Lead generation isn’t just about getting more contacts or email addresses – it’s about attracting the right potential customers. Whether you’re a small business or a large company, a well-defined lead generation (also known as lead gen) strategy is crucial for overall, sustainable success.
Remember, there’s no one-fits-all strategy for lead generation. These days, it’s more than buying lists for cold-calling or handing out business cards at networking events. Businesses need high-performing marketing strategies to drive qualified leads – and convert them into customers.
In this guide, we’ll break down the most effective lead generation tactics, including digital advertising, content marketing, media relations and more. Buckle in, and lets discover how lead generation helps you meet your business goals.
1. Content marketing: Establish authority and build trust
By creating informative and engaging content, businesses can establish themselves as the go-to resource as potential customers are learning and researching. Especially in the B2B industry, key decision-makers want valuable insights (and proof of ROI) before making a purchase.
So, how do you establish this trust? Well, that’s where content marketing comes in. Strategies typically include:
- SEO and blogging: Create industry-relevant blog posts that rank on search engine result pages (SERPs) and increase organic traffic resulting in higher brand awareness.
- Case studies: Showcase real results from initiatives, products or services to build credibility.
- Webinars & events: Host events or learning webinars provides valuable, interactive learning experiences while also generating leads.
Additionally, positioning employees as thought leaders on platforms like LinkedIn is a powerful way to generate leads. Remember, it doesn’t have to be just your C-Suite leaders, either. Subject matter experts, account managers and client service team members all hold valuable insights to help position your brand as an industry leader. Some content examples to aid in social media marketing could include:
- Case studies
- Employee successes
- Business awards and recognitions
- Lessons learned
- Industry insights
- Market trends
- Expert opinions
By strategically sharing this type of content, business leaders can establish credibility and trust with decision-makers.
2. Digital advertising: Unique targeting strategies
If you need quick results, digital ads are an effective way to bring in potential customers. With precise targeting, we can ensure your marketing campaign reaches the right audience.
At Resolute, we leverage data-driven insights and advanced analytics to build detailed customer personas. This research and discovery process guides us to target ads to reach the right people at the right time.
Our proprietary intelligence allows us to refine targeting strategies, optimize ad spend and maximize ROI. These enhanced lead generation strategies result in goal-meeting campaigns.
A key tactic to digital marketing and lead generation is retargeting and lead nurturing. Re-engage visitors who interacted with your products or services but haven’t converted yet.
Remember, a well-designed website is incredibly important. You could have a highly-optimized digital campaign with the largest budget in the market, but if your landing page provides a bad user experience, your conversion rates will plummet.
A landing page is a key tactic and lead generation tool. Your page should include clear messaging, strong calls to action (CTAs) and simple forms to collect contact information.
3. Email marketing: Automation and segmentation
Email marketing remains one of the highest ROI lead generation tools. Our approach ensures your emails are highly targeted and drive action. We work closely with clients to help streamline their email marketing funnels, otherwise known as “comm flows.” We recommend building segmented email campaigns using marketing automation that live within a CRM.
Who doesn’t want increased sales efficiency? Launching a personalized outreach strategy to each segment of your audience helps sales teams communicate with leads effectively.
The goal of these email campaigns is to convince your audience to convert. They help to nurture leads over time with relevant content, case studies and promotions.
Up next, consider lead scoring to help segment your audience. Lead scoring is a method used to rank potential customers based on their likelihood to convert. By ranking leads based on factors such as engagement level, and buying intent, businesses can ensure that their sales teams focus on the most valuable prospects.
Lead scoring helps improve conversion rates and shorten sales cycles, with an end goal to invest in marketing efforts that generate the highest ROI.
4. Creative and branding: Establishing a look and feel
Creative and branding both play a crucial role in lead generation because they’re the visual representation of your brand. Your creative is what captures the attention of your potential customer or business partner. Here’s why they are important:
- Visual impact: Strong visuals and compelling creative can immediately grab attention in a crowded digital – or traditional advertising – space. There are so many ads, emails, billboards and content competing for our attention. Creative elements like logo design and photography are what make your content stand out.
- Emotional appeal: Creative strategies help tell your brand story. For instance, using humor, nostalgia, or urgency can connect with your audience and make your lead generation more memorable.
- Brand identity: Consistent branding helps pinpoint your uniqueness, leading potential leads to easily recognize and remember your organization.
Creative and branding sets your business apart from competitors. Not to mention, it adds an extra layer of professionalism. High-quality, well-thought-out creative shows potential leads that your business is legitimate and invested in its image. This is another tactic that builds trust and credibility, which we know is essential in converting prospects.
5. Earned media & PR: Build brand and industry awareness
Appearing in the right publications can boost credibility and attract inbound leads. Our media relations strategies focus on a mix of thought leadership, press releases and other types of collaborations. We have contacts with not only local media outlets, but also nationwide media and industry-specific publications.
We help businesses expand their reach with guest articles and expert contributions. Leveraging those trusted voices to enhance your brand visibility.
Your audience has choices in who they partner with in the B2B space or where they make a purchase. These tactics help position your business as an industry leader and remain top-of-mind in your specific market.
Earned media spurs word-of-mouth conversation has a direct impact on SEO and search engine visibility. When your company is featured in reputable publications, it increases your brand’s authority and generates high-quality backlinks that improve your website’s search rankings. And remember, the more people talking about your brand, business or initiative, the better.
In fact, upwards of 83% of Americans say they’re more likely to purchase a product or service after receiving a word-of-mouth recommendation from a friend or family member.
The more your brand is discussed online, the greater your reach and trustworthiness become in the eyes of potential customers. This includes social media engagement and Google Reviews.
Now more than ever, developing an integrated marketing campaign is important. Of course, there’s still a place for one-off digital ads and stories in the media. However, for those focused on lead generation, a mix of marketing strategies is needed. This is what helps you stand out from the crowd and attract the most high-intent leads as possible.
If you want to grow your business and get more qualified leads, our team at Resolute is here to help. We craft customized lead generation strategies tailored to your industry and goals. That way, you can focus on closing the deals while we bring in the right opportunities.
