Starter’s Guide to Lead Generation

⌚ 3 min read

Attracting complete strangers on the internet and converting them to customers is not easy.

There is no lack of content nor advertisements all clamoring for the same consumers’ attention. And consumers aren’t lacking savvy either. They want their attention to be earned, not bought. 

Capturing shoppers’ interest with compelling content is step one. But even more important, is what you do with that attention when you have it. 

The Fix: Lead Generation Strategy

Step two is lead generation, or attracting and converting members of a target audience, who have indicated an interest in a company’s services or products, into potential customers. 

So instead of receiving a cold call or email from a business, with a lead generation strategy, a potential prospect will be contacted after they’ve filled out a form online or followed the business on social media. 

Working with leads instead of complete strangers is proven to be part of a more effective and successful sales process. Warming up prospects to the point where they’re the ones looking for information from you beats hammering out ads any day. 

When customers show an organic interest in your business, they are the ones initiating the relationship making it easier for you to reach out at the right stage in the sales process. 

The evolution of a customer looks something like this:

Stranger → Visitor → Lead → Customer → Promoter

Potential customers can find your business through blog posts, social media, and search engines. By creating helpful and valuable content that resolves consumers’ issues, you automatically attract those with an innate need for your products or services.

A lead is identified through data collection. Although there are many ways you can go about collecting information about prospects, the most common methods used are coupons, contests, or content downloads. 

Case Study

Kristi recently opened a hair salon and has been on the lookout for creative ways to find new customers. In the old days, blasting coupons to the neighborhood was the only form of marketing salon owners used, but she knows that won’t cut it in today’s world.

A defining aspect of Kristi’s target audience is that they are constantly on the lookout for hair care tips and styling tutorials, so she decides to create high-quality YouTube videos focusing on these subjects to establish herself as an expert and provide her audience with useful content. In each video she includes a link promoting a special offer at her salon. 

Once visitors click through to the landing page, Kristi has a form for them to fill out in order to receive the 25% off any service offer. Through this methodology, Kristi qualifies as leads only the most interested members of her target audience, and she can use the information she has collected to target future marketing campaigns.

4 Steps to Collecting Leads

1. Call-to-action (CTA)  - When a visitor discovers and interacts with your business via social media, blog, or through your website, you’ll need a CTA to direct them to click through to the data collection campaign you’ve put together.
   
   
2. Landing page - This is the webpage your CTA leads to, and it exists for the distinct purpose of capturing leads through a form. Here you should explain what kind of content you’re offering, why it is valuable, and how to access it.
   
   
3. Forms - Depending on what information you need about visitors to qualify them as leads, you can edit the fields on your form to suit your purpose.
   
   
4. Offer - Your offer should be valuable enough to the visitor for them to be willing to exchange their personal information for it.

Once you have put together this funnel, use your various marketing channels to entice visitors to your landing page.