Once you realize this, all you need are a few good lead generation ideas to get your business growing again.

Transcription

1 Introduction // THE ULTIMATE LEAD GENERATION GUIDE What follows are 42 lead generation ideas entrepreneurs are using to get results right now. Some are fairly new, some are surprisingly underused, and some are simply effective. Without a reliable source of customers, your business growth is hard to predict. You re never quite sure where your traffic is coming from; you re grateful when people show up and at a loss when they don t. When you build lead generation into your routine, your business outlook improves. Done well, lead generation sets up a steady stream of prospects that form a pool of leads from which, ultimately, your new customers will develop. Even if they re not quite ready to buy yet, you know where you can find them and can reach out to nudge them toward a decision. In slower times, you can put your energy into fine-tuning processes rather than searching for customers here and there. Once you realize this, all you need are a few good lead generation ideas to get your business growing again. Not all lead generation ideas work for every kind of business, but every idea in this document has worked for at least one business we ve come across, whether in the Leadpages community or in the wider world. These are real-life lead generation ideas, and we re willing to bet at least a handful will work for you. Once you ve found a couple of good ideas to start with, you ll want to build them into your overall marketing strategy so they keep generating leads for you over time. 2

2 Contents IRRESISTIBLE DOWNLOADS MULTIMEDIA LEAD GENERATION EXPANDING YOUR AUDIENCE EVERYONE INTO THE LEAD POOL GETTING LEADS BY GETTING PERSONAL MAKING THE OLD SCHOOL NEW AGAIN OFFLINE (BUT NOT ANALOG) LEAD GENERATION IDEAS BLOG POSTS, LANDING PAGES, AND WEBSITES LEAVING NO LEAD UNTURNED 3

3 Irresistible Downloads The lead magnet. The opt-in bribe. The content upgrade. It has many names, but the basic idea is this: in exchange for someone s address, you offer to send them a piece of incredibly useful content. Here are some options that make opting in feel like a more-than-fair trade for your potential customers. The Resource Guide Instead of giving your prospects just one useful resource, why not point them to a whole collection of good stuff? Create a simple PDF of your favorite tools for accomplishing a specific goal relevant to your products or services, then use it as a lead magnet. The Subscription-Plus Model Want someone to subscribe to a newsletter? Offer them instant gratification by including a giveaway such as an e-book or another free bonus when they sign up. The Launch Preview About to unveil something big and hope you ll have an audience waiting? Try offering a free first look to people who join your launch-notifications list maybe a video overview or a course syllabus. The Sliced Bread Approach Leadpages head of marketing automation, Chris Davis, coined this term after thinking about a very simple kind of marketing: grocery store samples, in which shoppers are given a taste of something (like a slice from a loaf of bread) to inspire them to buy the whole product. The first chapter of an e-book, a mini consultation, or, if you re in software, a free limited-functionality app account could serve as your first slice of bread. The Conference Cliffs Notes Attending an industry conference or another big event that your audience might be interested in though unable to attend themselves. Take detailed notes and create a document sharing what you ve learned. Then, build a simple landing page to make it available for download and post a link in any industry groups or forums you re a part of. 4

4 Multimedia Lead Generation An attractive PDF lead magnet isn t very hard to create these days, and it can be very effective. But when you re ready to branch out, consider whether one of these other formats could catch your audience s eye. The How-To Webinar According to a survey from Google, searches for how to content on YouTube have been growing by 70% year over year. That means huge numbers of people find video to be an ideal teacher of practical skills. If you have any DIY skills to teach that complement your business, capitalize on this by advertising a how-to webinar. The Q&A Webinar If you have specialized knowledge people want, let them opt in to ask you for it. The Q&A webinar is one of the easiest types of webinars to prepare for, and one of the most rewarding for attendees. Streaming to Success, Part 1 Host a livestream (try Periscope or Meerkat) and provide a short link to your landing page URL on air so viewers can download a complementary resource. Streaming to Success, Part 2 Cohost a webinar or multi-presenter streaming session with someone else in your industry or whose skill sets complement yours; you and your partner each get exposure (and new leads) from each other s audiences. Podcasting Plus Many podcast listeners tune in from their smartphones on the go. Take advantage by encouraging listeners to go to your landing page to download something related to the podcast episode s topic during your intro and outro. (This works whether you re a podcast host or a guest on someone else s show.) Instead of sending listeners to a landing page, you could ask them to send a text message to opt-in. This would require subscribing to a text message-lead generation provider that can facilitate this exchange for you. 5

