Lead generation helps you to identify and attract potential customers who have shown interest in your product or service. By generating leads, you expand their customer base, increase sales, and ultimately, grow revenue.
With effective lead generation strategies, you establish and strengthen your brand reputation, establish themselves as industry leaders, and gain valuable insights into their target audience’s needs and preferences. Additionally, lead generation can provide you with a cost-effective way to reach potential customers and build long-term relationships with them.
So you get it. Lead generation is the foundation of every business. No leads means no business. But how do you get leads?
We’ve collected a list of top 15 lead-generation tactics you can implement right away! From tried-and-true methods like content marketing, to cutting-edge techniques like chatbots, we bring you the best of the best in lead generation.
1 – Schedule Webinars
Webinars can be a game-changer for businesses looking to generate leads and grow their customer base.
A captivating topic will grab the audience’s attention and spark their curiosity, making them more likely to attend the webinar. The more buzz you generate, the more likely it is that you’ll attract potential attendees and generate leads.
How do webinars help you with leads?
You get to collect contact information from attendees. This is a crucial step in building a relationship with potential customers and moving them further down the sales funnel.
Establish your expertise and build trust with potential leads by providing engaging and informative content during the webinar.
After the webinar, take the initiative to follow up with attendees and thank them for their participation.
Use this as an opportunity to provide additional information about the product or service and continue the conversation. A thoughtful follow-up can be the difference between a lead going cold and a potential customer making a purchase.
2 – Offer Gated Content
Gated content refers to any type of valuable information or resource that is hidden behind a form or landing page that requires users to provide their contact information in exchange for access.
A Demand Gen Report found that 63% of B2B buyers are willing to share their contact information in exchange for valuable content. Examples of gated content include e-books, whitepapers, reports, webinars, and more.
How does gated content help with lead gen?
Create a sense of urgency and exclusivity around the content, making it seem like a rare opportunity that users won’t want to miss. Use social proof to showcase the value of the content by including testimonials or reviews from previous users.
Once users have shared their contact information in exchange for access, use this as an opportunity to start building a relationship with them.
Follow up with personalized emails, sharing more information about your product or service, addressing any questions or concerns they may have, and inviting them to buy your product or serving.
3- Run A Cold Outreach Campaign
Cold outreach is the practice of reaching out to potential customers who have not previously expressed an interest in your product or service. This can be done through various channels, including email, phone, social media, SMS, or direct mail.
Cold outreach is an effective way to generate leads, but it can also be challenging. Many people are wary of unsolicited outreach and may be resistant to engage with a salesperson or marketer they don’t know.
To make cold outreach more effective, make it targeted, personal, and respectful of the recipient’s time and preferences.
4 – Add Pop-Ups and Overlays
Pop-ups and overlays are a form of on-screen messaging that appear on top of your website’s content, often in the form of a banner, window, or modal. Use them to promote offers, collect contact information, and move users further down the sales funnel.
One of the key benefits of the popup is your ability to customize them to target specific segments of your audience.
For example, you can use user behavior, location, and past purchases to create personalized messages that are more likely to resonate with your visitors. This level of targeting can lead to higher conversion rates and more qualified leads.
To maximize the effectiveness of your pop-ups and overlays, design them with a clear and compelling CTA that encourages users to take the next step. Make sure it is prominently displayed and easy to follow.
Use persuasive copy and visuals to make the offer more appealing and increase the likelihood of conversion.
However, pop-ups and overlays should be used sparingly and strategically, as they can also be seen as annoying or intrusive by some users. To avoid this, consider using exit-intent pop-ups that only appear when a user is about to leave the page or time-delayed pop-ups that give users time to explore your content before making an offer.
5 – Offer a Free Tool
How does offering a free tool actually help with lead generation?
Firstly, it helps to attract web visitors and encourages them to spend more time on your site. If your tool is useful and engaging, visitors are more likely to share it with others and return to your site in the future. This increases brand awareness and builds a loyal following.
Secondly, it help visitors solve a problem or answer a question and captures their contact information. For example, a mortgage calculator or a budgeting tool can provide value to your audience while also helping you capture new leads. By asking users to provide their contact details in order to access your tool, you can build a database of qualified leads that you can target with your marketing campaigns.
Lastly, offering a free tool helps to position your brand as a thought leader in your industry. It sets you apart from your competitors and makes it easier to convert leads into paying customers.
6 – Use Interactive Content
Offering quizzes or assessments can be a fun and interactive way to engage your audience and capture their contact information. A personalized assessment creates a memorable experience for your visitors that encourages them to share with others.
Share Free templates or checklists that your audience can use in their own business to build trust and establish yourself as an expert in your field. Give them helpful resources to streamline their workflows and improve their productivity. In exchange, ask for contact info.
