Many businesses are struggling right now especially when it comes to growing their customer/client base. Any business that is enjoying massive growth is one that has mastered various strategies of generating leads because lead generation is the lifeline of any business.
Lead generation is one of the most important aspects of any marketing strategy and acts as a stimulant to potential customers.it is the driving factor from initial customer engagement all the way through a final purchase.
Lead generation is the fastest path to guaranteed success in online business but before we go ahead, What is lead generation? How does it help? What techniques are used to generate more leads?
In simple terms, the people or organizations interested in what you are selling or the service you are offering is called leads. You could also think of them as potential customers. In digital marketing, the lead generation process is all about identifying your ideal customers and nurturing their interest in your business’s products or services. And when those people take an interest we call them qualified leads. It is the initiation of consumer interest or inquiry into the products or services of a business.
So now that we know what lead generation is all about, Why is it important for businesses to generate leads? That’s simple: Revenue. You need to keep generating new leads to keep up the sales. To ensure your business continues to grow and expand, you need to reach more people who could be your potential buyers and elicit interest in your product or service. You should see a steady inflow of people who are interested in exploring what you have to offer. Of course, you are not alone in wanting this for your business. Every business owner or marketing executive has the same goals as you.
In a world where attention spans are limited, and distractions are infinite, attracting potential customers is getting trickier. More and more businesses are vying for this attention, so why should individuals lend their eyeballs or ears to you? In this article, I will be showing you five(5) proven lead generation ideas that you need to grow your agency business.
These strategies include:
- Define your target audience
- Building Trust with Quality Content
- Display Social proof( Reviews and Testimonials)
- Embracing The Strategy Of Lead Magnets
- Advertise and Retarget
Define your target audience
Effective lead generation is not just about generating every and any kind of lead, it is about generating qualified leads. Defining your target audience is the first and most essential step towards success for any company or business, especially if you are just getting started.
Who is your Target Audience?
Your target audience refers to the specific group of consumers most likely to want your product or service, and therefore, the group of people who should see your ad campaigns. The target audience may be dictated by age, gender, income, location, interests, or a myriad of other factors.
The truth remains the fact that Finding the right audience can be crucial for your marketing campaigns’ efficiency. If you target people who don’t want to buy your stuff or don’t have the means to buy your stuff, you might get more site traffic, but it won’t do much for you. You will just keep wondering why none of your visitors are buying from you.
In defining your target audience, you have to ask yourself these questions:
- Who Are They? When thinking about who might be in your audience, you must consider who are the people who identify with your brand.
- What Are Their Biggest Difficulties, Problems, or Desires? This question if properly answered will help you position your offer to proffer the needed solutions to their problems. Don’t make offers based on what you think. Make them according to research grounded in data, previous experiences, and analysis of your potential customers’ behavior.
- Where Do They Look for Information Online? We are living in an age where people are constantly looking for information online. Identify the communication channels most appropriate to your target audience and try to talk to them using a specific language from their universe.
- Is your Offer Beneficial to Them? Everyone wants solutions to their problems and to make their lives easier. This is a collective desire and it’s no different for your target audience. Ensure that your offer solves their problem and is worthwhile.
- Are You Trustworthy? Trust is very important in business especially in online business.No one purchases a product or service from a company they don’t know or trust.
The reputation of your company is crucial. Taking care of the relationship with your customers is essential as they spread information about your brand on the internet and to their friends and family.
Building Trust with Quality Content
Content is King! It is the most effective way to drive and nurture leads.
You build this trust with someone who isn’t a customer through content. This content may be distributed through:
- Through your blog
- On social media
- Through email marketing
Experts estimate that over 57% of the buying decision is done before a person reaches out to schedule or buy something. You do this through content. But what kind of content builds trust?
Trust building content is content that:
- Solves a target’s problems
- Understand a target’s goals and challenges
- Is helpful, not overly promotional
- Seems impartial
- Are about the target’s needs, not yours
- Doesn’t skimp on quality
- Uses the art of subtle persuasion rather than a hard sell
It is important to state that Content is a great way to guide users to a landing page. Typically, you create content to provide visitors with useful, free information. You can include CTAs anywhere in your content — inline, bottom-of-post, or even on the side panel. The more delighted a visitor is with your content, the more likely they are to click your call-to-action and move onto your landing page. Consistent, quality content will attract the attention of readers, as well as encourage them to trust your company.
