Lead Generation 101: Your Top 3 Questions Answered

Lead generation is arguably the most important aspect of digital marketing. Without a steady influx of leads that you can potentially convert into paying customers, your business will not be running for long. It is also a form of engagement, since you are actively trying to convince a customer to trust and choose your products and services. 

Here are three common questions about lead generation and what it can do for your business. 

1. What is a Lead?

First and foremost, a lead is any person who has expressed some form of interest in your services or products by giving away their contact information. This simple act of sharing their contact details means that they are interested in your business and would like to know more. This brings them inside your sales funnel, which allows you to try and nurture them into becoming prospective customers.  

As mentioned, you can nurture them, but, more often than not, they are likely not ready to push through with a purchase yet. Leads are people who have already found you but are likely still trying to determine if your business is the right choice.

2. How do you generate leads? 

Lead generation campaigns can come in many forms. The most common channels used in lead generation are paid advertising, website forms, email marketing, social media, and even phone inquiries. 

3. How do you nurture your leads?

Nurturing your leads means piquing their interest just a little bit more and building enough trust to coax them into making a purchase decision. In this phase of the buying process, you can create personalized email marketing campaigns that introduce your business to your potential customers. 

For example, if you receive a lead through a weekly newsletter sign up, you can respond with a personalized welcome email that addresses them with their name. You can also incorporate any available data, such as their position at work or company location. This helps you build trust with your leads, and helps you become more memorable. 

The next step is to educate. This is where you establish your authority and expertise in your field by educating them about certain topics that they may be interested in. You can use your existing blog articles for this, or you can create new ones specifically catering to your leads’ needs.

After a few days, you can send another email inviting them to a webinar or a demo. The next email can be a few success stories and reviews from some of your satisfied clients. You can include a few more emails in the mix, depending on the content that you want to use. 

However, no matter what you do, do not send out emails every day! To avoid earning the ire of your potential customers, you should set up an email schedule that allows your business to remain on the mind of your leads while giving them time to digest your information. This will decrease the likelihood of turning your customers off and having them unsubscribe from your email list. Instead, focus on making your email as engaging as possible. 

Conclusion

A sound lead generation strategy will supply you with a steady stream of prospective customers that you can convert to become paying customers. However, the crux of any lead generation campaign is to nurture these leads effectively, until they go through with a purchase decision. This way, your lead generation campaign becomes cost-effective, allowing you to drive revenue to your business. 

Akby is a provider of digital marketing services in NJ with clients all over the USA. Our services include everything from website development to custom merchandise. Contact us today to know more.