The old ways of lead generation were influenced by a shortage of information. This meant that potential buyers were expected to be educated by the sales team very early on in the buying journey. Today, potential buyers are inundated with information, and businesses now find it somewhat arduous to create demand for their product and/or service and get their messages heard and acted upon by increasingly educated buyers.

The lead generation game has changed. The power is no longer in the hands of the sales team and is now in the hands of consumers. This means businesses need to be looking at lead generation from a multi-channel approach, not putting all of their eggs in one basket [i.e. a sales call or referral partner].

Here are 6 more ways you can grow your database and generate more leads.

website forms

When it comes to converting potential buyers into qualified leads, your website is where the magic happens. But you can’t convert them into leads unless you capture some of their information for on-going lead nurturing. Lead capture forms are the best way to capture and qualify a lead on your website.

Ensure the context of your website forms is correct. A form tucked away in a page that doesn’t perform well isn’t going to deliver the best outcome. Place relevant lead capture forms on pages that will deliver a high conversion rate. This may be the top right side of your services page, and the contact us page. If you’re unsure as to which page to place your forms, talk with your digital agency or consult a conversion specialist on the best places to generate the highest conversions.

landing Pages

If you’re no stranger to the concept of Inbound Marketing, then you’re probably aware of the important role landing pages play in your digital marketing efforts. Landing pages are stand-alone webpages typically used for specific offers, services and messages. It’s a page a visitor would “land” after clicking on a Google Ad or social media post and are generally high converting pages for the reason they are focussed in on one message and designed to capture lead information in exchange for an offer. Many small businesses use landing pages for special product offers and content offers such as eBooks, white papers, checklists and guides.

One of the best things about landing pages is that you can tailor the form a visitor must fill out before accessing the offer and add fields to capture the information you are needing to qualify leads. For example, if you are wanting to build a segment in your database of leads who have businesses within a specific annual revenue range, you can add this field to the form a potential buyer must fill out in order to access the offer. This will help you identify audiences who are more aligned with your ideal customer.

free trials or samples

A free trial of your product or service can break down a lot of barriers when it comes to converting a lead into a customer but can also provide the benefit of simply generating leads. Accessing a free trial through your website or a landing page with an email address, first name and last name as payment is a great way to build a segmented list in your database of interested buyers.

Your free sample could be as simple as a dog shampoo tester if you’re a vet or pet supplies retailer, a teeth whitening tester if you’re a dentist, or even a 30 day free trial of an online app if you’re a SaaS company.

content marketing

One of the most obvious [and now mainstream] ways to generate leads for your business is to provide education for potential buyers. From blogging to email marketing and social media, content is the fuel of most of your online marketing campaigns.

Publishing content to your company’s blog is an effective way to get noticed in a buyer’s online search for answers. If your content answers a question the potential buyer is asking, you have started a relationship. Should they then sign up to your database/newsletter, they consider your content so valuable that they are willing to pay for it with an email address. Once you’ve captured an email address, they have become a lead and you can build a strong trusting relationship with them over time using content to educate and add value to their lives.

competitions

Competitions need to be done tastefully. The cheesy “like and share” competitions through a company Facebook page don’t buy you customer loyalty and contribute nothing to the growth of your leads database. Consider competitions that require entries through your owned platforms like your website and landing page, and even in your office reception or point of sale with an iPad to enter.

The point of a contest is to generate leads and sales. A generic prize like a $500 Westfield shopping voucher may get hundreds of entries but won’t produce much in terms of sales. For example, if you’re a dentist and you’re giving away a 60-inch 4K television as a Christmas present for a lucky winner, you may receive over 1000 entries, but little in terms of solid leads. Most likely the entrants are wanting a free television and not your service. Now say you were to give away a free teeth whitening for 3 lucky winners, your entries may be lower but you would have built a segmented database consisting of people who are actually interested in teeth whitening. So, your overall return in the long run will be far greater than if you were to giveaway a generic prize. You will have captured leads that are interested in your product or service.

content syndication

Potential buyers will start their research on one of many different channels. Their buying journey may begin on Google and that will lead to them then land on a 3rd party site, not necessarily your site. Content syndicators promote your eBooks, whitepapers, podcasts, events or videos on other 3rd party sites and allows you to target specific demographics that are aligned to your business and target market. These syndication websites [such as Outbrain, Taboola, and ZergNet] place your content behind a lead capture form so you can grow your leads database further. Content syndication is a great way to achieve a wider reach and engagement with your content.

Don’t just put all your eggs in one basket to capture leads. Consumers are now most likely to find you instead of you finding them. This is why it’s important to be where their attention is with a message that is highly valuable and relevant. Implement a multi-channel lead generation approach into your business. Spend some time setting up your infrastructure and creating quality offers and content that will generate more leads and grow your database.

Still a little confused as to how you can generate more leads and grow your database? Contact the friendly team at businessDEPOT Marketing

 

Originally authored by Tyson Cobb.