Gone are the days of cold-calling and door-to-door sales. In fact, many mobile users are now even alerted when an unknown caller is classified as a “spam risk”.
Sales processes have since adapted, as tech has, to become almost entirely digital to appeal to online audiences. So how should a business attract inbound sales leads, given recent innovations in tech?
Read on to find out how these 5 strategies can help you generate more leads online:
- Pay attention to your user behavior
Does your website attract and engage your users, then convert them to buyers? You’ll need to offer value to attract qualified inbound sales leads.
And what better way to attract leads than by understanding their user behavior and thus, how to address their needs and alleviate their pain points.
Most, if not all of the highest-ranking websites use some form of site analytics to measure which content interests users the most, where users are leaving their site, and whether their goals of conversion rates are being met.
The most popular tool to track user behavior is Google Analytics, Search Console, and Tag Manager. These are often used in conjunction with other programs and apps to measure wherein the sales funnel their users are being converted or leaving.
You can also extract other data such as which locations your site is being used, your user age range, and what devices they are using, for example. Did we mention that Google offers these additional services for free?
Expert Opinion: Vertical Measures expert Stephen Roda writes “When making marketing decisions, analytics is your best friend. If you use data to inform your decisions, you will be making better decisions. Focusing on improving your lead generation via conversion rates will go a long way in improving your bottom line”.
- Generate fresh, optimized content
Once you have a better idea of how your target audience behaves, you can gently nudge them through the sales funnel by offering content that is both engaging and ranks well in search engines. There’s no point in producing great content if no one finds it!
Producing great content sounds like a given, right? With so much content out there it’s important to keep the quality up and make your content unique so it sticks out amidst the high volume of similar content.
Most lead-generating content is delivered in primary landing pages, or where your users are landing on your website via search engines or other sources of traffic, so start by creating and optimizing these pages.
To optimize your landing pages include keywords and phrases that rank high in search engines, the appropriate headers and tags, and of course, a strong marketing headline.
Although you should include key phrases about your content that rank well in search engines, you also need to ensure that they stay on message. Readers are aware of when they’re being bait and switched!
Use tools such as keyword density analyzers and broken link checkers to double-check that your content is current and all links work. Then test, test, test all links and forms to ensure a seamless user experience.
Start your content marketing today and watch your leads grow.
Key content comes in many forms.
Lead generating content comes in many forms, such as blog posts, infographics, rich media, case studies, and more. Content is even more valuable if you can distribute it with linkbacks, such as in third-party guest blog posts for high-ranking domains.
And never forget – everyone loves a freebie. “Nice-to-haves” like free tools, templates, or webinars can be game-changers when you are in a competitive market.
Nothing generates clicks and views like the words “free” and “you”- so your content should be focused on your target audience, not centered on you and your product. Yes, your visitors are self-interested! What’s in it for them, because that’s what drove them to your site in the first place.
Point out a problem, then offer a solution
Many site users are looking for information or a product that helps them solve a problem.
Offering a solution to their problems in a fresh and engaging way helps your users create a bond with your product, making them far more likely to pick your product over others.
Don’t forget – your site users are human too, so ditch the robotic language so you can connect.
Include a CTA, something your site visitors can ACT on!
It’s not a coincidence that “CTA” and “Act” are anagrams.
Your landing pages should always contain one or more appropriate calls-to-action (CTAs), or your users will not be able to act on anything when they are ready to.
What is it you want your users to do when they land on a page – call you? Subscribe to updates? Fill out a survey?
If you don’t provide them with buttons and links to do this, you may as well start cold-calling!
Revisit user behavior – again and again!
Use analytics to pin down which content your visitors are interested in the most (i.e. paying attention to your user behavior), and begin to shape the rest of your content to complement this.
The Billy Milligan case taught me a lot as a writer. A man who claimed to have 24 personalities living inside him gave us these key takeaways:
- We get used to thinking that one person can have only one personality (even if it’s a complicated one);
- …and only one memory;
- …and one set of skills;
- …and only one IQ, gender, nationality, strength, and so on.
The content that drives leads may vary and evolve over time, which is why content needs to be painstakingly revisited time and time again.
- Automate your digital marketing
You’ll need help to get the word out about how awesome your product is, or rather, how it can help your target market.
What better way than to run an automated digital marketing campaign to help generate leads and also funnel them through the sales process?
Set up an email, or even text messaging campaign, to ensure that your organization is capturing leads from all avenues.
As the CMO of Jook SMS, Chris, puts it: “Mobile devices are no longer a growing influence in the digital marketing space. Mobile is the influence.”
If you have established contacts and a leads list, this is a great way to engage those who have willingly provided contact details to alert for sales, appointments, contests, and more lead-engagement activities.
Drip campaigns via email and SMS are one of the most powerful automated marketing tools out there, and a great way to stay in front of current and prospective customers.
But don’t just take our word for it – another source has shown that between 2014 and 2018 alone the number of companies polled who reported that automation has worked well for them as a marketing strategy rose from just 8% to over 50%. Those are stats we can get behind!
- Social Media Presence
Most people think of social media as just a way to develop branding; however, it is so much more than that.
Having a great social media presence is not only a great way to keep your content fresh and engage your current clients, but is also a great way to attract new leads.
Think of using social media as a way of intelligence gathering to bring people into your sales funnel. You’re able to find out what your target audience is most interested in, what their pain points are, and what you can sell to them to alleviate these pain points.
Social media marketing also allows you to increase the amount of CTAs your company displays to capture these leads.
What’s even better – happy clients can spread their joy by liking and sharing your content with others, generating, even more, leads, which leads to our next strategy: referrals.
- Referrals and reviews
People want to be able to trust the product they’re buying, especially if it’s a sizable investment. What better way to assess the worthiness of a product than by a referral from a loved one or esteemed colleague?
Perhaps one of the best things about using referrals to generate leads is that much of the typical sales process is taken out of the equation; thus, your cost of acquisition for referred clients is far lower.
Referred clients are also more likely to stick around. According to experts at Deloitte, “customers referred by other customers have a 37% higher retention rate.”
So when you have a happy client, one of the smartest things you could possibly do is to request that they leave a positive review and/or refer others to your business.
It costs nothing to generate leads this way and referred clients already have a foundation of knowledge and trust in your company.
Don’t be afraid of generating leads in the ever-changing online environment.
Platforms will evolve over time. But with these strategies, you will be able to set up your business for success in generating and nurturing leads online in a variety of ways.
- 5 strategies to generate leads online - 02 November 2020
