Lead generation isn’t a new term, but it’s certainly become a popular marketing strategy in recent years because it is so multi-faceted. The marketplace is more crowded than ever before and businesses must set themselves apart by creating brand awareness, discovering new customers and ultimately generating revenue. This is what lead generation should be used for and luckily, marketers have a lot of options to execute it – like Google ads for example. Though this guide will cover just a few of the hundred ways to generate leads, you’ll learn how to keep a consistent flow of qualified leads so that you can keep your pipeline full and your executives happy.
1. Do your homework
Before jumping into generating leads, you should understand what leads are. A lead is typically a person that’s interested in your products or services and may ultimately become an actual customer. Usually, leads interact with content you’ve shared and may even share personal information in response, like their name and age. Lead generation is incredibly important as businesses cannot rely on past buyers forever and must meet new sales goals every quarter. So, how do you get started?
2. Understand the lead generation process and how to qualify your lead
Acquire.io defines the lead generation process in six simple steps: Attract, Interact, Qualify, Engagement, Close and Feedback. It’s important you don’t start by directly engaging with your leads or immediately requesting feedback. Generating leads should be done linearly and it should be repeatable, so your team can execute the process again.
To qualify a lead, really understand who they are and how they engage with you. Find out what they click on when they visit your website and if they’re likely to pull the trigger on decision-making.
3. Formulate a strategy
Here’s where a little self-searching comes in. What kind of business do you have? Who is usually your BEST customer, i.e. who generates key business opportunities for you? What customers do you want to see more of? There isn’t a strategy that will apply for every business. First, start off by formulating a buyer persona for your target audience, including:
- Demographic information, like age, ethnicity and geographic location
- Interests and behaviours
- Attitudes about your business or product
After you’ve determined who your leads are, you can pick from several lead strategies, including content marketing, email marketing, social media and more. Though this guide will be taking a deep dive into using Google ads for a lead campaign, there are other ways to achieve this as well.
4. Pick the right channels and tactics
Let’s say, for example, you decide to employ a content marketing lead strategy. Every day, customers are inundated with content, so your content should be truly exceptional and relevant to make it stand out. If you’re hoping to generate awareness first, you could write a blog post or produce an original video. If you decide to generate leads via social media, you could partner with an influencer or optimise your customer service options on Facebook.
Think about where your leads are and what content they like to engage with. This goes back to putting effort into your buyer personas so you’re not just pushing content into the void.
5. Use Google Ads
Google is one of the most popular platforms for generating leads as it is widely used by everyone on the planet to find information. Through Google Ads, you can set up an entire lead campaign in a few easy steps. The primarily goal of Google Ads is to drive user traffic to one main landing page. To achieve this, you have to use the right keywords so your Google ads appears in as many searches as possible. Do keyword research before embarking on a Google Ads campaign. Make sure your keywords are tailored to the exact text on the landing page, so your audience doesn’t feel like they’re getting duped. And, make sure your call to action is immediately where your leads can see it.
When the entire Google Ads process is executed correctly, Google leads are some of the best leads to have. Google leads are more likely to click directly on your landing page and buy a product than leads generated through social media sites. Google Ads is free to use, but you’ll need to fund the Google Ads themselves.
6. Optimise your website
If your website isn’t the most aesthetically-pleasing or it’s difficult to navigate, use your lead generation process as a great time to refresh it. The entire purpose of generating leads is to draw potential customers to your website and let them explore your products and find out more about you. Thus, your website can even serve as a lead-generating tactic. Here, you can include product incentive pop-up forms where users can win a freebie just for visiting or landing pages that lead to promotional offers. Your website is one of your best assets.
7. Benchmark your results
It is essential to track your metrics and make sure your strategies are working. Though you’ll want to generate revenue, your ultimate goal is to build brand awareness and set your business apart from its competitors. Is your site getting increased traffic? Have you received more followers on your social media site? Use these as a good indicator that your lead strategies are moving in a positive direction.
Generating a quality lead isn’t a one-day process and it may even take up to several weeks. Put your buyers first and consider how they want to be marketed to – after all, you need them!
Sources
What Is Lead Generation? A Guide for Marketers
https://www.cognism.com/what-is-lead-generation
Lead Generation: A Beginner’s Guide to Generating Business Leads the Inbound Way
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/beginner-inbound-lead-generation-guide-ht
Lead generation
https://www.optimizely.com/optimization-glossary/lead-generation/
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