A lead is much more than a website visitor or a potential buyer. They’re a one-step-away client – once you’ve given it that final push, they’ll convert and turn into a loyal customer.
But in today’s competitive times, when consumers have more choice than ever before, getting clients to that stage can be challenging. Building and refining a sales pipeline can take months or even years to perfect. It’s even tougher when you’re targeting B2B.
To give you a helping hand, we’ve rounded up some fresh lead generation techniques to try.
If you want to stand out from the crowd, getting creative won’t hurt. Turning an old blog post into an interactive quiz is a fun way to both educate and inform website visitors and in turn get their email address to convert them into a lead. The idea is to allow consumers to have access to an engaging, interactive piece of content – a quiz, a game, or an app – and coax their email address out before they can get the results to the quiz or their score on a game.
It goes without saying that the more value you can offer, the more likely people are to hand over their email address. Give as much away for free as you can before you ask for their information – if you bombard visitors with a call to action as soon as they arrive, they’ll leave.
The content marketing industry is expected to be worth an eye-watering $412.88 billion by 2021. It’s no surprise why. Consumers are spending more time on their phones and PCs than ever before; being able to provide answers to tough questions will help you stand out.
The chances are that there are a couple of “big” questions in your industry – such as ‘Is SEO Dead?’, ‘How Much Does it Cost to Have a Baby?,’ and “How Can I Sell My House in Dundee Quickly?’. These questions are being asked, but how good are the answers?
Investing in an effective content marketing strategy and crafting in-depth pieces that answer tricky questions is a great way to generate leads. Marketing agencies can win over new SME clients, private hospital clinics can collect data on mums-to-be, and estate agents can find out information on homeowners thinking about selling. If you provide the best answer on the internet for a tough question, you’ll become the authority – and rank high on Google as a result. Always ask for email addresses and consider offering a downloadable version of a valuable resource you’ve created in exchange for contact details – an easy way to find leads.
Another method for generating leads is to give away some of your products or services for free – with no catches. The freemium model works exceptionally well in online gaming and software, but the concept can be adapted to work in virtually every niche. Free trials allow you to get prospects through the virtual (or literal) door. Once they see how good you are, they’ll be more likely to want to pay for the real thing and become a long-term customer.
It’s even better if you can offer a lifetime free service, offering basic features of your app or website to everyday users. The truth is that perhaps less than 20% of those users will ever upgrade to your premium model, but the word-of-mouth marketing and brand awareness that will build up as a result of your freebie will work wonders for your business and drive sales.
Another strategy employed by some of the world’s biggest brands is affiliate marketing, with companies like Dropbox and Amazon allowing users to get others on board in exchange for a benefit or reward. The biggest advantage of a loyalty program is that the hard work is done for you – provided you already have an established clientele, you’ll leave them to recommend your services to their friends, family, and colleagues. It doesn’t cost you anything, but it helps to generate a buzz about your business on social media, forums, and personal networks.
Deciding on an incentive can be tough. If you’re too generous, you’ll fail to make a return on your investment, but if your reward is stingy, users won’t want to refer their friends. The best idea is to experiment with your options and see which works best; A/B modelling could help.
Finally, don’t be afraid of turning on the camera and creating video content for your brand. In a recent study, 54% of consumers said they want to see more video content from a brand or business they support. The biggest benefit of video is that it’s easily digestible and taps into changing consumer behaviours. With so much noise online, video can be more accessible and enjoyable from a consumer standpoint – who really wants to read a 5,000-word article?!
Perhaps the most important takeaway in regards to video marketing is that you don’t need to invest in a thousand-pound camera or expensive editing software. With the right backdrop and lighting, you can record great videos on your iPhone and edit using free software such as GarageBand. The idea is to focus more on content quality rather than its aesthetic value. Consumers will engage with your content whatever it looks like, provided that it’s informative.
If you’re looking for help generating more leads, reach out to the team at Zudu. From web development to digital marketing and conversion rate optimisation, we can transform your online presence and unlock revenue streams. Call 01382 690080 for a free consultation.
