Lead generation is an interesting game of data gathering, marketing implementation, and hoping you can get that user to become a long-time customer. Sometimes it is a frustrating task that seems like it's not working, while other times the leads roll in and become fully-fledged buyers without so much as a push from your marketing efforts. Every situation is going to be different, but, that doesn't mean you can find tips to improve your lead generation just a little bit more.
The top tips for inbound lead generation could easily be turned into a novel, there's just so many tactics to consider! But to save you some time, here are only the best hand-picked tips that are guaranteed to help you ramp up your lead generation and conversion rates.
1. Easy and simple sign-up
Keep it simple and they will come. Nobody wants to go through a Call to Action or sign-up process that is asking them dozens of questions for data gathering purposes. Half-way through that process, a majority of those leads are more than likely going to give up and go elsewhere. Instead, the sign-up process only needs a few requirements: name, email, maybe a phone number. If you can keep it down to two or three fields, good work! Gather the rest of the data once they have opted-in completely.
2. Transparency is key
No article on the top tips for inbound lead generation is complete without a tip on the use of transparency in gathering leads. Some professionals still believe that tricky wording and "fine print" contracts are still a sales method for lead generation, but this is the 21st Century and people want to see transparency from businesses. Let people know about your opt-in rules, your policies, and how exactly you run operations. It won't scare them off, promise!
3. Keep all of your promises
Don't you hate when you sign-up for a new, insightful weekly newsletter and it suddenly vanishes from your inbox? No, it hasn't been mistakenly marked as spam, the business or professional has simply neglected their end of the bargain and have moved on to other marketing methods. Or maybe you have signed up for a free phone call consultation and wait, and wait, and wait by your phone and finally realize they aren't going to call. Keep all of your promises, your lead generation will skyrocket.
4. Test, test, test
Nothing is ever perfect on the first try, and any list of top tips for inbound lead generation will tell you that you must always test and tweak your inbound marketing campaigns. Go through the process yourself, let friends and family test it for you, and even get your entire staff involved (not just the marketing team). Always make time for testing your campaigns in order to make any tweaks.
5. Give out quality incentives
Everyone loves a good deal, but, the deal itself can't just any kind of promotion that you think leads will swarm. If you can, go back and look at the analytics of your previous marketing campaigns and see what kind of incentives worked to land leads. Do they prefer free ebook downloads or maybe a free month trial? Make it something worthwhile, not just another indifferent promotion.
6. Be a human
Nobody likes a gimmicky salesperson, just like how nobody likes being bothered by incessant sales pitches and advertisements. Instead, marketing campaigns need to focus on keeping everything "human." Don't go overkill on the buzzwords, the exclamation points, and the annoying pop-ups. Engage, inform, and keep everything simple--the leads will roll in much easier that way.
There you have it: Some of the top tips for inbound lead generation. Marketing is very much an industry of learning and adapting, so if you can consistently learn and use what you learn to adapt, then your lead generation will always be successful! What other lead generation tips would you add?