We have all noticed multiple advertisements online. Furthermore, these ads have undergone drastic changes over time. They have become more alluring and there have been so much technical addition to these ads over the past few decades. There is UGC (User-generated content), influencer marketing, viral content creation and SEO. These all forms of advertisements are aimed at one thing – Lead Generation.
It is the process of attracting and converting strangers and prospects into someone who has indicated interest in your company’s product or service. It is all about building a relationship with your potential customers to guide them through the process of the sales funnel until they are ready to make a purchase. There are several strategies and tactics used for lead generation, including –
1. Content marketing –
Content marketing has been utilized for decades and is very effective in delivering leads. The idea behind this is to post videos, infographics, blog posts or other form of content to lure customers. This works on the basis of customer attraction and makes them reach the intent stage of the marketing funnel. From here the service or product’s effectiveness will determine reaching the purchase stage.
2. Email marketing –
Another most effective form of lead generation is email marketing. It is not only cost-effective but also an inbound form of marketing making it easy to spread among your potential customers. It usually consists of newsletters, discounts and offers and any new launches and product details. This will ensure that the customers get the information every now and then making lead generation easier and effective. There is also an effective CTA button for the customers to click so that leads aren’t lost on the way.
3. Social media marketing –
We all know how important social media marketing is these days. People browse a lot through apps like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok these days making it a perfect place for marketing. There are multiple ways to generate leads on these apps by UGC, influencer marketing which could be through micro-influencers, nano influencers, mega influencers through viral content marketing. These techniques have proven to be effective over time. Organic reach is also practised by many and is the first form of targeting when a brand initially begins to target leads.
4. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) –
If you are not targeting customers by SEO, then this is your sign to begin already! SEO is a major technique for lead generation as it is very effective and promising. The whole process depends on keyword research and assimilating the keyword in your content so that your content becomes visible every time someone searches the keyword. This is especially beneficial for websites and social media, where you can post descriptions with the keyword making it visible with every search. SEO is the top technique used by content creators on social media and also by bloggers on the internet.
5. Paid advertising –
Using online advertising platforms such as Google Ads or social media ads to reach a target audience and generate leads is also becoming increasingly popular these days. This is becoming especially more relevant since the advent of geotargeting and social listening. This is basically the technique of listening to what your customers have to say about your products or the competitors and making the das visible based on this data.
6. Lead magnets –
Here, the audience is offered valuable content or resources in exchange for contact information, such as eBooks, whitepapers, or free trials. For example, if you are a book publisher, then offering the first few chapters of a book for free will increase the interest of customers and make them come for more.
7. Refferal programs –
Encouraging satisfied customers to refer others to your business, thereby generating new leads is also a successful method these days. Many brands offer loyalty points or discount coupons for every referral made. For example, if a customer makes a referral they get 10$ off their next purchase. This could seem like a very good lead-generation tactic.
Wrapping it up –
Lead generation is a very crucial process for any business. This will determine sales and increase the website traffic. Outbound techniques of marketing are growing old and people get annoyed with TV commercials and phone calls. This is why referrals, email marketing, social media marketing, SEO, Search engine marketing, lead magnets, paid advertising and content marketing can prove to be very useful in terms of generating leads.
