This is the first of 5 articles in our white paper entitled How to generate leads - Steps to starting an effective Inbound Marketing strategy. As you read on, you'll learn, among other things, how to generate and qualify inbound leads , what the standards for lead generation are , and practical tips for generating inbound leads .
We'll be publishing one article a week. If you can't wait to read all the content now, you can immediately download our white paper, which includes all the articles, by filling in the following form:
First, a stranger discovers your company via one of your marketing channels, such as your website, blog or social media page.
They then click on your call to action (CTA) - which can be an image, a button or a message that encourages them to act in some way.
The CTA leads your visitor to your landingpage: a web page with a form, which, in exchange for a special offer, invites the visitor to enter personal information.
Your offer - or leadmagnet - is a piece of content that brings value to that person. To help you, imagine your leadmagnet as a gift. It's used to attract people to your company, like an e-book, an online course, or a sample document (checklist, roadmap, etc.). This magnetic content must be perceived as relevant and useful by the prospect, at least enough for them to decide to provide you with their personal information in order to obtain it.
The form on your landing page consists of a series of fields (as in our example above) used to collect personal information. This type of form is usually hosted on landing pages, although they could technically be integrated anywhere on your site.
The visitor fills in your form, clicks "send" and... off you go! - you've got yourself a new lead! (As long as you follow the rules of lead generation !)
Once you've put all the steps together and are attracting leads to your landing page, you can have some fun with your various marketing channels. This is where your trial-and-error phase begins (in fact, it never ends). This is the time to test different ways of driving traffic to your landing page and see what works best.
You may be wondering which marketing channels are best for attracting the most leads.
They start with the marketing channels used to direct strangers to your personal information form. They end when they have submitted their information and thus become a lead.
When it comes to leadgeneration , the number of potential marketing channels is almost infinite. Let's take a look at the most popular:
Creating and publishing web content is an excellent way of guiding users to your landing page.
Your content should ideally be free (offered in exchange for a simple entry of personal data) and should provide useful information for your ideal customer. You can include CTAs anywhere in the content element - as a hyperlink, in the footer, or even on the sidebar. The more a prospect likes your content, the more likely they are to click on your CTA and land on your form.
Sending e-mails is a great way to reach prospects who are already familiar with your brand. They're easier to "tame" and will be more likely to take action, since they've already shown some interest in your product. Bear in mind, however, that e-mails tend to be a tad stuffy. To maximize your chances of conversion, make sure your e-mail CTAs are clear and convincing.
Ads are all about getting people to take action. Specifically, you need to use them to convert strangers into customers. Otherwise, what's the point of paying for it? Make sure that the promise and message displayed on your ads are the same as those on your landing page. Similarly, the CTA in your ads should be clear and catchy.
The great thing about blog posts is that you can tailor them entirely to your ultimate goal: getting the visitor to click on your CTA. For example, if your leadmagnet is a video demonstrating how to use Google Search Console, you could publish a blog post explaining how to use the marketing parameters on Google Search Console. The whole thing would make your CTA relevant and easy to click.
Social media is an effective way of turning your subscribers into leads. You can use theswipe up option on your Instagram stories, links in your Facebook bios or bitly URLs on Twitter. You can also promote your leadmagnet directly in your publications and put a CTA in thecaption.
Offering trials of your product or service breaks down many of the barriers on the path from prospect to customer. Once a leadhas tried your product, you can offer them "extras" to encourage them to buy. Another effective method is to integrate your brand image into your free trial versions. This can help you generate interest among other potential customers.
You've just finished reading our first blog post in a 5-part series on leadgeneration . If you can't wait to read all the content, you can immediately download our white paper, which includes all the articles, by filling in the following form: