Last Updated: May 31, 2024 by Editorial Team | Reviewed by: James Dyson
Year after year we see a number of articles emerge on what makes lead generation campaigns effective.
But these tips can sometimes be generic, over the top, or outdated. At the end of the day, if you're looking to grow your business, all you're really looking for is what works.
We know that tactics like spammy cold-calling, and even some traditional advertising can end up hurting your brand and causing lower quality leads.
But sometimes, even when you think you’re doing everything right, your efforts seem to go unnoticed.
In this article, we've pointed out 12 of the most timeless lead generation tips, which have proven to deliver results no matter the industry.
Lead generation strategies help you attain potential customers. They're meant to attract, capture, and nurture leads, improving your sales and revenue.
Typically, any given lead generation strategy should include the following:
When you're building your lead gen strategies, the goal is really simple: what are prospects looking for, and how can you provide it? As long as you have your parameters set, you can start attracting qualified leads.
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Leads are the lifeblood to your sales pipeline. Paying special care and attention to lead gathering, and lead nurturing, is how you can stay afloat in the hyper-competitive market we're facing nowadays
Following a series of proven lead generation tips helps you keep a steady line of acquisitions coming in.
No one knows for how long customers tag along, and if you’re unable to retain them, you’ll want to guarantee you have a system in place that enables new customer acquisitions every month.
While implementing lead generation tips isn't the challenge, knowing whether these tips are the most effective strategy for your company is where things get cloudy.
And besides that, determining why a given lead gen strategy isn't effective, and what would be, is equally difficult.
That's why some of the most common challenges faced when trying to generate leads are:
It’s easier said than done, but these challenges can be mitigated with a combination of strategic planning, data-driven decision making, and a willingness to test and iterate on your lead generation approach.
Getting it right can then unlock significant growth potential for your business.
Every lead generation strategy comes with its own set of metrics, and your goals are what will largely define what you need to track.
For example, say that your main intent with your new leads is to increase sales funnel revenue. You'd likely want to track metrics like lead-to-customer conversion rate so that you can understand how effectively your leads are translating into closed deals.
Or let's say that what you're really looking for is leads who will become long-term, high-value customers. In that case, you'd likely want to track customer lifetime value so you can identify and focus on the most profitable lead sources.
The list goes on, but for good measure, here are some of the most crucial metrics a lead generation strategy typically covers:
Now, you might be wondering: where does one start? The key is knowing your target audience, and tailoring a precise approach to target their specific needs and pain points.
So let’s take a look at some of the most effective lead generation tips to boost your sales.
Imagery, video marketing, and engaging with an audience through entertainment platforms is the way to go. You just have to know how to work it.
Instead of blasting out promotional posts, focus on creating really engaging, valuable content that speaks directly to your target audience.
The key here is to also position yourself as an expert in your industry, not just someone trying to make a sale.
Posts involving eye-catching visuals, fun videos, and interactive polls or quizzes can be highly effective at grabbing people's attention and getting them interested in what you have to offer.
Take a look at Bartle Bogle Hegarty, for instance. They've shaped a cohesive social media presence, posting carousels, videos, and other media-related content to establish something different and unique to their brand.
Your website's landing pages are likely going to be the first impression you give potential leads. That’s why you want them to be sharp, polished, and designed to convert.
Make sure the layout is clean and easy to navigate, with high-quality images or videos to further grab attention.
Ensure your copy is persuasive, focusing on how your products or services solve your customers' biggest pain points. These pages will also need a clear call-to-action, whether that's a lead capture form, content download, or appointment booking.
If your goal is to capture leads on the landing page, ensure your lead gen form is well optimized and works well on mobile devices too.
Discord has kept it very simple, but minimalism sometimes is the key to a high-converting landing page.
Their landing page perfectly complements on-brand visual assets with a perfect combination of font and colour choices. Add in some simple, effective copy for their Nitro offering, along with actionable CTAs, and you have a recipe for success.
Instead of chasing after new leads, why not get them to come to you? That's the beauty of inbound marketing.
You’re creating helpful, educational content like blog posts, videos, and webinars, where you can position yourself as a trusted expert in your industry.
When your ideal customers are searching for answers to their questions, they'll likely find you organically.
Once they see how much value you provide upfront, free of charge, they'll be way more receptive to your offers.
For example, Hodinkee cleverly publishes content around market predictions, showcasing their authority and expertise in their respective industry.
Down the line, this will resonate with their prospective leads, increasing the potential that they turn into paying customers.
Trying to manage your entire lead generation process manually is a recipe for burnout. It’s beneficial to consider automation tools to streamline some tasks and functions wherever possible.
Let’s take lead capture forms, nurture email sequences, and lead scoring as examples.
Automating these can help you streamline and scale, and when you've got all your lead and customer data in one central CRM system, it's far easier to personalise your outreach.
There are also specialised tools for live chat, content gating, webinars, and more that can boost your lead generation.
lempire is a great example of a company who offers email automation tools, and at the same time leverages their technology for their own email marketing campaigns.
A fantastic way to practise what they preach and ultimately showcase the power of their solutions.
When it comes to generating high-quality leads, getting traffic from search engines via search engine optimization is key.
