Lead generation is one of the key strategies to growing your database of prospects and your business.
Generating leads involves attracting new potential customers (top of the sales funnel activity), nurturing them along the journey (middle of the sales funnel activity), with the ultimate goal of them becoming a customer (bottom of the sales funnel).
In this case we are focusing on the top and middle sales funnel activities and key elements you need to be aware of to successfully set up and launch a lead generation campaign.
1 Create an enticing offer
The most important first step in the lead generation campaign is to create an irresistible offer or a lead magnet, with the aim to attract people to your landing page or website to sign up or provide their details via an online form.
The offer or lead generator should be something of value and preferably free in order for them to exchange their details.
Digital lead magnet examples can include: free eBooks, industry reports, how-to guides, webinars and masterclasses or courses. Or if they are already well aware of your product/service, other lead magnets that might be worthwhile are: free discovery calls or consultations, product test trials, competitions, waitlists to access a new product/service pre-launch just to name a few.
Not sure which one is the right lead magnet for you? Study your audiences’ pain points along the customer journey, and you will discover ideas to create the right solution that will be the key to solving their problem.
When it comes to collecting the information on your landing page ensure you collect only minimal personal details such as their name, business and email address as having too many fields initially might be a deterrent for them. You can always seek more information from your prospects in the nurture phase.
2 Choose the right channel
In order to attract the right leads to your landing page you have to choose the right channel to promote your offer or lead magnet. This might come in the way of organic marketing or paid advertising. When assessing what channel to choose, investigate where your customers usually spend most of their time to ensure you are getting the best return on investment, whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube or even Pinterest.
Organic marketing examples might include organic social media posts to promote the offer or lead magnet to your existing followers. ‘Organic social’ is any social media activity without a paid promotion.
And paid advertising might include Google Ads, Facebook Ads and LinkedIn advertising such as InMail or sponsored posts. When designing your ads to promote the lead magnet ensure the:
– Ad copy answers your prospect’s question or pain point through use of the right keywords;
– Ad format is creative and impactful (ad formats include text, image, video, carousel); and
– Ad’s call-to-action (CTA) is clear and enticing so your prospect understands what your offer is, and what you want them to do.
3 Nurture your leads
Now that your lead/prospect has signed up, received your offer, and they know who you are, do everything you can to maintain their loyalty. Nurture them along the customer journey by staying in regular contact with them via email.
These emails might provide further value add content and tips, offers, trials, discounts etc. It is all about guiding your leads along the path to conversion/purchase. Use email automation to ensure they get the right messaging according to their behaviours and preferences along the way.
The success of these 3 key elements will determine how quickly they move down the funnel and are likely to convert. So don’t be afraid to keep experimenting and testing different lead magnets and paid campaigns to see what resonates the most with your audience. As always, if you are not sure where to begin or simply don’t have the resources, Victor & Flo team are here to help you strategise, implement and manage the campaign.