As we reflect on our experience at Social Media Marketing World hosted by Social Media Examiner, we are sharing 10 takeaways from the conference over ten days.

Takeaway 9: Treat your corporate website like a learning center to drive conversion (sales)

Two compelling statistics:

• 60% of a sales process is over before a company knows a prospect exists
• 70% of a buying decision is made before a sales prospect contacts a company

What can you do to improve the likelihood that a website visitor becomes a customer?

First, make sure your website and/or blog directly addresses these 5 topics:

Marcus Sheridan challenged attendees to set up learning centers online designed to answer the hard questions. Adopt a “they ask, we answer” philosophy online to increase trust.

Post a large volume of useful content. Marcus revealed that on average, a potential client is willing to read 30+ pages on a website. If they read 30 pages, they have an 80% chance of buying from your brand. If you don’t have 30 pages between your website and blog, it’s probably time to develop more content.