Lead generation is crucial to the growth of a business. Lead generation helps increase brand awareness. Consequently, it increases customer’s interest in your products and services. Moreover, lead generation strategies nurture interested prospects. And it funnels them down to your sales pipeline.

Robust lead generation strategies can get your customer invested in your business for a long time. So, how can you increase lead generation? Every marketer is constantly thinking of new strategies to increase leads. This article will guide you through three reliable strategies you can take up to increase lead generation.

Table of Contents

What is a Lead?

A lead is a potential customer that expressed interest in your service brand or product. Consequently, the customer’s expression of interest can be identified in a range of ways. Examples include when the customer follows your social media account. Or, when they download a free e-book from your brand’s website.

If a customer shows interest and completes a contact form. The form gives you information as to where you can reach the consumer. And it lets you update them on future promotional content of your brand. Moreover, conversion through CTAs is included among many other methods.

In most cases, businesses hear from a lead first before a lead hears from a business. For instance, a person might take a survey to figure out what kind of car would go with his personality. That is when a business has a potential lead. And the company will send a customised email with CTA to the potential lead. CTA’s help drive more customers to your website. Consequently, the call to action button should be visually attractive and easy to locate.

Types of Lead

Many companies try to attract leads to their business. There are mainly four types of leads you can attract to your business. Besides, attracted leads tend to have a genuine interest in the offered products and services.

Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL)

Marketing qualified leads are leads who have been involved in the strategy of your marketing team. For instance, the MQL lead takes up your offer of downloading an E-book. However, MQL leads are not ready to commit and make contact with your sales team.

Hence, MQL leads are also said to be in the early stages of the buying process.

Sales Qualified Leads(SQL)

Sales qualified leads are the expression of the success of your lead generation strategies. These leads outright express their interest in taking an action that leads to sales. Consequently, SQL leads show an instant interest in your products, offers and services. And they indicate their interest in becoming a paying customer.

They occupy a lower stage of the buying funnel. And they are usually spontaneous to contact your sales team. An example of an SQL lead is a customer filling out a form or calling to ask your sales team questions.

Product Qualified Leads (PQL)

PQL leads are contacts who have used your services before. And they express interest to become a long term paying customer. For example, if your company offers a product trial or have a free version of a service, you might have PQL leads.

A PQL lead engages with the sales team after trying the free version of a product. Consequently, they learn what special features might be available upon payment. And choose their service payment plan according to liking.

Service Qualified Leads

These contacts indicate their interest in becoming a paying customer to the service team. Hence, they are the service qualified leads. Service qualified leads are already using a product or service you offer. And they usually express an active interest in the latest upgrades of the services.

A service qualified lead contacts the sales team to upgrade their plan or choose a different one.

What is Lead Generation?

The process of identifying, attracting and converting a potential customer is lead generation’s fundamental principle. And the method of lead generation is done through outbound and inbound marketing channels. Therefore, the end goal of lead generation is to convert the prospects into long term buying customers.

In addition, generating traffic and leads are the top most challenges of a company. In a survey, 63% of the participated marketers attested to it. Marketers have to find unique ways to attract customers to their business. Moreover, you have to naturally induce potential customers with relevant offers. It helps them to warm up to the idea. That is what lead generation is all about.

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3 Best Lead Generation Strategies

Lead generation strategies are unique ways for marketers to attract customers to the business and nurture them. Consequently, lead generation is an important content marketing goal of 85% of B2B marketers. The 3 best lead generation strategies of all time are given below:

1. Email Marketing

78% of organisations use email to attract, convert and nurture leads. That makes email marketing the most common tool to generate leads. Certainly, email helps to take a personalised and long term approach to grow your company.

Moreover, your email needs to have an effective CTA with compelling copy and design. So that it is able to induce a lead to take immediate action.

How to Do Lead Generation Using Email Marketing?

There are a number of ways to use email marketing effectively. You can follow a few tips to leverage this tactic for most gains effectively.

Create Emails That Convert

Firstly, your email should have a clear subject line with suitable visuals to reinforce the message. Furthermore, the mail should have a compelling call to action and appropriate links for sharing on social media.

These tactics engage the targeted consumers and get them close to converting.

Implement Opt-In Strategy

Provide the customer with different instances to opt into your email marketing. Subsequently, you can provide an opt-in email link in the sidebars or website pop-ups. Moreover,  your business has to allow potential customers to decide to opt-in.

Consequently, give the customers clear and compelling benefits that come from joining the mailing list. Customers love having the freedom to choose for themselves.

Nurture Your Leads

Nurturing leads should be the top priority of lead generation strategies. You can cultivate leads by sending customised emails. Subsequently, you have to offer customers at various stages what they need. For instance, sending emails that boost brand awareness to consumers in the awareness stage.

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2. Content Marketing

Content marketing is original and audience-focused. Moreover, the usage of content marketing aims to capture users at varying stages of the funnel. Blog posts, infographics, informational articles are some examples of content marketing.

Content guides a user to your website’s landing page by providing free information. Therefore, the more creative your content is, the more likely the user is to click your CTA. Moreover, your content has to be SEO optimised for better reach.

Effective lead generation by content marketing can be done in few ways:

• Publish and provide users free, downloadable online guides
• Consequently, publish informative and SEO optimised blog posts for users in the early stage of buying funnel.
• Create shareable content like infographics. It helps your brand earn fast exposure.

The scope of lead generation through effective content marketing is broad. Consequently, use site content to answer common questions you hear from generated leads. The more quality information you provide, the better the lead generation process is.

3. Social Media Marketing & Advertising

Guiding your followers to take action is easier on social media platforms. In short, social media marketing and advertising entail marketing your business on social media. You can make posts and content for followers on networks like Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Consequently, highlight valuable lead magnets on social media. And make sure your followers know about what you are offering. Almost 50% of marketers consider social media lead generation is challenging. However, social media is an excellent source of B2B and B2C leads.

How to Use Social Media Marketing for Lead Generation?

66% of marketers concede spending around 6 hours each week on social media. It helps generate qualified leads. You can use social media marketing for lead generation in various ways,

• Plan and launch targeted ad campaigns. It assists in driving up followers, likes and shares of your business profile.
• Drive brand awareness and website traffic with informational content.
• Communicate with followers through comment sections. Respond to their queries and concerns instantaneously to boost your brand value.
• Promote your services on social posts. And make sure to include a call to action or URL link on the post’s caption.

You can reach the top of the funnel of users through social media. Moreover, social media helps you reach people before your competitor.

Role of Internet Research Skills in Online Lead Generation

Lead generation in digital marketing is called online lead generation. Internet-based methods such as SEO content, social media advertising are two examples of it. Having good internet research skills is essential to be successful in online lead generation. 

For instance, you have to research the online market and see what the recent demands are. Consequently, you have to study your competitors. And you have to find out what strategies they have successfully implemented. For all these to happen, you need excellent online research skills. Therefore, enrol on internet research skills training course and learn how to identify proper resources.

With your excellent internet research skills, you can come up with intelligent strategies that get you better leads.

Conclusion

In short, prior planning and preparation pave the way for strategic lead generation. Make sure your business focuses on online lead generation for cost-effective marketing and sales growth. Consequently, keep an eye on your lead generation results. And optimise your strategies if necessary.