Gone are the days where you could buy your audience's attention. It's a whole new ball game; attention needs to be earned. Your target market won't show an interest unless you're absolutely worthy of their time. It's time to make an effort and create compelling content. You're not going to be able to slide under the radar with mediocre texts from the nearest content mill - and that's definitely a good thing.
The aim here is to use high-quality content to convert visitors into leads. Sure, it's easier said than done, but let's face it, nothing worthwhile ever falls into your lap without a little effort.
ADAPT YOUR MINDSET
There are no two ways about it: compelling content is king.
Without the right kind of content, you'll find it exceptionally challenging to generate the right kind of leads. The tools you use to generate traffic (social platforms, SEO, PPC, blog) all rely on quality, unique content.
It's been proven that around 96% of B2B customers are looking for content from industry thought leaders. Why is this so important to them? It's simple: informed buying decisions are less regrettable. It works for you too. If you're snagging customers based on an informed decision-making process, you're generating qualified leads rather than attracting random chancers.
Once you've gotten used to churning out quality content, it becomes necessary to implement the best practices for generating leads. In this particular case, you need to adjust your approach to working smart, not hard. It's all about efficiency. Within no time you'll begin to realize why companies on the content bandwagon are generating almost 70% more leads per month than those who ignore the the all-important trend.
CAPTURE THOSE LEADS
More than half of your website's visitors will never return if you don't take steps to capture some sort of information from them. Obviously, collecting a working email address would be the ideal scenario but site visitors are rapidly wising up to the ever prevalent "sign up here" buttons. You might as well have your call-to-action boldly state, "We're going to spam you," and be done with it. It's time to find new ways of obtaining the information you need.
Before requesting any information, you'll need to do two things:
Give before you ask.
Make sure every step of your marketing process offers some sort of value. This includes all your advertisements and promotions.
It's important to remember that we live in a time where people are fending off (sometimes useless) information from all angles. The opt-in email box is no longer a luxury. Everyone is wary of giving out their email addresses for fear of being inundated with hundreds of additional emails a day. Let's face it; emptying out those spam folders is a daily chore that no one looks forward to.
Potential buyers around the globe have made an unspoken vow to never fall into the "sign up here" trap again. Marketers have the seemingly difficult task of breaking down those walls by using mutually-beneficial opt-in methods to capture the contact information they need to get ahead. Using lead magnets is probably the best way to achieve this.
USE LEAD MAGNETS
Between pop-up blockers and the above-mentioned "no sign-up oath", there's a gap in the successful client life-cycle. You'll find that pesky gap somewhere between the traffic generation phase and the lead generation phase. It's the reason why you often have to deal with one-time visitors who rebuff all your attempts to capture their information.
On the bright side, you can bridge this gap with lead magnets. Use tools that provide value for your visitors in exchange for their contact details. It's worth remembering that you're dealing with sentient beings here, so you're not going to get away with false promises. You have to walk the walk.
Your goal is to receive permission from visitors to follow up. At the same time, you'll be educating them on your business. It's a double-whammy, really. Whether you're aiming for email opt-ins, subscriptions, or social media follows, you need to make sure your tools are worth the effort.
Here are some examples of what you could offer:
Training video series
Free trial
Webinars
ebooks
Whitepapers
A set of bonus tips
An interview with an expert on a relevant topic
SET UP A LANDING PAGE
Believe it or not, landing pages can be an enormous asset when you're trying to convert visitors into leads. These pages exist separately from your website and are used as a tool in a single marketing campaign. When someone clicks on an advertisement, for example, they'll land on this specific page which contains a single, clear message.
Landing pages are designed to warm up potential customers and capture leads. These are two all-important steps you need to follow before you can move a customer further down your sales funnel.
Bear in mind that there are two basic types of landing pages:
1. Lead generation landing pages -
These capture a visitor's information in exchange for something.
2. Click-through landing pages -
These attract the visitor to a specific product or service with the goal of arming them with enough information that they feel comfortable in making a purchase.
A landing page will have a single call-to-action. The aim is not to overwhelm visitors with too much information but rather to motivate them to one specific goal. When creating the page, you'll need to narrow down your focus and only provide the most pertinent information. If any visitors desperately feel the need to know more, they have the option of visiting your official website to nose around there instead.
The all-important aim of your landing page is to deliver on the promise that your ad source made. Make sure that the first thing visitors see is an echo of that promise. If you offered 50% off of one of your products, visitors need to feel reassured of that offer as soon as possible.
GET USED TO LEAD SCORING
Prioritising your leads according to their levels of engagement is an important step of the process. Marketing automation software can help with lead scoring, with the ultimate goal of helping you figure out who is actually ready to buy. If set up correctly, it can also help you figure out precisely what each lead is interested in.
Essentially, this technique is used to quantify interactions that potential customers have with your content. It works on a point-based system, which could look something like this:
Watch a product overview video - Add 6 points
Download a whitepaper- Add 5 points
Career path not a good match - Deduct 8 points
Subscribe to a list - Add 10 points
This point-based can help save your business time and money when reaching your target market and capitalizing on sales opportunities. By identifying your most lucrative leads, your business can communicate with them confidently. If they are already interested in your business, converting them into paying customers shouldn't be too much of a challenge.
Lead generation is an important part of every business' marketing strategy. You need to make the effort to capture a potential customer's attention with the aim of reconnecting with them when they're ready for your product. Make sure to prioritise the right elements in your marketing strategy; laying a solid foundation for you to build an effective and efficient approach on.