5 Multimedia Lead Generation Cont. THE ULTIMATE LEAD GENERATION GUIDE YouTube Lead-Gen Post a how-to video on YouTube on a frequently searched topic. Then, use YouTube s in-video link options to direct viewers to a landing page where they can watch a longer The Demo Encourage site visitors to opt in to get a video demo of how to use your product. If you have an especially complex product, you could even invite people to sign up for a demo webinar. tutorial or the next installments in a how-to series upon opt-in. 6

6 Expanding Your Audience The Guest Post Plus Write a guest post on someone else s blog and include a link to a landing page and lead magnet made just for the post s readers. Prospecting on Pinterest If you have a strong user base among Pinterest s demographic, post promoted pins linking to a blog post that contains strong opt-in opportunities. What do you do when you feel you ve fully tapped the sources of leads around you? Try these ideas next. Leads on LinkedIn Since LinkedIn is often where people go when they want to advance their careers, run an ad on LinkedIn, routing people to a landing page that offers a course to help improve a professional skill. Targeted Social Ads Send highly targeted Facebook ads running to equally specific landing pages. Take advantage of behavioral targeting features and lookalike audiences to put your ad in front of people who need what you do. 7

7 Everyone Into the Lead Pool Not everyone your business has ever interacted with can be counted as a true lead. Maybe you ve connected on social media but don t have other contact details; maybe they re in your address book but you have no idea whether they re really interested in your services. The following strategies are designed to pull more of the people in your business s orbit into your list of leads. The Signature Link You shouldn t send marketing s from your own account, but you should make sure everyone you contact in the course of everyday business has the chance to learn more about what you offer. Include a link to a special landing page in your signature and offer a simple lead magnet with broad appeal. More Event Attendees, More Leads Do you ever hold live or online events? Even if registration doesn t require an opt-in, you can capture leads by inviting registrants to opt in to get event reminders via text or . (This works for webinars and live streams, too.) Custom Facebook Tab Anyone who finds your business page on Facebook is likely to be a strong prospect. Give them the chance to opt in by publishing a landing page as a custom Facebook tab. Deals Upon Deals Daily deal sites like Groupon can potentially get you lots of new customers. To make sure they ll be repeat customers, offer them an extra discount when they opt into your list during their visit. You can even set up a station with a tablet preloaded with their landing page to make it as easy as possible. Social Lead Gen Convert your social audience into subscribers by posting Leadbox* links directly into some of your Facebook and Twitter posts. The Referral Bonus Offer existing leads something extra if they share a link to your landing page with friends, through services like Pay with a Tweet or simply by having them submit a referral Leadbox (with their friend s permission, of course). *Leadboxes are a Leadpages pop-up tool used to capture addresses. They can be installed anywhere you can post a link. 8

8 Getting Leads by Getting Personal Custom Work Are there easy, scalable ways to customize your lead magnet to individual leads? Real estate firms that offer free home value estimates are one example of this strategy, but many other kinds of businesses could do well by offering a lightly customized info product aimed at a certain group of customers. The Quiz Who doesn t love a good old-fashioned quiz? Offer some form of quick assessment online, then ask visitors to opt in to get their results delivered by . If your business depends on making one-on-one contact with clients, offering the same online lead magnet to everyone might have limited results. These tactics play up your interpersonal strengths. The Group Effort Use a landing page to promote a personal or professional challenge, where you invite followers to join you in reaching a certain goal over the course of a couple of weeks or months. You can connect with the group via or even through creating a private Facebook group. 9

9 Making the Old School New Again Certain time-tested marketing techniques still have plenty of appeal it s just that they become a lot easier and a lot more trackable once you translate them into the digital age. Try these updates to get more from familiar promotions. The First Visit Get more people who visit your site to follow through with an appointment by offering to them a coupon when they book their first visit. The Free Sample Everyone loves a freebie. Let visitors opt in to receive a coupon or a discount code good for a small free sample of your product. The Contest Ask visitors to enter your contest by opting into your list. You can even share your landing page on social media and allow leads to get additional entries if they share it, too. 10

