In marketing, lead generation is the initiation of consumer interest or inquiry into the products or services of a business. Getting leads from your target market is a crucial first step in your success. Of course, what you do with those leads matters as well. Some things you can use them for are building your customer base, email and newsletter mailing lists and to close the actual sales. This article concentrates specifically on lead generation strategies that you can use for your business.
4 Simple Lead Generation Strategies
Lead generation activities don’t have to be complex, at least to start. Here are some ways you can begin to generate valid leads that you can follow up with and use to close sales.
1. Landing Pages
A landing page is separate from your website. It is a standalone page created specifically to capture leads. But it needs to be a highly-converting landing page to be effective. At its core, it facilitates some type of opt-in process. The message should be clear and make it easy to take action. The calls to action are critical in gathering contact information.
Landing pages should be brief and to the point. It should be scannable and capture the user’s attention and keep them interested. State your message up front and provide several calls-to-action as the reader scrolls down.
2. Email Marketing
Email marketing is not only a time-proven method of generating leads, it’s also successful in nurturing them. The trick is including relevant content in a timely and non-invasive manner. The most efficient method of doing that is through automation software.
In order for email marketing to be most effective, certain tactics should be used, including:
- Subject line is critical to encourage the reader to continue reading. It’s important to create a subject that clearly addresses the reader’s pain points and/or are actionable. For example, “Download our lates ebook”.
- Include imagery, like pictures and video, to entice the reader. Images are also much easier to comprehend than text.
- Include social media links to encourage sharing the content of your email.
- Include calls to action to further nurture the leads into your sales funnel.
3. Social Media
Creating and promoting content by posting on your social networks can boost your leads and enhance your digital presence. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and other platforms are great vehicles for lead generation.
You may argue that keeping up with social media is a time-consuming activity, which it can be if done effectively. However, there are a variety of tools and apps that you can use to automate the posts and social engagement. It’s worth it to generate and nurture leads.
4. Content
There are a number of ways you can inform and engage your audience through content, including:
- Online blogs are a great way to announce new products or strategies, review current products, discuss customer needs, and more. Blogs are considered a more informal and personal way of reaching the customers, so they can generate leads differently than your more professional marketing materials.
- Newsletters can help you reach new prospects and stay in touch with your current customers. You can include ads, announce events or specials, or discuss topics of interest to your customers and your industry in general. Newsletters can be accessed online via your website or included as part of your email campaign.
- Professionally printed brochures and other corporate literature are still an element in getting your brand and message out there. They’re effective for handouts at networking events, seminars, trade shows and the like. Just like with online content, make sure you include all of your correct contact information, website address, and social media links.
There are a number of other tactics you can use for lead generation and nurturing, like paid ads, direct mail campaigns, referral systems, telemarketing, networking, online chatbots, etc.
e3 Consulting Can Help You Create a Lead Generation Strategy that Works!
Call E3 Consulting at (732) 735-6429 now to find out how we can help you build a strategy that generates and nurtures leads for your business. We also offer several workshops related to lead generation and digital marketing. Sign up for one or all today to learn more about how to maximize your online marketing!