7 – Create a Lead Magnet
Lead magnets can take many forms: a free trial, a discount code, a free eBook, or a video tutorial.
A good lead magnet is a valuable offer that is relevant to your target audience and motivates them to share their contact information with your business. Here are some key elements that make a good lead magnet:
- Relevance: Make it highly relevant to your target audience and aligned with their interests and needs.
- Value: Provide genuine value to your audience. Help them solve a problem, educate them on a topic of interest, or entertain them.
- Quick to consume: Make it easy to consume and do not require a significant time commitment. Let your audience quickly benefit from your offer, without having to spend a lot of time or effort.
- Specific and actionable: Be specific and actionable, providing clear guidance or steps to follow. It increases the likelihood that they will implement your advice.
- Unique and compelling: Make it unique and compelling, setting your offer apart from others in your industry.
- Prominently placed: Prominently place it on your website or landing page, making it easy for your audience to find and take advantage of. Use pop-ups, banners, or other attention-grabbing methods.
8 – Offer Free Trials
Free trials allow your potential customers to experience your product or service firsthand. It lowers the barrier to entry for potential customers who may be hesitant to purchase a new product or service. You’re giving them a risk-free way to evaluate its value.
If your product or service delivers on its promises during the free trial period, customers are more likely to continue using it and paying for it once the trial ends.
A free trial also increases engagement with potential customers. During the trial period, you can communicate with customers, offer support, and encourage them to use the product or service to its full potential. This can help to build a relationship with potential customers and increase the likelihood that they’ll become paying customers in the future.
The trial period should be long enough for potential customers to get a good feel for your product or service, but not so long that it becomes a burden or puts a strain on your resources. A common trial period is 14 or 30 days, but this can vary depending on the nature of your offering.
Make the trial sign-up process simple and straightforward, with clear instructions and minimal barriers to entry. Make it easy for customers to cancel the trial if they decide it’s not for them.
9 – Utilize Live Chat
Live chat is an excellent way to engage with website visitors in real-time and answer any questions they may have.
Use the visitor’s name and try to tailor your responses to their specific needs or questions. Make sure your tone is friendly, helpful, and professional. This helps to build trust and make the visitor feel valued.
Respond to live chat messages as quickly as possible, ideally within a few seconds. Visitors are more likely to stay engaged and convert into leads if they receive prompt and helpful responses.
How do you generate leads with chat?
Once you have engaged with a visitor through live chat, collect their contact information so you can follow up with them later via your mailing list or CRM system.
Consider using automated chatbots to handle simple questions and routine inquiries. A well-designed chatbot can engage website visitors in a conversation and gather relevant lead information.
Here are 4 reasons why chatbots are effective for lead generation:
- 24/7 availability: Chatbots are available round the clock and can interact with website visitors when a human is not available. This means that a chatbot can generate leads even outside of business hours.
- Personalization: Chatbots can be programmed to ask personalized questions based on a visitor’s behavior and preferences. They can gather more relevant information, resulting in higher quality leads.
- Automated lead qualification: Chatbots can be programmed to ask qualifying questions to determine whether a visitor is a good fit for your product or service. It saves time and effort by only passing on the most qualified leads to sales representatives.
- Increased engagement: Chatbots can engage with website visitors in a conversational manner, making the lead generation process more interactive and engaging. It leads to a higher conversion rate for leads.
However, keep in mind that chatbots are not a one-size-fits-all solution and their effectiveness will depend on a number of factors, including the quality of the chatbot design, the complexity of the product or service being offered, and the level of customization. They are not a substitute for human interaction, but rather as a tool to enhance the lead generation process.
10 – Invest in Social Media Advertising
Social media advertising in general and retargeting in particular are a great way to reach a large audience and target specific demographics.
You can use platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to create targeted ad campaigns that drive traffic to your website and capture leads. By using targeted advertising, interactive content, and real-time feedback, businesses can create effective lead generation campaigns that deliver results.
Social media platforms allow you to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors, allowing you to reach the right audience for your business. By targeting your ads to the right people, you increase the quality of your leads.
Retargeting allows you to show ads to people who have already interacted with your website or social media profiles.When you retarget prospects with ads that are tailored to their interests, you can turn them into leads.
11 – Run a Referral Program
Referral programs incentivize your existing customers or clients to refer new leads to your business. By offering a reward or discount for successful referrals, you can encourage your customers to help you grow your business.
Referrals come from happy clients. This means that the recommendation is coming from a trusted source, which can make the referral more effective in generating leads.
A study by the New York Times found that 65% of new business comes from referrals and Invesp suggests that referred customers have a 30% higher conversion rate than non-referred customers.
- Advocate Referral Program: It incentivizes existing customers to refer their friends or family to your business. In exchange for the referral, the existing customer receives a reward, such as a discount, free product or service, or a gift card.
