It is a given that every business needs to know how to effectively generate leads in order for that business to prosper. While creating good content leads to an upscale in traffic to a site, the ultimate goal is to capitalize on turning these leads into potential customers. Ineffective marketing strategies not only give birth to frustration but at times lead to money and time wastage as businesses tend to resort to buying leads rather than generating them. We may not have all the answers since an employed strategy that is productive takes time, trial, and error, but we do have a few solutions that can be looked at to improve your lead generation.
Lead generation is an attempt to improve customer interest and, as a result, increase your footprint. Most businesses use various channels to generate these leads, and the process results in a business obtaining customer information for future follow-up and funneling. Understanding your customer’s needs and knowing how to apply this insight to a high converting page is central to lead generation. This could happen in a number of ways for example:
- Phone calls from potential clients
- Form submissions on a website
- Emails or direct messages from potential clients.
An effective strategy will take into account these various methods of outreach, and have proper tools in place to engage and retain these potential clients. The end goal should always be to obtain some sort of personal information to facilitate future conversations.
Lead generation involves a large investment of time, energy, and money from the onset. Its rewards are great, with a business being completely involved in a process that is transparent, and a learning curve that could cement a process that actually works for future use. Some businesses would however rather invest some capital in buying leads instead of working towards generating them. It may seem like a good short-term solution, but the cracks do show sooner or later due to a lack of transparency and of course, a lack of exclusivity since the same leads can be sold to a number of different buyers. The choice ultimately lies in the bounds of expertise and the end goals of the business. Regardless of the path a business chooses, here are some tips that can help to turn potentials into actual clients.
Lead Generation tips
1. Referrals
Referrals are one of the most tried and tested methods of obtaining leads. Current customers that revel in your product or service are often willing to share information of friends that could also benefit from your offering and are almost always willing to do so free of charge. If not, a reward or incentive system could be implemented to encourage them to do so.
2. Engaging Directly
Reaching out to potential clients directly is another proven method of solid lead generation. While it may involve a little more effort in terms of actively searching for potential clients on social media, through email, cold calling, or telephonic contact, it increases your business visibility and adds a personal touch.
3. Advertising
Social media platforms are the go-to for both startups and well-established businesses, but many fail to see the value in services such as Google or Bing. While most potential clients aren’t converted on their first click, targeted pay-per-click advertising on these platforms can be retargeted to create visual advertisements for your products on other sites.
4. Fix your homepage
The goal with your homepage is to be found easily when an audience searches for your product online, but a high organic ranking can be extremely difficult for those selling competitive products and services. Improving your homepage can be done by reviewing your messaging, optimizing your content based on the keywords that are most searched for, and using relevant tools such as bold headlines, images or 360 Virtual Tours to push your product higher up in the rankings. Alternatively, you could employ the services of SEO companies or digital marketing agencies.
5. Blog posts and Webinars
Everyone loves a good story, and blog posts are a sure-fire way to peak and retain interest on your page. Stand-out blogs are those that are not merely focused on your product or service alone, but on the industry at large. Such content indicates that the business is both fully transparent and knowledgeable in the field that it operates in.
You could then use these posts to invite potential clients to register for your Webinars. Webinars are fantastic low-cost tools that are excellent for lead generation, offering clients insight that’s both personal and engaging.
6. Powerful headlines
Content matters more than we think, and each piece deserves a powerful headline that is provoking and inspires curiosity. It really doesn’t help to merely provide a clickbait headline that can actually do more harm than good to your reputation, and it’s critical to ensure that your headline matches your content. The key to an excellent headline is the use of strong verbs that convey a direct message and improve your rankings. Regardless of whether you’re creating content for an advertisement, social media or blog post, keep your audience engaged by offering them immediate rewards through your content.
7. A lead generation team
In order to get more out, be willing to invest a little more. Of course, there’s the option of marketing agencies. Or you could just have a regular dedicated lead generation team that understands your business and is constantly working on ways to improve your strategy. Ideally, this team should be a combination of both sales and lead generation in order to achieve the maximum output. Working hand in hand, staff employed for leads generation will optimize on promoting your product and keeping potential clients engaged and excited about your offerings, while your sales team focuses on turning these into sales through stellar service and excellent customer experiences.
Summary
There is no “one size fits all”, but lead generation is central in order for a business to thrive. A strong online presence with proper processes in place that stimulate and promote interest in your product or service combined with stellar content and marketing is the key to unlocking the full potential of your business.