Lead generation is a marathon, not a sprint.
The fact that 80% of marketers report that their lead gen efforts are only somewhat effective only supports that notion. First, you need to create branded content that you think your leads will like. Then you need to organize it into a campaign, which can take a while to execute…and even longer to gain traction.
But still, it would be better to generate leads now rather than later, right? With some proven content marketing strategies in place, it can happen quickly.
Here are 3 quick, easy ways for tech brands to get new leads.
Point some well-written ads to powerful thought-leadership collateral
For all intents and purposes, we can divide digital marketing in half: inbound marketing and outbound marketing. Inbound marketing — getting leads to come to you — is what you need to survive and thrive in 2017 and beyond.
But outbound or “interruption marketing,” while unfairly much-maligned and with the tradeoff of a higher cost per lead, still works fast and can get your lead gen off the ground like nothing else.
In particular, an effective way of “going out and getting” your leads is to put ads in front of a targeted audience, and offer them something free, yet intrinsically valuable.
It all starts with leveraging the power of Pay-per-Click (PPC) and social media ads. (Note that the effectiveness of each differs by industry: With B2B businesses, PPC works better, and if you’re a B2C company, you’re likely to see better results from social ads.)
With ads, the key is to target well. It’s all about snagging the attention of the right people.
Then, take them to a landing page (more on landing pages in a little bit), on which your web visitors provide their contact info. In exchange, you give them good stuff they can use, often in the form of a white paper or case study.
White papers, case studies, reports, small ebooks, a series of short videos — you have a ton of exciting options for valuable content to give to your prospective customers. That is, as long as they’re awesomely written, and truly:
- help,
- educate, or
- inspire your readers.
Of course, it’s a good idea to shoot for some combination of the three.
Curate relevant content for your followers
Already have some engaged followers?
(By engaged, I mean people who read your blog and keep coming back. Email newsletter subscribers who are clicking on links. Social media followers who actually comment and Retweet, like and share.)
If so, deepen that engagement by curating content that meets their needs.
Content curation is all about finding content that fits a single theme, putting it all together in one content piece (typically a blog post, but infographics, videos and podcasts are fair game), and then promoting that content to followers and similar audiences.
If they find the curated content incredibly useful, they’ll share it with their followers, increasing your brand profile and, very likely, bringing you more leads.
Worried that the content you’re curating will draw attention away from your brand? Don’t. Up to 70% of consumers (76% B2B) use 3 or more channels when researching a purchase, a process you can’t really control anyway.
It’s much more likely that you’ll be seen as a helpful resource…a “collaborator” with your audience…someone who cares enough about them to pass on tips and tricks, no matter where those helpful bits of info come from.
Optimize your web copy and landing pages for conversions
Your website is the digital “face” of your brand. And that face had better be attractive.
Of course, I’m talking about the power of strong web copywriting. The words matter — and can mean the difference between your web visitors coming deeper into your site and becoming leads…or literally “bouncing” off to find something more (seemingly) relevant, never to return.
You might start with your homepage, which should answer the following questions as quickly as possible:
- What does your product do?
- Who does it serve?
- What makes your product different from everything else like it?
- What are the key features and benefits?
- What can I (the visitor) do immediately to learn more about your brand and products?
While the organization of items on the homepage gives some hints, clean and crisp copy is the thing that will give you the advantage. It’ll make the targeted web visitor say “Yes, this is what I need!”
Or, better…
“Yes, this is what I’ve been waiting for.”
Now, let’s think about the landing pages of your site…pages where you capture email addresses by providing a demo of your product, or perhaps a substantial piece of content.
According to Marketo, 68% of B2B businesses use strategic landing pages to bring in new sales leads. Not only is much your competition on the ball…it’s crucial that your landing page copy makes you stand out and persuades your readers to act.
Every word should sell the offer. Not by “hard selling,” but by using proven elements of persuasion:
- A headline that tells the reader the main benefit of the offer;
- Body text that explains what they’ll learn…and how this information will improve their lives;
- Copy that gives the reader a sense that he or she should act now, rather than later (without being pushy)
- Some social proof to instill trust and build the desire to connect with your brand
- Even a download button with a strong call-to-action that gets the reader to actually click.
Depending on your sales funnel construction and tried-and-true marketing tactics for your industry and verticals, landing pages can make or break your lead gen efforts. It’s crucial to test variations over time to optimize for conversions.
And for the very best results, you’ll want to connect with a copywriter who understands two things:
- Your product, and what makes it special, and
- How to get the message across just right so that your readers take action.
With an intuitive grasp of those two things, plus background knowledge of industry pain points and the specific desires of your audience, a copywriter can turn your website…and especially your landing pages…into lead-generating machines.
Lead gen doesn’t have to be some big, mysterious thing that boggles your brain and keeps you up at night. And it doesn’t have to be as slow as molasses. Use one of the above strategies for speeding up your lead generation, and you’ll see for yourself.
What’s the fastest way you’ve ever gained leads for your business? Let me know in the comments.