In theory, with so much technology available at our fingertips, generating leads should be easier now than ever before. However, we all know this isn’t true. With competition at an all-time high, it’s challenging to generate new leads and win deals. That’s exactly why we put this guide together – to help you generate more leads this year and beyond!
Before we jump right into our list of 10 ways to generate more leads, let’s get back to basics.
Understanding Your Sales Funnel
Your sales funnel represents a series of stages: Awareness, Interest, Desire, and Action. Each of these stages presents a unique opportunity to engage and nurture leads, and hopefully make a few sales. From creating awareness with compelling content to converting prospects into loyal customers, understanding your sales funnel can allow you to align your marketing efforts with the needs of your audience. As you can see with the chart below, the funnel starts out wide in the awareness stage, and progressively gets smaller as we lead our prospects through. This means we generate a lot of leads, but only a small percentage of them will convert into paying customers. Understanding this can help you see what types of lead-generation strategies are attracting the right kind of people.
10 Ways to Generate More Leads
96% of website visitors aren’t ready to buy. Because of this, you need to depend on more than just website forms to generate leads. Here are our top 10 ways to generate more leads and improve your ROI this year.
1. Provide Gated Content
Gated content involves placing valuable resources, including whitepapers, eBooks, webinars or other forms of content behind a “gate”, where users must complete a form with their contact information to access the content. This approach is viewed as a win-win for both you and your lead. This is because your lead gets access to premium, informative content, while you can capture their contact information and try to lead them down your sales funnel. By offering content that addresses specific pain points, you can showcase your expertise and entice potential customers to further engage.
2. Implement an AI-Powered Chatbot
While the idea of a chatbot may not be new, with the advancement in AI, chatbots can provide a real-time way to engage with customers on your website. And, you don’t need a Customer Service Representative to monitor and reply to questions. These intelligent bots can handle routine queries, provide instant information, and even assist in the initial stages of customer support. This can free up your team’s time for more complex tasks and following up with leads that are further down your funnel. Not only does a chatbot help you provide better service, but it can help you collect contact information from those using it. If you’re looking to get started with an AI-powered chatbot, ask to see one our ChatGPT powered bots or take a look at HubSpot’s new ChatSpot AI Assistant.
3. Refresh Your Website
If your website is more than a few years old, it might be time for a refresh. After all, your website is the only salesperson that works 24/7/365. Ensure your landing pages are optimized for conversions by including forms, gated content, and other calls to action that are enticing for your audience. You’ll also want to ensure that the user experience, user interface and overall content are interesting and engaging for your audience. After all, this is what’s going to push your prospects to fill out a form. If you’re not sure what will work, implement A/B testing to identify the most effective layouts and messaging that resonate with your audience.
4. Leverage ZoomInfo
ZoomInfo has a number of different lead-generation features that your business can take advantage of. They provide an impressive database of up-to-date business contacts, allowing you to access key decision makers within your target audience. With detailed company profiles and employee contact information, ZoomInfo empowers your sales and marketing teams to work together to ensure a more targeted approach. By incorporating ZoomInfo into your lead generation strategy, you can not only save time prospecting, but also improve the effectiveness of your outreach. You can also integrate ZoomInfo with your favorite CRMs to speed up follow-up time even more.
5. Host an Educational Webinar
Hosting a webinar is a great way to generate leads while establishing your business as an authority in your industry. Webinars provide a platform for in-depth discussions, live demonstrations, and direct interaction with your audience. By offering valuable insights and solutions to common pain points, you can position your brand as a thought leader and build trust. Additionally, webinars allow for real-time engagement, enabling you to answer questions that your audience may have. When the webinar is over, you can host the webinar on your website and share it on social media as a piece of gated content. This ensures that your valuable content can still be used as a part of your lead generation strategy. Here at IN2, our managed webinars are consistently the number one lead magnet for our clients.
6. Invest in SEO
While paid search ads can be a great way to attract leads quickly, search engine optimization can ensure your website ranks well in the long run. By optimizing your content, structure, and metadata, you can make it easier for potential leads to find and engage with your business. Consumers rely heavily on search engines to make informed decisions, making it imperative that your website ranks above your competitors. In addition, a well-executed SEO strategy not only drives organic traffic but can also enhance your brand’s credibility and authority. It may take a few months to see your SEO initiatives start to work, but what you do now can help your website rank for years to come. Take a look at this article, Why Your Business Needs SEO, to learn more about why SEO is so crucial for businesses like yours.
7. Attend Industry Events and Trade Shows
By attending industry events and trade shows, your business gets the chance to showcase its products or services, engage in face-to-face interactions, and stay on top of industry trends. Not only can this provide you with immediate leads, but it also establishes your brand as an active and influential player in the industry. In this day in age, where virtual connections often dominate, the significance of your physical presence at industry events can help you stand out from your competitors and strengthen your digital relationships.
8. Case Studies and Testimonials
Encourage your customers to become advocates by sharing their experiences through user-generated content. Whether it’s reviews, testimonials, or social media engagement, this kind of authenticity can make your company look more reputable and trustworthy. You can also use their feedback on your website, in advertisements, and in organic social media posts. By showing that other companies have had success using your product or service, you have the opportunity to speed up your sales cycle. With so much AI-generated content out there, this form of authenticity and social proof is crucial going into 2024 and beyond.
9. Create a Referral Program
Creating a referral program can help you capitalize on the power of word-of-mouth marketing. By incentivizing referrals, whether through discounts, exclusive access, or other perks, you can tap into your existing customer base and expand your reach to potential leads who trust the recommendations of their peers. Referral programs turn your loyal clients into an extension of your marketing team, creating a network effect that can significantly boost your lead-generation efforts.
10. Properly Leverage LinkedIn
Effectively leveraging LinkedIn can be a game-changer when it comes to generating more leads. LinkedIn offers a ton of different opportunities for businesses to connect with potential clients, partners, and industry influencers. Sharing and engaging with valuable content can significantly improve your brand’s visibility. Leverage LinkedIn’s advanced targeting features to reach your ideal audience through sponsored content and InMail Campaigns. Additionally, utilizing LinkedIn Sales Navigator can provide invaluable insights, helping your team identify and connect with potential leads more efficiently. If your sales team is not properly leveraging LinkedIn, take a look at Sell to Win’s 30 Day LinkedIn Bootcamp.
Building a Strong Lead Generation Strategy for 2024
This list of the top 10 ways to generate more leads is just the tip of the iceberg. When it comes to implementing the best lead generation strategy for your business, it comes down to your industry, what your competitors are doing, how long your sales cycle is, and more. If you’re struggling to generate leads, working with a marketing agency that specializes in building custom lead-generation strategies can help. If you need any help strategizing and implementing any of the methods mentioned above, contact our team today.
About IN2communications
IN2communications is an award-winning digital marketing and web design agency helping hundreds of B2B organizations create awareness, boost consideration rates and generate sales leads.
Our awesome team provides experienced expertise in the following areas: Creative Strategy, B2B Campaigns, Web Development, Video Production, Social Media, Paid Advertising, SEO, Email Campaigns, Blogging, Presentations, Webinars and remarkable Content Creation.
