How can you successfully generate new leads for your business? Follow this guide to lead generation marketing to learn all the techniques you need.
Who doesn’t want more leads?
Leads are the lifeblood of business.
There’s a clear correlation between profits and leads. But did you know 87% of companies that don’t achieve their revenue goals generate less than 100 leads per month?
Do you get over 100 leads per month?
If not, check your marketing strategy. If you rely on traditional marketing, try adding content marketing to the mix. It costs 62% less and generates 3x the leads. That makes implementing lead generation marketing much easier.
And, by the time you finish reading this article, you’ll have what you need to incorporate lead-building methods into your marketing campaign.
What’s a lead?
Before we jump into the body of this article, let’s make sure we’re speaking the same language. A lead is a person (or business) who is interested in what you’re selling.
They must have shown some interest. That’s the part too many business leaders forget.
If you cold call or cold email a person, they aren’t a lead. They might become a lead but if they show no interest, you don’t have a lead yet.
Where Does a Lead Fall In the Buyer’s Journey?
People buy things to solve a problem. If the problem is boredom, they buy entertainment. If the problem is a leaky pipe, they buy a wrench. You get the picture.
If you sell entertainment or wrenches, the people in these examples are leads. They are at the second stage of the buyer’s journey because they’re considering options to solve their problem.
Why is That Important?
Look, the business of sales is huge. Marketing technology is expected to grow to over $32.3 billion in 2018. You can add your money to this island-size mountain of cash, or…
If you’re on a shoestring budget, you can get the right information to the right people at the right time. And increase your profits during the process.
So how do you figure what’s right?
Research, research, and more research.
Here are a few techniques for gathering data about your target audience:
- A/B Testing
- Social Listening
- Website Analysis
- Keyword Searches
- Employee Feedback
- Competitive Analysis
- Secondary Data Analysis
- Customer Feedback/Panels
After you do your research, you’ll know your target audience inside and out. Use that data and combine it with the buyer’s journey. Then you’ll know what information is right for your leads.
Next, let’s take a look at the routes by which to send your leads (and potential leads) that information.
Outbound vs Inbound Marketing
With outbound marketing, your company starts a conversation by sending messages out to your audience. This method is expensive. The goal is to stop strangers in their tracks and attach their attention, usually with ads of some kind.
With inbound marketing, on the other hand, your audience seeks you out. It’s by far the most inexpensive form of lead generation marketing.
Content marketing, which we mentioned at the beginning of this article, is a type of inbound marketing. It attracts customers with relevant, helpful content. Potential customers find you through things like blogs, search engines, and social media. You won’t need to fight for your lead’s attention.
After you research your audience, you simply design great content to address their specific problems and needs. Then give them a way to contact you. They reach out when they’re ready, already primed for a conversation.
Outbound Marketing Ideas
Any paid advertising falls under this category. Once again, the idea is to interrupt a potential lead with something that catches their attention. Someone twirling a sign may work just as well as a television commercial or Facebook ad.
Here are a few ideas:
Display Ads: video, flash, popup ads, wallpaper, floating banners, text, static images
Social Media Ads: AdWords, Facebook ads, Twitter ads, Pinterest ads, etc.
Search Engine Marketing: PPC, CPM
Video Ads: YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Brightroll, Twitter, YuMe, Live Rail, Adap.tv, Television, etc.
Inbound Marketing Ideas
Create great content that your audience wants to hear. Focus on social media, blogs, emails, in-person events, ebooks/whitepapers, videos, webinars/webcasts.
A Few Articles on Creating Leads through Social Media:
- Generate leads on Twitter
- Generate leads on Pinterest
- Generate leads on LinkedIn
- Generate leads on Facebook.
- Generate leads on Google reviews
Popular Methods of Gaining Leads
- Blogs
- Email Newsletters
- Social Media Content
- Ebooks
- White Papers
- In-Person Events
- Webinars
A note about email: If you set your strategy up correctly, you’ll have a permanent pipeline to your leads. To get people to sign up for your email list, give them an incentive. Read the next section to find out more.
Incentives
You can attract new leads in six seconds. That’s all it takes. Remember, the goal is to hit the right people at the right time with the right information. That’s how pros approach their lead generation marketing.
When a potential lead is asking you questions at your brick-and-mortar store, guess what? It’s the time to sign them up to your email list.
When they land on your website, looking for more great information, guess what? Sign them up for your email list.
When they finish watching the video you posted on YouTube, guess what? You get the point.
They’re much more likely to sign up if you give them something in return. Look at the following list to find out the items for which your visitors are more likely to share personal information.
- 79% webinars
- 66% analyst reports
- 63% eBooks
- 57% case studies
- 24% infographics
- 19% videos
- 19% podcasts
Other incentive ideas for lead generation marketing:
- Kits
- Trials
- Guides
- Contests
- Checklists
- Templates
- Cheat Sheets
Remember, focus on free items to get people to the door. Then you can convert them to leads.
Your Next Step for Lead Generation Marketing
If you can’t decide which route to take, you can always hire a digital marketing service to do it for you. Case studies prove digital marketing services work. They may cost more money upfront, but you’ll always see an ROI.
But if you’re determined to meet the challenge head-on, we’ve got you covered. Check out our free web design and marketing resources and get ready to break that 100 leads barrier.
Want help with your lead generation strategy?
Get in touch for a free strategy session with one of our senior online strategists (valued at $300) and we’ll help guide you on how to get more leads instantly. Sometimes all it takes is a few tweaks to your website and you can double your inbound leads overnight. Talk to us today to find out how!