Online lead generation is integral to securing new clients and sales, allowing you to optimize marketing strategies to turn more prospects into buyers. There are plenty of lead generation strategies available to an business, but there are also many businesses competing for attention. Few niches are noncompetitive, meaning online lead generation strategies need to be carefully constructed regardless of your business. It is possible, though, to reach a far greater audience than was achievable in the past, with fewer obstacles in your way.
Online lead generation is a skill that is usually honed over time, so understanding some of the common mistakes can help save a new business time and money.
FOCUSING TOO BROADLY ON LEADS
There can be a tendency to focus broadly in the hope of gaining the greatest number of leads. A broad focus will usually lead to weaker leads, though, with no way to satisfy such a diverse group of people. This problem can occur with your business and offer. A business can have no real identity, so leads cannot distinguish you from the competition. The offer used to draw prospects, usually called a lead magnet, can also be too broad, resulting in an unattractive and generic solution. You can get better results by appealing to specific groups of people, using a lead magnet that has a clear purpose. By using a PPC advertising campaign like Google Adwords Search Advertising, you can limit your target audience to reach only clients that would have an interest in your specific services.
NO KNOWLEDGE OF DEMOGRAPHICS
Without a clear understanding of your audience, tailoring your marketing message is guesswork. Most business owners have an idea of their target customers, but assumptions can often prove to be incorrect when you complete thorough research. Developing a customer avatar allows you to speak to your ideal customer, appealing to the desires that will lead to an email subscription and a purchase. Tools like Google Trends and Alexa will provide detailed demographic data, while browsing niche forums can reveal the common questions people are asking.
MAKING A BIG FIRST REQUEST
It is common for business owners to appreciate their offer so much they forget a new visitor is seeing it for the first time. Even if you are providing incredible value, the average person will need to be gradually exposed to your business to warm up to its benefits. For example, trying to sell a high-priced product to a new lead will result in a low conversion rate. Similarly, asking someone to join your email newsletter without an incentive will not yield optimal results. Whenever you ask leads to take action, offer a clear incentive for it, such as an ebook, video series, or case study.
WEAK CALL TO ACTION
While some business owners ask too much of their leads, others are reluctant to ask at all. It might be assumed that visitors will understand what you want them to do, but analysis shows that you need to be clear and direct. If you want someone to join your email list, offer a number of different opt-in boxes on the page, ideally using a landing page that is focused entirely on this single action. Try to reduce any clutter on your site, making it clear what a lead should do and what benefits they will subsequently gain.
POOR TARGETING
If you can’t reach your target audience, the quality of your leads will be poor. For example, you could try to reach people on Twitter, but your audience might be perfectly suited to Pinterest. It is common to then get disheartened as results are mediocre and the conversion rate is low. The problem might actually be with targeting, though, leading to poor overall results. Use your demographic information to identify the perfect lead, study the analytics of potential advertising platforms using the same methods, and focus your attention on the appropriate sites.
Avoiding the common online lead generation mistakes can result in targeted, responsive, and valuable leads, with a good return on investment. Most mistakes can be uncovered with testing, but plenty of money can be lost working out why leads are not responding to your message. To avoid the waste of time and money, a free consultation with TLG Marketing is a great first step. Then as quality leads join your marketing funnel, you should notice an improved conversion rate and greater satisfaction from buyers. Ultimately, you are trying to find the people that match with your offer, so focusing on online lead generation tactics will help refine the quality of the prospects you communicate with.