Why should companies focus on lead generation? Where does lead generation fit in the buyer’s journey? Does lead generation really work? How does using lead generation change digital marketing? In this article we will explore lead generation and lead generation trends.
Before jumping into lead generation, let’s start with a basic look at the buyer's journey. This is essentially the journey someone takes before buying a product. There are three stages to the buyer’s journey.
- Awareness- The person becomes aware of their problem.
- Consideration- The person considers how they are going to solve that problem.
- Decision- The person evaluates the problem and decides how they are going to fix it.
Lead Generation
A “lead” is someone who shows interest in a company and is a potential customer willing to invest in the company’s products or services in the future.
Lead generation is all about building trust and valuable relationships with your target audience. It happens within the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey.
Lead Generation Content
When it comes to digital content and attracting your audience, you’re not limited to one thing. There is lots of lead generation content to consider. It’s important to use a variety of content to reach as many people as possible. Digital content affects us all in different ways. Here are some lead generation content ideas.
- Write a blog post
- Launch a podcast
- Try email marketing
- Host webinars
- Use creative lead magnets
- Take time to network
- Use social media
- Create a community
- Use visual content
- Tap into video marketing
Create unique, engaging content that grabs visitors’ attention and represents the very best aspects of your brand!
Lead Generation Strategy
Generating sales leads doesn’t have to be a mystery. Here are some good lead generation strategies for your business.
- Optimize your website
- Repurpose old content
- Use pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
- Use behavioral targeting
- Use referral marketing
- Integrate live chat
- Use lead magnets
- Create a sense of urgency
- Optimize your call-to-action (CTA)
- Use social media hashtags
Optimize your website
Just driving traffic to your website doesn’t guarantee someone will make a purchase. Your website must be optimized. Your website should have a speedy load time, engaging content and an interesting web design. The goal is to capture the attention of your visitors and convert them into customers.
Repurpose old content
Reusing content is an easy way to generate leads. However, pay attention to trends and update your content and headlines to what is relevant today. Provide your audience a fresh perspective on old topics and content.
Use pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
Launching pay-per-click ads on social media or Google are way more likely for someone to complete a purchase. Be sure to use competitive keywords to attract and target your audience. A PPC ad can redirect them to relevant landing pages where you can collect information such as their email address.
Use behavioral targeting
Personalization is key to a successful lead generation strategy. Essentially you can target visitors based on their browsing habits. You can display other similar products that may interest them. The more personalized your campaign the more likely a visitor is to associate and relate to your brand.
Use referral marketing
Referral marketing is a classic lead generation strategy. Happy customers will recommend your products and services to a friend. Offering an incentive such as a discount on their next order or gift card will encourage customers to refer your products to their friends.
Integrate live chat
Live chat is one way to interact with your website visitors. People always have questions about the products and services on your website. Live chat is a way to collect information, get instant help from a live person, or display recommendations.
Use lead magnets
Lead magnets are useful tools you can offer your customers. Some examples include discount coupons, eBooks, marketing guides, tutorials, cheatsheets, infographics, and more.
Optimize your call-to-action (CTA)
Call-to-action is a strategic way to capture leads on your website. A CTA directs users to take action on your website. For instance, a call-to-action includes words like call, join, donate, buy, shop. CTAs are hard to miss!
Create a sense of urgency
A sense of urgency is another good way to capture leads. Attaching a countdown to your offer makes it more appealing. Your copy should be engaging and your CTA should be attention grabbing. Give your visitors a fear of missing out and gain instant sales.
Use social media hashtags
Using hashtags on social media is one way companies can engage their audience. Users who are looking for specific content and posts are searching related hashtags. Make sure your hashtags are relevant and you’re bound to get positive results.
Lead Generation Trends
Lead Generation trends in 2022.
- Conversional marketing
- Voice and search marketing
- Video content marketing
- Influencer marketing
- Facebook Ad marketing
- Account based marketing
Conversional marketing
Using chatbots is becoming a more popular lead generation trend. Chatbots are a form of artificial intelligence (AI) and a way to interact with customers. They are a great way to collect information such as email addresses, names, contact numbers, feedback, and more.
Voice and search marketing
Long-tail keywords focus more and mimic real life speech and conversation. For instance, “Alexa, what are the best lead generation marketing trends?” It’s essential that your web content be more conversational and focus on phrases your target audience uses.
Video content marketing
Many people prefer video content over written content. Video content includes webinars, demos, live streams, informational videos, and social media. Video content is a great way to impress and convert your leads by using creative videos.
Influencer marketing
Partnering with an influencer is one way to get a plethora of potential leads. It’s key to find an influencer who shares your brand’s values. Also, it’s important the influencer mentions the link to your website. Their endorsement of your product will go a long way.
Facebook Ad marketing
Social media isn’t going away any time soon. Using Facebook lead ads via mobile devices is a great way to generate leads. It’s easy for prospective customers to tap on your ad and provide information through the customized form on Facebook.
Account based marketing
Account based marketing focuses on customizing personalized campaigns or programs for a specific account. It is a way to concentrate on high-value customers and in turn has increased engagement. Targeting less accounts makes tracking and measurement easier.
Lead generation is essential for every company. Through effectively using digital marketing you’ll build your audience’s trust and convert leads into sales.