The Top 10 Best Lead Generation Strategies

Whether you’re trying to attract and convert B2B or B2C consumers, your business needs a clear way to generate leads. Otherwise, it’s not long till it goes bust! 

Well recognised for its huge potential to drive leads, online marketing is becoming more competitive than ever. Getting customers interested in your business’s products and services isn’t getting any easier in 2021.

To maximise your results, you need a lead generation strategy that complements the rest of your approach to digital marketing. 

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What Is Lead Generation?

At its core, lead generation is about getting customers to display interest in your business via a range of marketing techniques. 

As a simple example, you might publish content that answers some of the pressing concerns of your industry. However, people need to sign up with their email to download this resource. Once they’re on your email list, you can promote products and funnel them towards making a purchase.

This complicated process requires a carefully considered and long-term mindset. However, it’s possible to use a variety of methods that will give your business a huge lead generation boost.

Here are some of the top strategies for generating leads and skyrocketing profits in 2021 and beyond.

generating leads and skyrocketing profits in 2021
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1. Optimise the Top Organic Pages

Some pages on your business’s website will receive loads of organic traffic without you having to lift a finger. That’s great news, but you might find these pages aren’t the ones designed to qualify someone as a lead.

Keep close tabs on your website’s best-performing pages, in terms of organic traffic. Then, you can optimise these pages with forms, call-to-actions and discount codes. 

These capture a customer’s contact information and can be used to drive further sales in the future.

2. Respond to Bad Reviews

The importance of review sites to modern businesses can’t be overstated. 

93% of consumers are influenced by online reviews when making a purchase, meaning you need to be on top of how people are discussing your business. 

By responding to positive and negative reviews in a considerate manner, you can leverage these opportunities to showcase personality and transparency. 

If someone checks out the Google Reviews for your business, they’ll see how passionate you are about customer service. 

Considering that only 33% of businesses develop strategies that generate reviews, this approach will help you stand out against the competition.

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3. Use Data-Driven Tools

There are a plethora of high-tech tools for lead generation, used to reach and convert your ideal target market. 

For example, Leadfeeder produces valuable data on companies that visit your website. It highlights where they found you and the behaviours they displayed on your pages. Using this information, you can send tailored B2B pitches that are more likely to convert. 

You can also significantly improve your outbound sales with Prospect. This innovative tool allows businesses to automatically capture email addresses of potential prospects. Once you’ve got their email, you can send tailored offers that enhance your conversion rate.

4. Use Social Media Lead Ads

Every social media platform offers ads specifically designed to drive lead generation. LinkedIn and Facebook have built-in functionalities for targeting both B2B and B2C leads. 

Facebook Lead Generation Ads come with pre-populated forms that are easy to customise with personalised questions and extra features. These include appointment booking and call-to-actions that encourage prospects to contact your business immediately.

Similarly, LinkedIn Conversations Ads help businesses drive high-quality leads by creating in-depth engagement. These ads are messages that land right in a prospect’s inbox. You can add a personalised message, a link to an event invitation, further links to case studies, or offer a direct sign-up to a demo.

Ultimately, these social media ads for lead generation funnel more professionals towards making a purchase.

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5. Have Responsive Live Chat

Live chat is now commonplace across the internet. 41% of consumers say this method is their preferred channel for making contact with a business. 

However, live chat can also be incredibly effective outside of customer service. For lead generation, live chat can highlight new products, advertise upcoming events, and make important announcements that impact consumers. 
But with 62% of consumers expecting an immediate response when discussing sales, you don’t want to leave prospects disappointed by taking too long to respond.

Responsive Live Chat for lead generation
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6. Level Up the Landing Pages

Landing pages are essential to getting people to commit to a purchase. But there are plenty of fascinating ways to improve landing pages – more than just adding a testimonial or two. 

For instance, you can generate dynamic call-to-actions personalised to a prospect’s location, device or referral source. 

You might also use carefully placed pop-ups on your landing pages. These could offer discounts for first-time visitors, or tempt the regulars to sign up for your newsletter.

You can even offer exclusive early-bird access to a product that’s coming out soon. Generate excitement and warm up leads for its release! Be prepared to think outside the box, and this lead generation strategy can pay dividends.

landing pages for lead generation
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7. Design a Content Strategy

Content marketing – like blogs, white papers, infographics and videos – remains one of the best ways to generate leads. However, it doesn’t make sense to create content people don’t want to read. Does your content actually meet the needs and wants of your target market?

This is why you must create content around various types of search intent – such as buying guides for customers who display ‘commercial investigation’, or how-to videos for those who express ‘informational intent’. 

You can also use what’s known as lead generation content. This gets around the fact that people are pretty careful about giving away their email. 

Produce exceptional content, such as case studies, reports, webinars or eBooks, but have it locked so that people need to sign up with their email to access it. This way, you’re trading something rewarding for their personal information.

Design a Content Strategy to generate leads
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8. Form an Active Community

Do you want to become a lead generation machine? You have to recognise that opportunities exist in a variety of places. 

Like-minded people – and potential customers – come together to discuss products and services like yours. Look out for relevant Facebook groups, subreddits, and Quora and stack exchange forums.

Online community groups and forums are some of the most under-used avenues. Yet it’s a waste of time to get active in them, if you think you can make a quick cash grab. 

The idea is to become a valued member of the community that takes criticism well. At the same time, you can provide an interesting peek behind the industry’s curtain. 

With the right approach, you can drop enough mentions of your brand to a precise target market, establish trust with relevant consumers and deliver warm leads right to your website.

Form an Active Community for lead generation<
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9. Don’t Ignore Email

There’s no doubt that email marketing has stood the test of time. In fact, 81% of small businesses continue to use email to acquire customers. 80% rely on email to retain consumers. 

With email marketing clearly so important, the strategies involved are increasingly complex. For instance, automation tools can target customers with discounts and exit pop-ups, depending on what products they’ve looked at and how long they’ve spent on your website. 

Once you’ve managed to convince leads to hand over their email addresses, you can funnel them towards purchasing. Use tailored subject lines, razor-sharp email copy, dynamic content and a strong call-to-action to this end.

Email marketing for lead generation
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10. Develop a Referral Campaign

As your lead generation strategy brings in more and more prospects, it’s time to transition to a referral campaign. People are four times more likely to buy when referred to a business by a friend. 

Referral campaigns have been used by some of the world’s most forward-thinking companies, including PayPal, Airbnb and Uber. Coming up with your own version might just send your lead generation into overdrive. 

You might offer existing customers a discount for signing up a friend. If you want to go wild, you can even give both parties a promo code! You could send out a free gift to people who leave a review. You could offer a complimentary one-month subscription when someone signs up five friends.

Get creative and reap the rewards!

Develop a Referral Campaign for lead generation
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Chat with the Digital Marketing Experts

Make the most of the best lead-generation tools available. With the right lead generation strategy, you can reach your ideal customers at the perfect moment.  

Chat to the talented team at First Page Australia. As a digital marketing agency, we’ll work closely alongside your business to skyrocket your lead generation pipeline.

Also, don’t forget to check the 9 Ways To Build a Social Media Content Calendar article.