Go on a Lead Generation Journey With Digital Marketing
In the digital age, there’s no question that you need to be generating leads online. Wondering how? Digital marketing is the way to go. However, there are so many myths out there about lead generation and B2B sales.
Being the awesome team we are, we’re going to set the record straight for you by breaking down digital marketing lead generation strategies so you can drive traffic to your website and generate more leads.
What Is Lead Generation?
First up: we’re talking about conversion, which is converting leads (AKA potential leads or prospective customers) into actual customers.
How many times have you gone to a website and filled out some of your information, like your name, contact information, and birthday? You’re now an information-qualified lead at the top of the funnel.
Then there’s the marketing-qualified lead, which is when a marketing team reviews a potential customer and sends them to the sales team. This part of lead gen is further along the sales funnel than just being interested in learning more.
A Quick “Math” Lesson
Your business needs to throw its hat in the digital marketing ring because it helps increase leads for your product or service, which turns into sales and revenue growth. Digital marketing is a lead magnet if you know how to use it.
It’s a simple equation: more leads = more sales = more money in your pocket.
Who Is Your Target Audience?
First and foremost, identify your target audience. Where do they live? What are their hobbies and interests? What’s their age bracket? You can watch your competitors to create buyer personas and speak directly to the right audience.
As you nail that down, generate content and email marketing geared toward them. You’ll also get an idea of where leads are in the buying process. Eventually, these practices lead to increased traffic between your social media and website. Leads will see what your brand is about and then buy (we call that “lead nurturing”).
Channeling Prospects
The first stage of a sales funnel is lead generation. At first, they’re unfamiliar with your brand, so you pitch them something to get them interested, a solution to their pain point (a problem). Then they move onto other stages like qualification (getting them to prove that they’re serious about buying), nurturing (building rapport), and finally closing (getting them to buy).
Different kinds of funnels include:
- A direct response sales funnel focuses on making one specific offer with multiple touches before asking for money from customers.
- A relationship-building sales funnel focuses on creating an ongoing relationship between both parties instead of just making one offer at one time.
- An information product sales funnel uses content marketing tactics like blog posts or ebooks as their lead generation tool rather than advertising methods like pay-per-click (PPC) ads or cold calling.
For your digital marketing strategy to be successful at generating leads by website traffic, you must have set up everything correctly (so website visitors end up right where you want them – as a customer).
Hit the Mark With Your Landing Page
A landing page is a specific page within your website that allows you to gather information about a visitor. There are plenty of ways to get them there, even social media. In return for their info, you give them something, like a coupon or access to a resource you have. The goal of your landing page is to get people to take action. In short, you want them to complete the form, download your e-book, and find out more about your brand.
Keep the landing page to the point with a specific call-to-action (CTA) that is short and sweet. Examples of CTAs that you’ve probably seen and even clicked on yourself include:
- Sign me up!
- Read more
- Shop Now
- Get free quote
You Have a Website… Use It
Of course, weaving in CTAs and landing pages is important to get more lead generation, but so are other practices with your website. You’ve got the site; use it to your advantage.
SEO
Optimize your site with search engine optimization (SEO). If you’ve read some of our blogs, you know we love us some SEO.
Content Marketing
Content marketing means creating, promoting, and distributing content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — not just to drive sales. It helps you establish yourself as an expert in your industry by providing valuable information relevant to your target audience.
We’re going to let you in on a secret. Create material that educates and informs people about your product or service.
Also, and this is pretty huge, look at whether your website is mobile-friendly. Does it look beautiful on your laptop but crappy on your phone? Since many visitors will probably be on their mobile devices, it’s worth making sure your site can be accessed (and easily viewed without a headache) on the go.
Use the Almighty Social Media
If you want to be successful at generating leads, social media marketing is a great place. Promote your brand by consistently posting relevant content on your social media accounts. Your followers will grow if they like the content you share, and they’ll be more likely to buy from you in the future if they feel connected with what you’re doing.
Don’t Let Them Go — Follow up With High-Quality Leads
It happened; you met “the one” — someone with high buying power who’s interested in your brand. Don’t screw it up! Follow up with them and show how much they mean to you. Don’t know how to make ‘em stay? Make it easier on yourself throughout your digital marketing campaign by leaning on software.
CRMs
Now that you have leads, use a – get ready for another acronym – CRM to follow up with them. It’s a customer relationship management system to help you and your sales team manage customers. Track the status of each lead so you know when they should be contacted along their buying journey, along with the conversion rate
Marrying Inbound Marketing and Social Media
Make your life easier by using a marketing automation system, a software that automates key processes in your marketing strategy. The software integrates with your other social media platforms and email marketing campaigns so that when a customer interacts with one source, they’re added to a list for future sales opportunities.
While you’re at it, launch a social media ad campaign. Promote products or services that are already popular among customers who have already shown interest in them based on past interactions. Bonus points if you can incorporate a current trend to engage more people.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a type of inbound marketing that’s one of the most effective lead-generation tools — and one of the best ways to connect with potential customers. It’s a great part of the lead generation process that helps convert potential customers into paying customers.
Engage with folks on your email list and keep them informed about your offers even after they’ve made a purchase, building trust with your target audience.
Conversion Rates
Conversion rate is a metric that shows how successful leads-to-sales marketing campaigns are. To figure out a conversion rate, divide the number of conversions by the number of visitors, then multiply by 100.
A good conversation rate can range between 2% to 10%. Many CRMs and email marketing software will help keep track of metrics.
Gaining Leads With Online Ads
As you research and try different marketing channels, look at online ads.
With Google Ads, you can set up an account and create an ad campaign. You’ll set up a budget and show up on different search engine result pages (SERPs) like Google. Write ads aligning with your target audience and even look into pop-up ads.
Lift Can Help Generate Leads
When choosing a digital marketing lead generation path, let Lift Marketing be your guide. We’re a marketing agency that specializes in all things lead gen, so it only makes sense. When you’re ready to take the next step toward generating new leads and looking at lead generation campaigns, give us a call or email. We’ll lift your leads up.
