Almost every business out there has fallen under the internet’s clout or is about to. With the internet registering its importance on a global scale, it’s easy to see why. It’s now a join-them-if-you-can’t-beat-them situation, and businesses that hang on the sidelines too long may lose out completely.
But it’s not just enough to put your business on the internet. You also need to be able to generate leads through your business website. Don’t know why lead generation is so important? Let’s dive in. Without lead generation, your online business might just be dead on arrival. It’ll become yet another thing on the internet that shouldn’t be there. As a result, the site will not grow, and neither will it be productive.
However, to do it right, you can’t afford to neglect the role of lead generation in your website and business growth. So don’t beat yourself up if you don’t know how to go about it. Just stay on me.
What is the Process of Lead Generation?
Before we go further to convince you of the importance of lead generation, we can at least agree that you can’t know much of anything in one swallow. So, we’ll take baby steps; first, what’s a lead? This bit may have kept you guessing from the start, but trust me, it’s not what you think. Leads are potential customers. They are curious and desirous, and the need to satiate that desire takes them from looking in through the window and making a purchase.
Let’s put it this way. You’ve just gotten a lead when you get a visit from someone interested in whatever product or service your business is about. But there’s a nuance to the entire process of lead generation. Notice that these potential customers had to be curious, desirous, and interested before they become leads? So, cold calling won’t just cut it. Lead generation requires subtlety.
Here’s one more thing you should put at the back of your mind. People don’t become leads until they’ve registered their interests first. This is possible when they offer their personal information during surveys or other means of marketing. The interest makes a leader, and now that you have it, you can reach out to them, tailoring your conversation to suit the information they’ve already given you. Easy as pie, isn’t it?
Which are the 4 Steps of the Lead Generation Process?
Now you know what a lead is, it’s easier to see it’s more or less about marketing, right? You just require more tact; that doesn’t have to be a stumper. Lead generation is like a train or rather a track; it’s a process that progresses from one point to the other. There are different points along its progression, four in this case, but the ultimate goal is conversion, making sales. We went on a roll there, didn’t we?
Well, here’s what you should know about the steps of the lead generation process.
Lead Awareness
The first stage is about making your potential customers aware of your existence and what your business has to offer; this last bit is crucial. Your business is useless to them if they can’t tell what it offers and if it caters to a need. So, you must amp your awareness strategies; focus on networking, advertising, public relations, referrals, and SEO.
Lead Education
Here, you draw them in further by offering them loads of measured information about your business, its products, services, formula, and all. Its measured information because you don’t go telling them everything. Your release of information needs to be curtailed. Give them enough information about your offerings, what they do, and how it can help them, but tease them a little. You’re not a writer. So, you don’t need to be about suspense here. The crux of this stage is to educate your leads and build trust in your brand.
Lead Sampling
This may not have been a thing back in the day, but it’s gaining traction now and can be very pivotal to making a conversion. Prior to this moment, you’ve portrayed your product or service to your leads in a distinct light, which could be enough. But it hits different when you have to feel something for yourself rather than be told about it, right?
Lead sampling allows your leads to have a taste of the things you’ve educated them about. You can do these through assessments, demos, samples, and auditions. If you can put the hook on the fish and bring it home, why only bait it?
Lead Conversion
This is where interest becomes action and transforms into sales. The goal here is to make your leads see that your product or service can solve their problem or satisfy a desire. You’ve given them proof in the previous stage. All you have to do now is play on the proof, education, and awareness. Trust me; leads don’t leave when they know you’re best equipped to solve their problem. It’s assumed that you’ve done most of the heavy-lifting before now. Just cross the ts at this stage, and you have a sale in the bag.
What are Some Lead Generation Strategies?
Here are some strategies you can use to generate leads, so you don’t have to be at a loss.
Niche Marketing
Whether you’re solving a single problem or catering to a wide demographic with an array of problems, narrowing your focus to a single service or product could be the difference most times. By doing this, you become more particular about the information you get from potential customers and know how to tweak your response to suit their particular demand. In addition, leads are more responsive when they feel you’re addressing them personally.
Solid Branding
The good news about branding is that it can make you. Bad news; it can also mar you. You don’t want to be anywhere near the latter, but you could find yourself there if you don’t know what you’re doing. The last thing you want to do is to have a weak brand. It will not only chase potential leads away but also drag your business to the mud. So make sure you’re certain of your brand before using it. And when you do use it, be confident and unwavering about it. Let it show through in your content, advertising, marketing, everything.
Seeing is Believing
In business, that mantra has never been truer. People need to see what they’re about to be spending on, and photos and mockups can go a long way in determining if you convert or not. Show them that your products and services are solid and do it appealingly.
Put a Face Behind It
Having a face behind your business, a face that people can see and interact with is a determining factor in building trust and strengthening relationships. You may not have a face behind every part of your business, but you need to have one behind sectors that matter. Your Customer Care unit, for instance, is one aspect you don’t want to be automatedly controlled. People can connect with a human; they can’t do the same with a machine. A connection is of the utmost importance if you want to generate leads.
How Can I Generate Leads Fast?
There are several ways you can go about generating leads quickly and effectively. For one, you could automate your blogs and social media accounts to make scheduled posts when they matter the most. But, unfortunately, you can’t always be online, and even if you are, it’s not possible to regularly post updates and keep a handle on the day-to-day of your business as well.
Freebies still rule the day. Don’t forget that. You could decide to throw in a promo package in your product or service line or offer some discounts. But you don’t have to break the bank for freebies. You can also put up valuable resources on your blog that visitors can download for free.
It’s also important to acknowledge, especially if you’re a new or existing business. Although, they can be scary in terms of competition, they can also challenge you to bring something different into the market. Afterward, you’d also need to focus on creating amazing content that reflects the ingenuity and innovation you intend to offer people.
Most people could successfully try out every trick in the book and still lose all their leads because their forms are difficult to navigate. If you didn’t know, leads are meant to be pampered by their choices. A little tick of frustration could be what loses you tons of potential customers forever. So, if you’re creating forms, ensure they’re simple.