By conducting keyword research, you can identify what your target customers are searching for and optimise your website and content to improve your visibility in search results.
That means ranking higher for the target keywords that matter most to your business. It's an ongoing process, but the payoff in terms of steady, organic traffic is extremely rewarding.
SEMrush is a great example of using SEO to ensure peak performance in search rankings.
They create content pieces around relevant content topics that attract potential customers. Each blog post is carefully crafted to ensure they make the most of this b2b lead generation strategy.
This targeted content marketing approach not only enhances their visibility but also attracts high-quality, relevant traffic to its site
While making sure you have a steady stream of new leads coming in, your existing customers are one of your most valuable lead sources.
They already know, like, and trust your brand, and because of it, they’re more likely to invest more in your product or service and all it has to offer.
So why not leverage that by offering them special discounts, early access to new products, or other exclusive perks in exchange for referrals or introductions to their network. You can even create a formal referral program to incentivise and streamline the process.
Amazon has mastered the art of customer retention through incredible loyalty schemes and packages and offerings.
From curated membership tiers fit for every type of customer, to special discounts and offers only available to members, Amazon has gone above and beyond to retain their customer base, which might explain why they have been so successful long-term.
Teaming up with other businesses or industry influencers in your space can be a way to reach a new pool of potential leads.
Scout for collaboration opportunities like a joint webinar, co-branded content, or a special promotion.
Find partners who share your target audience, but aren't direct competitors. That way, you're tapping into their established reach and reputation, building credibility and authority in the eyes of new leads.
Redeployable are a great example of how brand partnerships can take two companies to new heights.
Partnering up with Schneider Electric, Redeployable helped veterans acquire tech and sustainability careers through their 12-month Military Training Academy, so that vets with zero technical background could get the skills and experience to land full-time gigs at Schneider.
It's a win-win: Schneider gets to build a diverse, talented workforce, while Redeployable helps ex-military folks find their footing in the civilian world.
Everyone loves a free offering, and while it might sound like a hassle to give something away for free, you can use that to your advantage with lead magnets.
These are valuable digital assets like ebooks, checklists, or video tutorials that you offer in exchange for a person's contact info. This can be one of the most effective ways of generating leads for your business.
Ensure your lead magnet is relevant and irresistible to your target audience.
hey need a valid reason to trade their contact information for said offering, so try to get them to a place where they’d be more than happy to hand over their email address or phone number to get their hands on your premium content.
SC Digital is a good example of how to sell quality lead magnets through precise copy. Just a quick look at their lead magnet landing page will show you how they've devised the perfect offering to entice potential customers towards trying out their services.
Develop a podcast that delivers actionable tips, insights, and interviews specifically tailored to your target audience.
This lead generation tip builds your authority and makes it easy for listeners to get to know, like, and trust your brand.
Promote the podcast across your website, email list, and social channels to capture new leads, and consider gating certain episodes or offering exclusive content in exchange for contact information.
Dan Koe is an excellent example of how investing in a podcasting series will bring a steady stream of leads.
Serving as both a separate platform to post his content, as well as an extension of the content he posts elsewhere, his podcast has garnered numerous views, downloads, and ultimately more leads journeying towards his products and services.
A must-try lead generation tip: experiment with a diverse mix of tactics and channels. Maybe that's a combination of social media marketing, SEO-optimised content, email nurture sequences, and strategic partnerships.
That way, if one particular channel starts to underperform, you've got what’s needed to keep that lead pipeline flowing.
One example of channel diversification is solopreneur David Paykin, who makes use of LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, email campaigns, and even Discord.
With his active use of so many social media channels , he is bound to acquire a higher volume of leads.
Set up campaigns that target users who have visited your site but didn’t convert. Just be sure your retargeting strategy provides value rather than feeling overly pushy - the goal is to nurture, not annoy.
That’s what Sezane has done effectively. They instil a sense of urgency through their copy, confirming it’s the “last change” to benefit from their offering.
Retargeting interest in this way gives them another opportunity to reconnect with users who may have forgotten about their products or had lost interest for other reasons.
One of the best lead generation techniques you could adopt involves free trials or demos. These are both free offerings that showcase what your product offers.
Product demos are a practical walkthrough showing your prospects how your product works and the value it provides, whereas free trials offer a no-commitment, first-hand experience for a limited time only.
In either case, you're more likely to acquire new customers due to the increased trust and engagement that these free offerings foster
For instance, lead generation software OptimizePress comes with a free, comprehensive demo detailing every facet of how the tool works, including its design capabilities, customisation options, and reporting features.
Because potential customers are able to experience the product's features firsthand, and become familiarised with the tool's functionality, leads are more likely to stick around and convert to paying subscribers.
All in all, there are numerous lead generation tactics you could follow when developing your lead generation strategy.
The more prepared you are, the more likely it will be that your lead generation campaign efforts will not go to waste.
With OptimizePress, you have the perfect toolset to build effective web pages and landing pages that are guaranteed to convert your prospective leads into loyal customers, as well as automate online lead generation processes.
Following the tips here should give you a good lead generation strategy to follow to attract prospective customers into your business.
Remember that every new lead generation technique you deploy is another opportunity to make all the difference to your business - once you have a solid lead flow into your business you’ll soon start to see the results.
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