Have you just launched your startup and are wondering when the first sale will come? Most business owners take up to three months before generating their leads, but you can generate thousands of leads in a month by following some of the ways below;
1. Make your landing page sensational
The most important page on your website is the landing page. What do clients see when they land on your site? Entice visitors to stick around your home page by organising content in such a way that all sticky posts are more visible. Showcase that you understand the customer’s needs, and you have the best solution for their problems.
In addition, include a call-to-action in the middle and at the bottom of the page to help visitors make the right decision. Do you want them to download an information booklet, or sign up for email? Include that on your landing page and put it as your Google Analytics goal so that you can measure its success rate.
However, avoid static pages. Work on all the other pages by offering quality and relevant content to your website visitors. Update your pages regularly and check the success of your content on Google. A high bounce rate is an indicator that visitors do not find your other pages useful. Conduct A/B tests to establish the best approach to content, and use tools such as WordPress Thrive themes to make your pages interactive.
Create relative links on your website to boost the other pages and reduce your bounce rate. Optimize your content and pages so that people can find you on the search engines. Your images also need to be professional. Do not leave people asking what it is that you are trying to market. Let the image invite them.
2. Invest in blogs
Blogging is the best way to build trust. Every blog post has a personalised message that speaks directly to the visitor. It offers solutions in a friendly manner, unlike a website that can be all technical and formal. Blogs tend to be more interactive, shareable and thus putting relevant content on a blog can also give you traction.
Blogs are also a better way to send people to your homepage as well as promoting your product. Build a community of readers, earn their trust and soon they will be buying without questioning. When they find a good article, they will also want to share it with people within their circles. Build your Facebook and Twitter accounts to boost your social networking efforts.
3. Email campaigns
Emails are also an effective lead generation tool, though it takes time to build the mailing list. Standard email open rates currently stand at around 25 percent, but with a few tests you can make that even higher. Play with the heading and if possible conduct an A/B test on it to know what iterations to apply in order to improve your open rates.. Majority of people make purchase decisions based on the heading. Use action verbs on your heading. While a salesy language may turn away potential clients, use persuasive language to make them curious. Out of curiosity, 52 percent of the recipients will buy.
4. Use LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a professional network that makes it easy for business owners to target the right group. With everyone displaying their job titles and interests, it is very easy to start communication and seal a deal because you already know what they want. Write directly to them and you will be surprised how many of them will buy.
To scale your LinkedIn acquisition you can use LinkedIn Sales Navigator for lead generation with their advanced features and search capabilities.
Sponsored LinkedIn updates will also go a long way in generating leads for your new business. These kinds of updates make it possible for you to reach out to people within a specified geographic location and profession, boosting your lead generation efforts.
5. Webinars
Webinars are a great way to interact with your website visitors. Only people who are interested in your product will find sense in giving a few minutes to listen to you. And depending on how you market your webinar, majority of people signing up already believe they will get value for their time. Use the webinars to market your products and make up-sells and cross-sales. Webinars are low cost and lead generation stands at a success rate of 52 percent.
6. Link webinars to your content
Write content that markets your webinar and use it to find out more about your attendees interests. Use this opportunity to determine the best products to market to them, and the content of your webinar. When writing posts related to the webinar, encourage people to sign up and include a registration button on the page for better results.
7. Offer free trials
Free trials will never fail, and 42 percent of people who try out your product for free are likely to buy it once the trial period or product is over. When marketing a product for the first time, it is good to give clients the chance to test it by using it for free. Getting people to try out a new product is never easy, so your startup needs to budget for freebies until you build trust with clients and establish your brand.
8. Offer discounts and special offers
Discounts are very inviting. When people are broke, discounts work well. Make use of special seasons and holidays to make sales by giving special offers. People are shopping during holidays, and so do not be left out. There are people who are waiting for special days to buy things on offer, so tap into the shopping craze by releasing your new product at a discount. This lead generation strategy has been found to have a success rate of 28 percent.
9. Have a dedicated leads generation team
Lead generation is a department on its own, with a myriad of tasks such as studying the market and tailoring your products to match the needs of potential clients. Give your lead generation team ample time to study client behaviour and conduct needs analysis for your campaigns to achieve greater success. Do not be tempted to assign them sales roles as this will reduce their efficiency and render your campaigns ineffective. A dedicated team will conduct A/B tests and take the most responsive approach to content.
10. Mind your language
Whenever you are talking to clients, the goal is to make them buy. Do not start giving them boring stories. Use a language that persuades them to want to try out your product. Let them have faith in your brand. Use words to build trust. Make it easy for them to identify with your brand by looking like the solution they have been looking for. Your heading is your selling point, so polish it up. Make use of keywords, but do not overload it. Sound natural but persuasive enough to generate a lead.
Generating a lead and maintaining a customer are two different things. While your first goal is to make that one sale, you also need to be working on how to retain that customer or perhaps sell them a product of higher value to your business. Quality and trust are the currencies you need here. Win the customer’s trust by offering them quality products. Do not promise what you cannot deliver. When they find that your product is just as marketed, they will always come back with another customer. That is how business works. Remember, you need to run a sustainable business and the best way to do this is to walk and grow with your customers even as you work on new leads.
Do you have anything to add to this article? Let us know by reaching out to as on Twitter @pressfarmpr.