Websites are the new marketplaces and social media platforms are the new hoarding stands. Every business invests a lot of time and money on advertisements and promotions to get their word out there.

Rather than focussing on advertising your product all around the globe, it’s high time you find ways to connect directly with prospective customers who are genuinely interested in your business.

Your target audience consistently shows their interest in your business in one way or the other; by reading your website content, newsletter or by downloading a free trial for your product/service.

Each of them is what we call a ‘Lead’ and the thing that urges them to visit your website or engage with you in any way is the ‘Lead Magnet’. They’ve shown interest in your business and all you need to do is to funnel them in.

What are Lead Generation Strategies?

Lead Generation strategies are the techniques that businesses use mostly on websites and digital platforms to get to the leads and their contact information. Let’s ride through a few common but effective strategies to capture leads and drive sales.

• NEWSLETTERS AND GATED CONTENTS

Remember how you had to register on a website to gain complete access to some content? Creating gated content like these on websites and offering newsletter subscriptions can earn you heaps of Leads. This can also provide customers with the content they seek for free.

These contents may be in the form of reports, guides, worksheets or even blogs on topics related to your product or business. They should be drafted carefully to suit the needs of your customers and be search engine optimized.

Always keep in mind what the customer searches for and plan the keywords accordingly. The more accurate your keywords are, the more prospects fall into your funnel. Follow the best practices for generating SEO content to bring your website on the first page of search results which can result in more traffic and more leads.

A newsletter is a great way to keep in touch with the customer and help in keeping them updated on your business activities. The newsletter should be value-packed and well framed and should include updates on your products, the introduction of new products, offers, or services, new blogs etc.

• DISCOUNT OFFERS & FREE TRIALS

Everyone looks out for offers and this strategy is an all-time hit. Offers attract short term as well as long term leads. Not only this, offers help in immediate sale in the long run, which funnels in prospective buyers.

For example, an email submission for the latest offers on your products would attract a lot of responses from your prospective buyers.

Offers like a discount on certain items, cashback policies for first-time buyers and/or free trials of products/service can act as very powerful Lead Magnets. Providing free trials also has the perks of attracting free users to paid versions by promoting the paid features.

• OPTIMISING WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES

Website is the most important tool in Lead Generation. The content on the website, its design, and the words that you use can have great impacts on its viewers. The website should be designed to give maximum focus on the Lead Magnets.

These should be easily accessible because nobody would waste too much time lingering. Highlighted homepage commands, Lead Generation pop-ups, Lead Magnets on the sidebars etc. are the some of the ideas that you can employ.

A live chat feature on the website is also a great idea to provide instant information to the viewers and also for you to collect valuable information on customer needs and queries.

Nobody needs a lesson on how social media influences marketing strategies. Efficient and well-planned management of these handles will help you in promoting your Lead Magnets. On each social media platform, there are a variety of ways to push your Magnets and engage with your prospective consumers.

For instance, one could use a meme on Facebook, vibrant posters and image-based links on Instagram and even tweet a sarcastic introduction for your Magnet on Twitter.

• RETARGETING

Once a prospect, always a prospect!  A lead may not convert into sale instantly. Instead, you have to stay in touch and keep them posted. This initial interaction must be reinforced further for a lead to turn into a business.

When we search for a product/service on an app or online, we are constantly offered advertisements on similar products/services each time we are on the Internet. This is what Retargeting does.

Since the lead comes to you because they were interested in your business, follow them until you make a consistent buyer out of them. This can promote customised sales and transition businesses into a customer-friendly model.

This strategy also helps prospective buyers feel more comfortable on your business portal. Therefore, this method can cater to instinctive gravitation towards your business portal over your competitors.

• REFERRAL INCENTIVES

This is the ultimate strategy where your customers work for you. Announcing a referral incentive will push the existing customers to create more leads by referring. A referral campaign can create a large web of leads in a very short period.

Let us take an example. If a product is bought at a discount of 50%, the customer will refer or recommend the brand to at least five prospective buyers. Some firms even announce cash rewards for referrals.

If the reward is tempting enough, this strategy can work wonders, especially if the whole process is automated. It’s quick and effective.

Bottom Line

People love attention. Surely they complain of the never-ending promotional emails, but they enjoy the attention you’re paying them. We prefer personal communication to mass communication and selective marketing through leads develops on this aspect of customer psychology. It also helps the business to grow in response to the needs and suggestions of the customer.

Lead Generation strategies help you connect with your market at much lower rates and investment than any other forms of promotion. All you need is a well-structured website and a little effort on thought. Stay engrossed on your website and lure them in!

Make sure you comment below on other Lead Generation strategies which we may have missed.