- Influencer Referral Program: It invites social media influencers or bloggers to promote your business and refer their followers to your products or services. In exchange for the referral, the influencer receives a commission or a free product.
- Affiliate Referral Program: Partners or affiliates refer customers to your business in exchange for a commission or revenue share.
- Loyalty Referral Program: Existing customers refer new customers to your business in exchange for rewards, such as points or discounts, that can be redeemed for future purchases.
- Give-Get Referral Program: Both the referrer and the referred customer. The referrer receives a reward for referring the new customer, while the new customer also receives a reward for making their first purchase.
Choose a program that aligns with your brand values and appeals to your audience. Provide clear instructions on how to refer friends or family, and to make the referral process as easy and seamless as possible.
12 – Create a Podcast
Starting a podcast can be a great way to establish your brand as a thought leader in your industry. While it’s difficult to measure the impact of podcasts on lead generation directly, there are several factors that suggest that podcasts can be a valuable addition to your lead generation strategy:
Podcasts increase your brand awareness by providing an additional touchpoint for potential customers to engage with your brand. By producing valuable and engaging content on your podcast, you can attract a new audience and build a relationship with them.
Your stories, insights, and experiences create a connection with your listeners and a sense of community around your brand.
Your expertise and insights position your brand as a trusted authority in your field, which in turn, helps to attract new leads and customers.
Podcasts are great networking opportunities that can lead to new business partnerships and collaborations. By interviewing industry leaders or other professionals on your podcast, you can establish connections and build relationships that can help to generate leads and business opportunities.
13 – Use Influencer Marketing
According to a survey by Influencer Marketing Hub, businesses generate $5.20 in earned media value for every $1 spent on influencer marketing leading to a 325% increase in ROI.
More and more big brands tap into Influencer marketing.
For example, Samsung collaborated with a number of influencers to promote their Galaxy smartphone. The influencers created Instagram stories, posts, and videos showcasing the phone’s features and capabilities. This campaign generated over 2.6 million engagements and increased sales of the new phone.
The beauty brand Glossier collaborated with beauty influencers to launch their new makeup product. The influencers created tutorials and reviews of the product on Instagram, which generated buzz and excitement among their followers. This campaign resulted in a sold-out product within 24 hours of its launch.
You too can collaborate with influencers to create sponsored content, giveaways or social media posts.
Influencers have built a following based on their expertise, reputation, and credibility. When they recommend a product or service, their followers are more likely to trust their opinion, which can lead to increased lead generation.
For a successful lead generation campaign via influencer marketing, carefully select the right influencers who align with your brand and have an engaged following in your target niche. Establish clear goals and objectives, for example the number of leads or conversions you want to achieve, and track and analyze the results of the campaign to continuously improve its effectiveness.
14 – Optimize your website for lead generation
Optimizing your website helps to increase search engine visibility, improve user experience, enhance credibility and trust, better target and segment your audience, and allow for better data tracking and analysis. These in turn bring leads for your business.
Provide clear calls-to-action, easy-to-use forms, and relevant content. Make sure your website clearly communicates the value that you offer to your potential customers. Choose headlines and subheadings that emphasize the benefits of your products or services, and clear and concise language that resonates with your target audience. Use tools like Google Analytics and heat maps to identify areas of your website that may be causing friction and optimize them to improve your lead generation effort.
Create landing pages that are specifically designed to convert visitors into leads. A high-performing landing page focuses on a single offer or value proposition and includes a clear and compelling CTA.
Use a form to collect contact information from your visitors and offer something of value in exchange, such as an ebook, whitepaper, or free trial.
15 – Leverage search engine optimization (SEO)
By optimizing your website for search engines, you attract more organic traffic to your website and generate new leads. SEO involves optimizing your website’s content, structure, and technical elements to improve your visibility in search engine results pages.
SEO helps your website to rank higher in search engine results pages, making it more visible to potential customers who are actively searching for products or services like yours. This increased visibility can drive more traffic to your site, which can ultimately result in more leads.
By optimizing your website for specific keywords and phrases that are relevant to your target audience, you can attract visitors who are more likely to be interested in what you have to offer. This can lead to higher-quality leads that are more likely to convert.
A study by Search Engine Journal found that SEO has a 14.6% close rate, compared to 1.7% for traditional outbound marketing tactics. By investing in SEO, you can create a sustainable lead generation strategy that can help your business grow over time.
CONCLUSION
Lead generation is a crucial component of any business strategy. It not only helps to identify and attract potential customers but also provides you with valuable insights into your audience’s needs and preferences.
With effective lead generation strategies, you can increase their customer base, expand their sales, and establish yourself as industry leaders. Implementing lead generation techniques is essential for any business that wishes to grow and succeed in today’s highly competitive marketplace.