Display Social proof( Reviews and Testimonials)
Studies show that people are more likely to do something when presented with evidence that others have done it, The bandwagon effect stands true in marketing.
Social proof allows companies to take advantage of external validation and customer advocacy in order to influence potential customers.
Social proof is a psychological phenomenon where people conform to the actions of others under the assumption that those actions are reflective of the correct behavior.
There’s no denying the power of social proof. Studies show 92% of online consumers look at a product review prior to making a purchase. In other words, consumers want proof from their peers and unbiased 3rd parties, not the brands selling the products.
Leveraging Social Proof:
Proactive businesses will use positive social proof to their advantage. If you get a glowing review of your product or service, display it somewhere on your website, perhaps on a dedicated reviews page. Ideally, you will provide a link to the original testimonial.
If it’s a particularly good one, consider sharing it on one of your social media platforms – or all of them, whether Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
How to use social proof in marketing:
There are several ways you can incorporate social proof into your marketing to showcase your satisfied customers to potential customers. Knowing that people have been happy with your business and its products or services before is one of the best marketing tricks.
- Case studies
One great way to showcase satisfied customers is by writing a case study about their experience with your business. Identify one or several clients that you’ve had significant success with and reach out if they’d be willing to participate in a case study along with preliminary questions.
- Testimonials and reviews
Your business might receive testimonials and reviews online, but have you ever thought about sharing those on social media? Reviews are the quintessential example of social proof. And including ratings and reviews on your website as well as sharing on social media lets your audience know what others think.
- Awards and accolades
Has your business won awards or been ranked on top lists in your industry? Show that stuff off! It’s a great way to let people know that your business is known for its excellence.
- Celebrity Endorsements
Celebrities and well-known industry experts are great resources when it comes to establishing authority and proving your value. Depending on your brand, celebrity approval may come in the form of paid endorsements or even natural endorsements.
Social proof can be an effective marketing tactic for a number of if applied appropriately.
Embracing The Strategy Of Lead Magnets
This is a lead generation strategy that always works as long as it is applied appropriately. Nothing is more irresistible than anything that is free.
Simply put, a lead magnet is something valuable that you provide to your visitors in exchange for their contact details (usually, their email address) on a lead-gen form. A lead magnet can be anything: ebooks, Tutorials/courses, research reports, eCommerce coupons, software, free access to an application e.t.c
High-converting lead magnets have one thing in common: they all focus on the target audience. And that’s where your lead magnet creation and marketing must focus. Once your target audience sees that your focus is on improving their lives, they quickly eat up your lead magnet. If they love it, you’ll soon be sending them a check-out page link or digital sales proposal tool.
As good as the lead magnet tool is, not all lead magnets drive conversion. How then can one Create Lead Magnets That Drive Conversions?
- Know who your target customers are
- Find Out What Your Customers Want
- Design A High-Quality Lead Magnet that addresses their pain point
- A strong call-to-action button
This may seem obvious to you, but you’d be surprised how many marketers don’t create dedicated landing pages for their offers. CTAs are meant to send visitors to a landing page where they can receive a specific offer.
Don’t use CTAs to drive people to your homepage, for instance. Even if your CTA is about your brand or product (and perhaps not an offer like a download), you should still be sending them to a targeted landing page that’s relevant to what they are looking for and includes an opt-in form. If you have the opportunity to use a CTA, send them to a page that will convert them into a lead.
Advertise and Retarget
The sole purpose of an ad is to get people to take action. Otherwise, why spend the money? If you want people to convert, be sure that your landing page and offer match exactly what is promised in the ad, and that the action you want users to take is crystal clear.
By investing in paid search ads or social media ads, you can get your brand in front of a very targeted audience. This is great for your visibility and allows you to drive a high volume of traffic to your landing pages.
Alongside Ads, Retargeting should be employed to make the lead generation process more effective. Have you ever left a website only to be followed by its ads for weeks afterward? That’s retargeting marketing.
In a nutshell, retarget marketing works by placing a small pixel of code on your website that attaches a cookie to every user who visits the site. When they browse the web elsewhere, that cookie triggers your ads. This means only users who have already been to your site and left will see the ads.
Conclusion
Armed with these research-driven lead generation techniques, you can now turn casual visitors and prospects into qualified leads. These lead generation practices that have been discussed above are used by big companies to increase their customer base and sales. Be sure to put these practices to use, and you’ll acquire more leads, make more sales, and increase your business profitability.
