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Lead Generation for Beginners

Looking to generate great quality leads? This guide will help you find the right techniques to reach your prospects.

Introduction

Over the past year or so you probably heard the term “Content is king” echo through the internet. What’s more, you most likely already know that content is a sure way to generate email leads. While it is true that content is your key to success, there are also other ways that you can lock down your leads.

However to reach that success, tracking content consumption is what makes sure that you don’t just create random leads, but that you get quality prospects. Idio wrote about the importance of quality over quantity, but how does one go for quality? Research showed that what a prospect reads before he becomes a lead is hugely influential in understanding their needs, which in turn impacts your marketing strategies – helping you reach the right customer whose needs are met.

Include an online sign-up form

Since it’s free to subscribe, those who are hesitant to spend money, may be willing to sign up, giving you the opportunity to convert subscribers into paying customers.

  • Use a web form generator to create a compelling sign-up form that matches your brand. The two most effective places to embed the sign-up form are in your website header section or just below it.
  • Include a convincing call to action.

Include sign-up with a website registration

If you offer a members-only area (paid or free), add a check box on the registration form to opt-in to your mailing list.

  • Your registration form should suggest that customers can get more value by signing up for free newsletters.
  • Offer sign-up options for various scenarios: customers who make a purchase, prospects who reguest a guote, readers who download a whitepaper or report.

Use Facebook ads to drive traffic

Think about activities your target clients enjoy then choose the appropriate keywords to attract leads.

  • Target based on interests as well as demographics such as age, gender, and location.
  • Don’t direct leads to your home page unless it is optimized for conversion. Instead, direct them to a landing page with a special offer and your email sign-up form.

Case study: Learn how InfoShare Academy, a provider of programming courses for IT beginners, gained 1200 new contacts using Facebook Lead Ads and a carefully crafted ebook.

Run a Facebook contest

People who already follow your Facebook page are perfect targets. By offering a chance for a discount or prize, you increase the likelihood that they will buy from you later.

  • Offer the right to enter a contest or sweepstakes. In exchange, the contestant provides their email address and agrees to subscribe.
  • Use a Facebook voting app to select a winner. Contestants will urge their friends and followers to vote – driving more traffic to your fan page.

Provide an incentive

You can create an incentive by providing a simple discount code for those who sign up for your list.

  • Use a unique discount code, sent after each email sign-up, in order to track the number of people who subscribe to get the incentive.
  • If you sell services or information products, you might offer a free report, whitepaper, or infographic.

Collect email addresses in-store

Ask customers for their email address at the end of their purchase, always indicate that you’ve added them to your email list and let them know how to opt out if they want to.

  • Another version of this strategy is to collect email addresses at the end of customer service calls. A satisfied customer won’t mind!
  • Use the confirmation tactic: a thank you email and a discount code.

Start a referral program

Your valuable service, combined with an enticing incentive, can inspire users to refer friends to your list, leading to rapid list growth. People tend to trust the services their friends tell them about

  • Add a field to your sign-up form where new subscribers can indicate who referred them.
  • Design a webpage for subscribers who want to refer customers.
  • Give each referral partner a customized link for their use in email or social media. When a visitor signs up from that link, the subscriber gets credit for a referral.

Barter with owners of big lists

If you get a plug from a well-known list owner who has lots of subscribers, you can get a ton of new subscribers.

  • Make a list of your skills and talents. Contact list owners and suggest a trade: your services in exchange for promoting you to their subscribers.
  • Guest posting! You provide content for a large blog or newsletter in exchange for a brief bio and a link to your site.

Post in online discussion forums

When you write comments in discussion forums, it helps to increase your credibility. This way as an expert you can deal with topics that interest your client base, which will drive them to your site.

  • You can’t advertise your email list directly, however you can place a signature below your posts that can include a link to your sign-up form.
  • Include a link to content on your site that contains information relevant to the discussion. Make sure a sign-up form is nearby.
  • Cultivate one-on-one relationships. When you have gotten to know someone, mention your mail list and suggest that you subscribe to each other’s list.

Make printed materials mobile-friendly

Add a QR code to your printed materials to make it easy for customers on the go to reach you.

  • Redirect users to your Facebook page, mobile-friendly landing page or sign-up form.
  • Make a scan add you to their phonebook instantly (vCard), send you an email inquiry or enter a contest, etc.

Want to learn more? Here’s our updated guide to lead generation.

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  • Chapters: 11
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