Is this the dream come true: customers that actually buy something online from you without “bothering” you personally? Well, to be honest, it is possible, but it entirely depends on the industry you work in.
Unfortunately – or we should rather say: luckily! – the language school business we are in is not one of those industries where instant sales occur out of thin air.
When you think about it – learning a language depends on human interaction and people speaking with each other in the first place, right? So it is all natural that if you use Pay Per Lead marketing that you should be prepared to call potential customers and interact with them in real time on the phone (video chat – or even with Whatsapp Business).
Even with the best website that represents your language school the real connection and the first point of trust will happen when this first phone call will happen. In the case of Pay Per Lead your language school will call the customer. Sometimes it can happen that an eager language student already calls your school but it is more likely that they do a research on different language schools so it is YOUR call to reach out and create that first impression that makes the customer make the leap of faith to book their language-adventure with you.
Instant customers that just buy something from a website without prior contact are still out there. And some smart language school marketers have used a very successful 2-step marketing approach where they offer some low priced products and services online, such as a mini-video-online course that people can buy without the need to call and consult a language school in the first place.
Once a customer becomes a pre-qualified customer like that and trusted you with a mini-commitment of buying from you online, that person is much more likely to book a higher priced offline language-travel package from you in the next step.
This illustrates that if you use Pay Per Lead marketing that you have to have the right mindset and understand what a lead really is – NOT an instant customer, but the highest potential of becoming one if you treat them right from the beginning.
The key again is to provide enough high-value information for the potential language student and actually personalizing their experience during that research phase. Some of your leads are actually quite close to making a purchase decision already. You can find out by actively listening to their needs and offering them different ways to reach and interact with you. Including offering them to buy something from you online even before they book their next language-adventure with your school locally.