download Case Study




EmailPersonalised email send

out

Lead Information:



Trust:

81



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014

EmailPersonalised

email sent out


solar proliferatio

n in Germany

on website



the UK

Download Case Study





out

Reads Blog

Reads blog on how

selling direct to local

governments can quickly

increase sales

Lead Information:



Trust:

82



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014

EmailPersonalised

email sent out


solar proliferatio

n in Germany

on website



the UK

Download Case Study





out

Reads Blog

Reads blog on how



increase sales


out

Lead Information:



Trust:

83



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014

EmailPersonalised

email sent out


solar proliferatio

n in Germany

on website



the UK

Download Case Study





out

Reads Blog

Reads blog on how



increase sales


out

Download Product Catalogu

eDownloads

product catalogue

Lead Information:



Trust:

84



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014

EmailPersonalised

email sent out


solar proliferatio

n in Germany

on website



the UK

Download Case Study





out

Reads Blog

Reads blog on how



increase sales


out


eDownloads

product catalogue

Lead Information:



Annual Revenue, Main business problem, Address, Post Code, Telephone Number

Trust:

85



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014

EmailPersonalised

email sent out


solar proliferatio

n in Germany

on website



the UK

Download Case Study





out

Reads Blog

Reads blog on how



increase sales


out


eDownloads

product catalogue

Lead Information:




Trust:

86



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014

EmailPersonalised

email sent out


solar proliferatio

n in Germany

on website



the UK

Download Case Study





out

Reads Blog

Reads blog on how



increase sales


out


eDownloads

product catalogue


out

Lead Information:




Trust:

87



Download Link


whitepaper

Downloads

Whitepaper


2014

EmailPersonalised

email sent out


solar proliferatio

n in Germany

on website



the UK

Download Case Study





out

Reads Blog

Reads blog on how



increase sales


out


eDownloads

product catalogue


out

Lead RequestLead now requests a

sales consultation

Lead Information:




Trust:

88


Journey Key Points

• Resources were provided that educated and met ideal customer needs• Lead data was captured throughout- but only as

a fair exchange• The sales process turns into a close of a sales

qualified lead that has qualified him/herself

89


Typical Results of This Approach

• An industry leading lead: sale conversion ratio• Motivated and successful sales staff• Low staff turnover due to excellent results and

belief in a system that actually works• Much larger ROI for the company based on its

sales and marketing spend

• A much more profitable organisation

90


How do I do this?

• Yourself- be prepared to commit to:– Defining your ideal customer– Creating content and offers such as blogs, eBooks,

guides, checklists, videos, infographics etc. on a frequent schedule that will solve your ideal customers unique problems

– Sharing your content and offers on social media like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Tumblr etc.

– Capturing lead information with landing pages and forms on your website

– Investing in and running marketing automation software

91


How do I do this?

• Outsource- ensure your partner:– Has experience delivering inbound marketing solutions– Is willing to work closely with your company to understand

your services and develop ideal customer focused solutions with your team

– Understands and has experience in the right social media channels to reach out to your ideal customers

– Is passionate about helping your brand become a global brand

– Has the technical and design skills to set up and manage a website that is powered by an effective marketing automation software

92


Marketing Automation Software

• There are many marketing solutions out there that can provide platforms for blogging, site & landing pages, email marketing and analytics:– WordPress, Blogger (blogging)– Drupal, Joomla (CMS)– Mail Chimp, Mad Mimi (email marketing)– Google Analytics, MOZ (analytics, SEO)– HubSpot (blogging, email marketing, analytics, CMS,

SEO)

93


93 What is ?

HubSpot is the world's No. 1 marketing automation platformOxygen 2.0 has successfully used the HubSpot platform to drive our clients’ campaigns and increase traffic, leads & sales

94


What is HubSpot?

Blogging

Creating remarkable

content to get found

SEOImprove search

rankings and get found by quality

leads

Social MediaPublish and

monitor content on

social networks

CMSManaged, easy-to-use platform and analytics used to disseminate and

track blog content, social media and offers as well as

manageweb pages

LeadManageme

ntSegment leads based on their activity on the

site and elsewhere

Landing Pages

Pages that increase click through rates and convert leads

by exchanging offers for

Contact information

95


What is HubSpot?

Calls-to-Action

Beautiful buttons to call out

visitors and convert them

into leads

EmailPersonalized

emails using real customer data

Automation

Trigger timed emails to send out to leads offering relevant and interesting follow up

content

Paid & Organic

AnalyticsSee which

campaigns are most effective and

optimize to increase conversion rates

CRM SyncConnect leads in

HubSpot with potential customers in

Salesforce or other CRMs

96


HubSpot - #1 Online Sales Platform

• HubSpot successfully brings together, in one secure and easy to use platform, all the aspects of effective online sales such as:– Blogging– SEO– Analytics– Landing pages– Lead management– Marketing automation

97


Conclusion

• In this presentation you will have learned how to:– Increase website traffic– Increase sales qualified leads– Increase customer acquisition– Increase market share – Increase revenue

98


98 About the Authors- who are Oxygen 2.0?

Oxygen 2.0 is a specialist Inbound Marketing Agency based in the Hong Kong SAR, expanding into Shenzhen, ChinaOur mission is to turn Chinese brands into Global brands

99


Our Leaders

Daniel BeachManaging Director– Veteran marketer with a decade

of experience in China– Responsible for Oxygen 2.0’s

sales & marketing Strategy– Helped transform Shenzhen’s TP-

Link from a Chinese SME into a global player

– Mandarin speaker with a passion for technology and a goal to bring China's fledgling brands into the global market

Gareth JonesTechnical Director– Experienced business analyst &

software engineer– Responsible for aligning

technology and resources at Oxygen 2.0

– Graduated from the University of Reading, UK with an MSc (Distinction) in Computing & Informatics

– Managed and successfully delivered projects in software, renewable technology and social media in both Europe and China

100


Our leaders have worked with…

101


Recent Online Sales Success– Amgoo Telecom

• Created a brand for a Chinese OEM phone manufacturer• Initially increased sales qualified leads by

700%• Grew Amgoo’s Google PageRank from 3 to 5• Opened the African content as a new

market using inbound marketing best practices• Increasing site visitors and sales qualified

leads (mobile operators & distributors) over 25% month on month

102


Headquarters1311 Olympia Plaza255 King's RoadNorth PointHong Kong

Where to find us…

103


facebook.com/Oxgn2.0

@OXGN20

[email protected]@o2-v2.com

Questions?Connect

With us

www.o2-v2.com

Overseas online sales strategy for Chinese Brands

Sales

Transcript of Overseas online sales strategy for Chinese Brands