tThe main aim of lead generation isn’t just to get any leads · It’s about getting high-quality leads for your sales team· This means they’re not wasting time chasing after leads that won’t go anywhere, and you’re not wasting time marketing to people who won’t buy·
Good lead generation strategies help you focus all your efforts and resources on finding your ideal customers – the ones who need your product or service, and are likely to buy and stick around·
Here, we’ll talk about some of the best ways to attract valuable potential leads· Plus, we’ll walk through an example of the lead generation process to give you more tips on how to start or improve your strategy· Let’s get started!
1. Email Marketing
Lead generation often involves introducing your product to people who have never heard of it before, but not always· Email marketing is a way to generate leads from current customers or potential clients who are familiar enough with your brand to have signed up for your emails·
However, there are some important things to remember if you want your email marketing campaigns to be successful· Simply sending out newsletters with links to your content or products isn’t enough·
Email marketing is about building relationships· It’s not about making an immediate sale or convincing someone who downloaded your ebook to buy an expensive product·
Instead, it’s about gradually earning trust over time and letting your audience indicate when they’re ready for a free trial, demo, or conversation·
Why It’s Awesome
- Email marketing is incredibly affordable· You might have to spend on creating email content and tools to manage your subscriber list, but these costs are usually low and can be included in other tech tools you use·
- You can easily customize emails to match your brand, offer special deals, and even target them to specific groups or people·
- While social media helps you build an audience, email is where you make money· SEO-optimized content boosts traffic, and social media boosts brand awareness· But email is crucial for business growth·
2. Social media targeted ads
Almost all social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and more provide targeted ads· This strategy works well because it offers valuable data on engagement, allowing you to improve your campaign· Plus, it helps you target your desired audience precisely and display ads where they spend time browsing·
Why It’s Awesome
- Social media is excellent for building engagement as people can easily share your ads·
- You can target specific audiences based on platform and demographic details, improving visibility·
- It’s a reliable method for increasing brand awareness, even if users don’t click or share the ads—they still see them·
3. Google Ads (PPC)
PPC ads are those that appear when you search on Google· With 8·5 billion Google searches daily in 2022, Google Ads can be a powerful lead generation tool· Marketing campaigns with clear budgets, keywords, and branding, along with a sizable user base, usually perform best with PPC·
Why It’s Awesome
- PPC gets your brand noticed quickly· Instead of waiting for engagement to grow organically, PPC ads provide an instant traffic boost·
- With PPC, you can target your audience more accurately than other lead generation methods·
- Google’s PPC ads offer detailed metrics, allowing you to track performance and make continuous improvements for better campaign results·
Read also: What Are the Best Practices for B2B Lead Generation Success
4. Performance content marketing
Performance content marketing is becoming popular because it’s a digital marketing approach where you pay based on the results achieved, not just for running campaigns· It encompasses various subsets like influencer marketing, affiliate marketing, and social media marketing·
Why It’s Awesome
- Keeping track of ROI is simple with performance content marketing because you only pay for conversions or leads generated·
- You spend less on campaigns that don’t perform well·
- These campaigns are highly optimized because you’re paying for results·
5. Product trials
Offering a demo or free trial as part of your marketing strategy is key· When you combine it with a product nurture email series, you create a powerful marketing blend·
Why It’s Awesome
- Trials offer instant success and problem-solving without a big investment·
- Users become invested in a trial· Once they’ve tested a service and set up features, they’re more likely to continue using it·
- Trials create urgency—purchase before it expires·
6. Content marketing
It is undeniably a top choice for lead generation· Three-fifths of marketers reached their demand or lead generation goals through successful content marketing· Moreover, over 70% of companies planned to boost their content marketing budget in 2022·
Content marketing comes in various forms—blogs, podcasts, YouTube or TikTok videos, infographics, webinars—to connect with your target audience, address their pain points, and guide them through the sales funnel· Whether you aim to educate, persuade, inspire, or seal the deal, there’s a format for it·
Why It’s Awesome
- Content is highly reusable· You can repurpose it endlessly, transforming a blog post into multiple social media posts, using video scripts for ad copy, refreshing old content, and resharing it across all channels·
- Tutorials, thought leadership pieces and similar content types build trust and authority, ultimately enhancing conversion rates·
- Content marketing is a long-term strategy· Once published, it continues to drive traffic and attract new audiences until you decide to remove it·
Read also: Differences Between MQL and HQL for B2B Lead Generation
7. Referrals Marketing
Referrals and word-of-mouth marketing are powerful tools for lead generation· Essentially, it’s when satisfied customers recommend your product to others· This positive recommendation encourages people to check out your business, increasing the likelihood of gaining new leads or customers·
Why It’s Awesome
Referral and word-of-mouth marketing offer several advantages:
1· Cost-effective: It’s essentially free· You only incur costs for maintaining a quality product and providing excellent customer service, which you should do anyway·
2· Organic trust: Recommendations from friends and colleagues are highly trusted, establishing a strong level of trust in your brand· This trust increases the likelihood of generating leads and acquiring paying customers·
3· Addressing pain points: When people see friends and colleagues solving their problems with your product, it creates even better leads as it directly addresses their pain points·
There are various types of leads, each requiring different strategies for effective generation:
1· Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL): These leads have interacted with marketing materials but aren’t yet ready for direct sales outreach·
2· Sales Qualified Lead (SQL): SQLs are leads who have taken actions suggesting they’re ready to make a purchase, such as inquiring about your product·
3· Product Qualified Lead (PQL): PQLs have engaged with your product, often through demos or free trials, and have shown interest in purchasing·
4· Service Qualified Lead: These are individuals who have expressed interest in customer service, such as subscribers seeking upgrades or additional services·