10 Offline (but Not Analog) Lead Generation Ideas By offline lead generation, we definitely don t mean spending hours cold calling or door-knocking. These strategies easily integrate with your online marketing even when your prospects are nowhere near a computer. The Proto Banner Ad Set up a Leaddigit* or another text messaging opt-in number and place it on a highly visible sign at your business or a partner business. Offer a special perk to anyone who texts their address to that number. Onstage Lead Gen If you re presenting or performing in front of an audience, give out a text messaging opt-in number onstage. You can even add it to your conference slide deck so attendees have plenty of time to opt in. *Leaddigits is a Leadpages tool that lets you capture leads via text message. The Business Card Do you frequently give out business cards to prospects? Help guide them toward the ideal destination by creating a landing page and printing the link on your cards. 11

11 Blog Posts, Landing Pages, and Websites Try these strategies to drive traffic to your blog posts, landing pages and websites. The Power of Press If your business is featured in an online community publication, the piece is likely to include a link to your business site. Make that link a focused landing page geared toward the publication s readership. This tactic can work well if you have a regular column, are being consulted as an expert, or are the subject of a piece. The Every-Post Approach Got a blog? Make a habit of adding a call to action to sign up for your list on every post. Getting Medium Reach To get your blog posts in front of more eyes, republish them on Medium. Include a prominent link to a relevant landing page in the post. The Subtle Subscription Push Think about the areas on your site where people are paying attention, but unlikely to be seeking a major call to action perhaps in an opening paragraph, or at the top of your blog posts. Then, add a subscription link to these areas. Content with Options If you regularly publish a certain kind of content, let readers opt in to get that content in a different format. Think about offering a slide deck from a video post, a transcript from a podcast episode, or an audio version of a blog post. 12

12 Blog Posts, Landing Pages, and Websites Cont. THE ULTIMATE LEAD GENERATION GUIDE Cornerstone Content What s the one big thing you have to teach your audience? Turn it into an exceptionally valuable lead magnet and promote it in a prominent place across your website maybe in the header bar or navigation menu. If writing and graphics aren t really your thing, how about creating a browser extension? A Syndication Ever notice those You May Also Like sections in sidebars and footers across the web? You can pay syndication networks such as Outbrain or Taboola to have your content show up there on a cost-per-click model. Try placing links to a long-form landing page or a blog post with a compelling opt-in opportunity. mini app? A worksheet? An Excel spreadsheet with calculation formulas built in? The Early Adopter Strategy If you have a coming soon landing page, get more people to sign up for notifications by offering an exclusive discount on the to-be-launched product or service. 13

13 Leaving No Lead Unturned The options below will never be your number-one source of leads, and that s okay. What they can do is get you a steady trickle of leads over time which can really add up in the course of 6 months or a year. The 404 Page Although you never really want people to go to a broken link, chances are, it ll happen even if it s just because someone typed in the wrong URL. Make sure those misdirected visitors leave happy by adding an opt-in offer to your 404 page. Breathing Life Into Dead Pages Traffic doesn t necessarily stop flowing to an event, giveaway, or promotion page as soon as you hit the expiration date and stop promoting it. Make sure latecomers still have a way to stay connected by updating those pages with a subscription link or contact form. You can use it to offer a consolation prize lead magnet, or simply provide the chance to get notified of future events and promotions. The Last-Ditch Effort Ideally any page of your website will have a number of prominent opt-in points, but what if someone manages to miss them all? In that case, you can capture their attention and their opt-in with an exit Leadbox popup. This appears only when someone moves to leave your page (and can be set to appear only once in a certain period so as not to get in the way of regular visitors). Make your most irresistible offer here and you re likely to see a measurable boost in your website s conversion rate. 14

14 Closing // THE ULTIMATE LEAD GENERATION GUIDE Take the lead. The buying process has changed, and you need to find new ways to be heard through the noise. Successful marketers are using the lead generation ideas you just read about to get results right now. Every marketer has their own favorite lead-generation tactics, and you probably won t have the opportunity to try every single one of the above ideas. Pick a couple that you think will work for your business and continue trying out new strategies until you begin developing a pool of prospects. Not all lead generation ideas work for every kind of business, but once you ve found a couple of effective tactics, you ll want to build them into your overall operations strategy so they keep generating leads for you over time. 15