A Guide to Growing Your Business: How to Generate Leads Online

One of the most important steps in developing any business. However, how does a potential customer ever notice you in the din caused by our ever-increasing digital landscape?

That question is answered by mastering online lead generation strategies.

What Is Online Lead Generation?

Before we delve into strategies, it is important to define what online lead generation is. It refers to the process of attracting potential customers or leads through online channels. These leads have expressed an interest in your product or service but not yet made a purchase. Learn more about Lead Generation

Leads can come in many forms:

• Somebody who fills out a “contact us” form on your website.
• A visitor downloads an eBook in return for their e-mail address.
• A user clicking through your social media ad to your landing page.

The ultimate goal of online lead generation is to trap these prospects and guide them through your sales funnel until they become paying clients.

The Importance of Online Lead Generation

Marketing guru Seth Godin once said, “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but the stories you tell.” This sentiment rings especially true for online lead generation in a world full of consumers hungry for answers.

The benefits of online lead generation:

• Cost-effectiveness:
  Compared to traditional outbound marketing such as TV commercials or cold calls, online lead generation is usually less costly and results can be measured.
• Continuous visibility:
  Your website, landing pages, and content are always visible. That means they can still be seen when you’re asleep as they reach out to audiences around the clock.
• Scaleable results:
  A well-designed online lead generation strategy will grow with your business, continuing to bring in more leads as your campaigns expand — all this without having to make additional investments on head count.
• Highly targeted marketing:
  Online campaigns can earmark specific audiences based on characteristics such as demographics, behavior, and interests due to data and analytics.

Ways to Generate Leads Online

1. Optimize Your Website for Generating Leads

Often a potential customer’s first impression of your business comes from your website. Be sure it’s primed to convert visitors into leads.

Some tips:

• Use clear calls to action (CTAs):
  CTAs such as “Sign up for free” or “Request your quote” help guide visitors to the desired conversion point. Place them strategically around your site.
• Add a lead capture form:
  Collect visitors’ contact info in simple forms which offer something of value, such as a free demo or newsletter subscription.
• Speed up your site:
  If your website takes too long to load, users will not wait. Try to keep loading times under 3 seconds and you’ll keep more potential customers using your services for longer periods.
• Optimize for mobile:
  More than 50% of web traffic comes from mobile devices, so make sure your site is mobile-friendly.

2. Utilize Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO helps your site rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for potential leads to find your business naturally.

Best Practices:

• Research relevant keywords your target audience frequently searches for using tools such as Google’s Keyword Planner.
• Create blog posts, tutorials, and landing pages with those keywords integrated in a natural way.
• Make sure your site layout is neat and simple for search engines to index.

Search engine optimization may take some time to produce effects, but it is one of the most sustainable ways for producing long-term Internet traffic.

3. Carry on Targeted Social Media Ads

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn are powerful tools for reaching potential leads right there on the Internet where they spend most of their time.

Pro tip:

Here are a few easy ways to think of your degree

Example:
For example, suppose you were selling environmentally friendly products which give off no noise or smell at all; maybe a millennial interested in environmentalism would be interested in your services, then receive links on how to make them at home on his cell phone while riding a ferry across Hong Kong harbor–and the latter also free of charge and able for free shipment worldwide.

4. Offer Free Value through Content Marketing

One of the most effective ways to produce leads online is by offering value upfront.

Content marketing — by making resources that tackle problems your audience faces or simply answer questions they have.

Examples of content offers:

• eBooks or guides:
  Share your knowledge through a free guide that spans the topic (for instance, “The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Digital Marketing”).
• Webinars:
  Run live or recorded webinars talking about what is happening in the industry, or providing highly valuable training.
• Checklists and Templates:
  Offer actionable stuff such as a “Startup Business Checklist” that your target group can take immediate advantage of.
  

Put these assets behind forms with restrictions on them: if people want access to these resources they will have to submit their contact info first.

5. Connect with Leads via Email Marketing

Once you have gotten people’s addresses — whether they were acquired through your company or purchased from an outside list — you can use a personalized email campaign called “auto-respond” to process their leads.

How can you ensure that your email gets read?
Follow these tips.

6. Collaborate with Micro-Influencers and Partner Brands

The credibility of experts in your industry can be leveraged to attract new leads through influencer marketing.

Getting Started

• Find influencers who share your target audience.
• Micro-influencers (followers of 10,000 to 50,000) generally enjoy higher engagement rates than those with tens of millions watching their every move.

The Partner Campaign

• You can even pair up with someone else to promote the content or to offer a product trial.
• Run banners together on new sites for example.
• Link campaign response back into a dedicated landing page on your site where you start fresh with your offer.
  

In the same way, joining forces with allied companies for cross-promotion can provide access to new markets.

Mistakes to Avoid

Shooting at the Universe

While it’s tempting to go for everybody who could conceivably do business with you, streamlining your strategy onto a more specific niche will bring better results than sampling the ocean.

Neglecting Follow-ups

Getting a lead’s information is one thing, but you must keep building the relationship if you want it to convert.

Ignoring Analytics

Tools like Google Analytics and other measuring techniques with marketing automation software let you check that campaigns are working well, and change things if they aren’t producing a fair return on investment (ROI).

Online Lead Generation Starts Today

When it comes to generating leads online, these strategies aren’t something you can perfect overnight. But put up the effort consistently and optimize for results, then very soon your pipeline will be full of warm prospects eager to do business with you.

To get started, evaluate your current strategy and pick the best tips from this blog for your team. Then put them into action one by one.

Remember, successful online lead generation is all about giving value, building trust and being engaged. Now let’s go make these ideas happen — and see just how many new leads come in!