7 Steps To Improve Lead Generation
But what if you could increase your conversion rate and focus more on high quality leads that are more likely to convert? You would save time and money, and probably enjoy the sales process more. Here are 7 steps to improve your website’s lead generation and improve your conversion rate.
1. Create a story
When it comes to lead generation, it is critical to have a focused strategy. First, identify what problem it is you’re trying to solve, and how it affects your target market. Think of the pain points and the types of issues that your potential client might be facing. Then create a story around it. Perhaps you have a few success stories that you can create a case study around. Whatever you choose to do, be sure it is relevant and of interest to your target market.
2. Focus on the buyer
In all honesty, your buyers don’t care about you. They are trying to solve a problem or alleviate a pain point in their daily operations. They just want someone or something that can make their life easier or increases their own sales. As you create your story, save your branding and messaging until the end. Focus on the buyer, their problem, and what life would be like with their problem solved.
3. High quality content is sticky
Content takes time and effort, so when you write content, create videos, or hire someone to write content for you, be sure that it fits into your sales funnel. If the content doesn’t align with your brand messaging or promotion, it may confuse the buyer and actually dislodge them from the sales process. Once the lead is engaged, keep them moving through the sales process by ensuring your content is properly aligned.
4. Create a significant opt-in
If you have sufficiently connected with the buyer, now is a great time to present an opportunity to engage with them further. By creating an opt-in opportunity, you give the consumer the chance to say “yes” to you, and you get a powerful signal that this particular prospect is ready for the next step in the sales cycle.
But what are they opting in to, exactly? In many cases, it is opting in to receive a newsletter, special offers, discounts, etc.. It should be something that is on-going that will keep you top-of-mind. Perhaps your newsletter features additional content not published on your blog, or maybe you offer special video content to subscribers. Either way, give your lead the chance to say “yes”.
5. Consolidate your marketing efforts
When you promote a special offer or launch a new product or service, leverage all the sales channels open to you. There are numerous avenues available such as the various social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, but remember their are video sites like YouTube and Vmeo. Also include your email list, direct mail, and however else you communicate with your target market.
6. Create a landing page that converts
The saying goes “all roads lead to <insert destination>”. Wherever you choose to promote a download, special offer, or incentive, all roads should lead to a specially crafted landing page and never the homepage of your website. Think about it. The buyer clicks a link that reads “50% off all widgets” then lands on your homepage where the offer is buried under 3 clicks. A link that says “50% off all widgets” should lead to a page that is all about widgets being 50% off, and then a call to action to complete the offer.
In addition, the landing page should have no other navigation and minimal branding. The key here is to focus solely on what you want the visitor to do, which is fill out a form, click a button, or whatever else you qualify as converting a visitor into a lead.
7. Nurture your leads
Once you have the lead generation machine in full swing, now you need to nurture those leads in order to make the most impact. With marketing automation these days, it has never been easier to get swamped with low-level unqualified leads. If you have created an engaging story, delivered incredible sticky content, utilized all your outreach channels, and brought them all to the landing page where the buyer successfully turned into a viable lead, the prospect should be fairly well qualified at this point.
However, it may be helpful to identify some key points to determine if the lead is the right fit for your company. Develop a questionnaire before performing the initial consultation. This will help the lead put some thought into their own situation, and provide a framework upon which you can base the consultation. This will also help identify pain points for the customer so you may create a specific plan of action to achieve results.
Conclusion
Leads can be a challenge to dig up on your own. By creating a strategy and a story that engages buyers who are in need of your product or service, you can increase the amount of qualified leads that get delivered to your inbox. By creating attractive opt-ins and effective landing pages, you can spend more time nurturing qualified leads and closing sales.
