Lead generation is one of the main goals of marketers. To make this mechanism, and therefore the revenue, work to the maximum, you must first master the lead generation method. Then it is necessary to be able to apply a series of techniques that contribute to its increase. In this article, you will find an explanation about it!
The lead generation process
Before we begin, it's worth looking at what a lead is and what their characteristics are. To get to the heart of the matter, the structure of lead production consists of four basic elements:
- An offer : This is content perceived to be of great value to the user, for example: guides, e-books, manuals, templates, checklists, case studies, tests, calculators, free consultations, product demonstrations, etc.
- Call to Action (CTA): This is a text, image or button that links directly to the homepage where users will find information about the offer and can download it.
- Landing page: this is the web page that contains information about a particular offer and a form to download it.
- Form : it is used to collect a user's data (name, address, email, function in the company, etc.) in exchange for a downloadable offer.
In which channels can leads be generated?
In the digital field, there are a good number of ways and techniques to generate leads.
Content creation
Content marketing is all about preparing and publishing valuable content that is of interest to your target audience. This content will allow him to move forward in his purchasing process until he acquires the company's product or service.
This is a good method for generating leads because it brings added value. Its operation is as follows: thanks to the content of a blog and traffic attraction techniques (SEO, SEM, social networks…), users are attracted by the company's website. Once in the site, these users will find content-related and more comprehensive offers. They will be able to download them in exchange for leaving some of their contact information. Thus, these anonymous visitors will be part of the company's database.
Actions in social networks
Here you can enjoy and share the content made on the blog or other media, and thus reach a wider audience.
You can also do this with downloadable content to direct users to landing pages where they can access offers in exchange for their data.
In social networks, you can also choose to share more interactive content that will allow you to increase your lead detection rate. Here are some ideas: tests, calculators, surveys…
Video capture
In recent times, we see that video has become one of the main tools of a digital marketing strategy. Users are more and more adept at this format and we can take advantage of it to make contacts.
One strategy you can propose is to disseminate information that may be of interest to the user. This way, he can have all the information he needs and you will have captured a new lead.
Collaboration with related platforms
What if you are looking for other pages and sites similar to yours, with complementary services or products that might interest your readers? It is necessary to choose companies that are closely related. Thus, collaboration will make much more sense and work much better.
Once you've detected these sites, you can collaborate with them to publish your company's content. This will allow you to capture leads or submit downloadable content. In other words, your company will send downloadable content from the collaborating company and the collaborating company will do the same. This way, it will be easy to get qualified leads for your database.
Paid ads
Paid advertising is one of the strategies that has the best conversion rate, provided you segment and plan the campaign well. By inserting ads into search engines, you can direct advertising to your potential customers who want information about a particular service or product, making it easier to generate leads.
The main platform used in SEM campaigns is Google AdWords. The variety of types of ads offered by this search engine allows any business to find an answer to its advertising needs. It also offers campaigns in product sheets, campaigns in a local area… And this not only reaches a wider audience, but also achieves greater impact than any other technique.
Another option is to opt for advertising on social networks (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram ads…), channels that also allow strong segmentation and with which you can increase your volume of prospects.
Tips for generating more leads
To increase the number of contacts, there are several strategies that act on the elements described above in order to optimize the entire process. Which of the following do you know?
Offers: how to make them irresistible
- Create catchy and impactful titles.
- Limit offers in time and quantity.
- Create different offers for different stages of the purchase.
- Avoid using overly corporate language such as “innovative”, “pioneer”, “best in class”, etc.
- Offer quality content that adds value to the user: e-books, white papers, webinars, videos on demand, etc.
CTA: maximize your visibility
- Place the call to action in a highly visible place.
- Use contrasting colors to make them stand out as much as possible.
- Link the CTA to a custom homepage.
- Test different CTA formats using A/B testing to see which one works best.
Landing pages: harnessing your conversion power
- Design attractive pages with all their elements easily spotted and in the right place.
- Once the user gets to the homepage, eliminate the main navigation so they can stay more easily and end up providing their data.
- Make the title of the home page coincide with its corresponding CTA.
- Highlight the benefits of the offer.
- Explain to the user all the benefits they will get if they download the content from the page or access the offer.
Forms: tips for optimization
- Ask only for the basic and necessary data to avoid forms that are too long.
- Encourage and facilitate the filling of the form by the user with a good offer and a catchy button.
- Distribute the form so that it appears shorter. For example, you can request two fields on the same line.
- Add messages that ensure user privacy and security. This is particularly important given the changes to the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).
Attracting quality leads can increase your sales opportunities exponentially. The strategy you follow will depend, to a large extent, on the achievement of your goals. As you have seen, there are several online tools that allow you to reach your goal: landing page, CTA, mailing, social networks…
If you're going to start implementing these tips, in some cases it's best to hire a qualified lead generation expert.