Do you want to invest your time pursuing loyal customers who are interested in what you’re selling rather than chasing business from those who aren’t.

Great, well lead generation is a smart way to ensure that you’re attracting the right kind of visitors to your business.

As your most fundamental marketing tool, your website should be the number one platform when it comes to generating valuable leads. We have put together some insightful information about inbound lead generation and how you can make your website a strong lead generator for your business.

What is a Lead?

A great place to start is by defining what we mean by a lead. A lead is an individual who indicates an interest in a company’s products or services. This is shown through the individual sharing their personal information such as email or contact number.

The offer on your website should be enticing enough that your visitors are willing to share their information and offer themselves as an interested party i.e. a lead.

As your biggest platform to showcase your products and services, you can see that a website is the perfect place to generate leads. Having a site that contains a strong Call to Action (CTA) e.g. a sign-up form to your newsletter, allows you to be sure that those visitors who complete said form are interested in hearing from you and want to receive your latest news and information.

Effectively, by uniting lead generation with your website, there is no need to resort to cold calling or hard sales techniques, saving you the hassle of chasing business opportunities among people who do not require your products or services.

Defining Lead Generation

Lead generation is a sales funnel which follows the process of attracting interested prospects and converting them into customers, with the progression from visitor to customer being as natural and as smooth as possible. This enables you to build meaningful relationships with your customers.

Types of Lead Generation

  • Email – Targeted emails are effective at reaching those who have already expressed an interest within your products/services and subscribed to your mailing list. Use strong CTAs to encourage customers to follow through to a dedicated landing page on your website.
  • Blog – A blog can be tailored specifically with your end goal in mind. Create your blog post based around a specific topic with a relevant CTA at the end.
  • Social media – Social media is a huge marketing platform used by 6 billion people worldwide. Different platforms offer various ways for you to promote your business e.g. through posts, stories, videos etc. and often allow for easy linking to your website. Social media also enables you to generate leads by communicating directly with your customers through comments and direct messages. This helps you to build valuable, long-lasting relationships.
  • Website pages/Landing Pages – Your content is crucial in keeping the attention of interested prospects. It is important to include insightful website pages which are easy to navigate and which answer visitors’ questions. Relevant landing pages built specifically to funnel visitors to an end point are key when a lead has clicked through from a CTA elsewhere.
  • Call tracking – Call tracking is an effective analytics tool which enables you to track the calls made on your website and find out exactly which of your marketing platforms brought that customer to you. This tracking service is useful as it highlights which of your campaigns are performing well, and which perhaps need some attention.

Lead Generation Process

The journey involved in lead generation is a simple, but effective one.

  • Firstly, an individual will discover your business through any one of your marketing platforms, such as blogs, social media, or even directly through your website.
  • That individual will then click on your CTA, taking them to a specific landing page on your website.
  • This landing page will contain an opportunity for your visitor to share their personal data (often through a form) in exchange for a product/service you are offering. The offer will be one that has enough personal value for them to share their information with you.

And there you have it. You have generated a lead who is now invested in your products/services and are likely to be converted into a paying customer. Remember though, each lead is a person and so how you follow up on your leads, your tone of voice and personalisation of content, will all have a bearing on whether or not a lead is converted into a customer. A growing sense of trust in your brand is important if you want to maintain loyal customers.

Tips for Creating a lead generation Website

Converting visitors to customers is the ultimate goal, it therefore makes perfect sense that your website is created with lead generation in mind. Here are some things to consider when building a lead generation website;

  • Answer customer questions – Building relationships with your current customers is not only a great way to win referrals, but also, allows potential leads to witness your high levels of customer care, through things like reviews, making them more likely to show an interest.
  • Ensure your site is easy to navigate and responsive – It is important to maintain customers’ interest when they are on your site. A confusing website which is difficult to navigate is an instant deterrent for many visitors. Similarly, ensure that your site is performing up to standard.
  • Have Clear Call to Actions – Tell your visitors what it is you want them to do, e.g. Contact us, call, sign up to newsletter etc.
  • Specific landing pages – When a visitor clicks through to your site from another marketing platform, it is important to ensure that your landing pages are specific to what they are interested in learning more about.
  • Testimonials/Case studies – Testimonials allow for real-life feedback, making your business reputable and reliable. Potential leads are more likely to be converted into customers if they are able to read positive customer experiences.
  • How to Videos – Be creative with your media. Include informative videos to visually explain or promote your products and services.
  • Strong imagery – Similarly, an eye-catching image which is relevant to your content is more likely to keep your visitor’s interest peaked.
  • Make sure your site is responsive – Mobile users account for over 50% of internet users, so in order to generate the most leads, your site definitely needs to run efficiently on mobile.
  • Thank you pages/emails – Your customers are at the forefront of your business, and giving back to them, even by simply saying thank you, is a great way to grow loyalty and build relationships, both old and new. Displaying a thank you page once someone has filled out a form for your newsletter, firstly, signals to that visitor that their sign-up was successful, but more importantly, ensures that they feel valued. Thank you pages also provide a great opportunity for you to link other relevant pages or information that may interest them.

Have questions about lead generation?

We can help create a lead generating website or audit your existing site to see where it can work harder and deliver more leads.

Get in touch with a member of our team today on 01285 50 55 50.