The Basics of Lead Generation for Business Owners!

Lead generation is an essential goal of the many digital marketing strategies used in business marketing today.

Though it is only one type of marketing strategy, lead generation marketing encompasses many other strategies like SEO for organic search, content marketing, and social media marketing, all of which promote the ability to gain more sales leads.

This short explanation of leads and online lead generation techniques should help business owners understand how it works and why using effective lead generation techniques is so important to the success of their company. 

What Are Leads?

Leads, which are basically inbound traffic that responds to lead generation marketing efforts, are the first contact that someone makes to a business website or advertisement prior to converting and becoming a customer.

Ideally, high-quality leads will convert quickly by making a purchase, signing up, or doing whatever the goal of the lead generation campaign is, while lower-quality leads that do not convert can be viewed as the digital version of tire-kickers on a car sales lot.

Interested, but not ready to buy yet. 

What Is The Goal of Lead Generation Marketing?

Naturally, the goal of lead generation marketing is to attempt to attract the highest-quality lead that will convert sooner, rather than later, but it also involves lead nurturing, which has the goal of eventually converting even those leads that are not initially ready to convert.

Using a sales funnel model, marketers can filter out different types of leads based on how they made contact with a business and how close to buying they seem to be, then nurture them through email marketing and other methods. 

Lead Generation Techniques

What are some great online lead generation techniques that can generate interest, increase inbound traffic to a company’s website, and increase conversions? 

  • Blogs - Publishing interesting, valuable, optimized content on a company’s website blog is a great way to boost page rank in the SERPs and attract more page views from interested searchers. 
  • Social Media Marketing - Posting on social media, collecting a following, and engaging with followers is another way to increase inbound website traffic among interested followers while also increasing brand exposure. 
  • Paid Ads - Targeted PPC ads and other advertising on Google and social media can directly increase quality inbound leads, as they are shown only to those searchers with actual interest. 
  • Referral and Review Marketing - Word-of-mouth marketing achieved through referral programs or by collecting online reviews are yet one more way that companies can generate more leads from viewers. 
  • Product Trials or Other Offers - Freebies are another great way to generate more incoming leads. 

Use These Tips To Increase Sales

Using these and other online lead generation techniques, businesses can attract more leads and higher-quality leads which will eventually turn into more conversions and sales.

The best way to plan an effective lead generation marketing strategy is with the help of an experienced digital marketing service!