10 Lead Generation Methods to Consider Using

Generating leads is an important part of B2B businesses. In the old days, word of mouth marketing was the go-to lead generation technique. But now there are many other options of lead generation available.

These days we have resources that enable businesses to quickly acquire quality leads, aside from using word of mouth marketing. This has ultimately improved how businesses run, which means you can put your efforts in lead nurturing and conversions, rather than just focusing on lead generation.

However, 61% of marketers considered lead generation to be their biggest challenge in business. This doesn’t have to be true for everyone though. Applying effective lead generation strategies can help businesses overcome this challenge.

Here, we will list ten lead generation methods you can apply, to help you generate more leads than ever before.

1. Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is not just a top technical trend in marketing, but also an effective way to generate leads. SEO makes your website visible for potential customers, by providing content based on what they are typing into their Google searches.

SEO practices include ranking and optimizing content for search engines, specifically Google. This is done by using keywords, tags, meta tags, landing pages, content, heading, optimized user experience and much more. This form of marketing can help you reach the people who are making relevant searches to your business.

It is a long-term process that should be updated consistently due to the ever expanding nature of the internet. New pages are always being added to the internet, and as a result, can push you down in the rankings, if your SEO isn’t maintained. Additionally, Google constantly updates their search results and regularly updates their algorithms.

2. Pay Per Click Advertisements

Pay per click (PPC) is a way to attract people who are relevant to your advertisement. It is one of the most used techniques for generating leads. It can be argued that it generates leads more quickly than any other method of lead generation.

As its name suggests, you have to pay a certain amount when someone clicks on your ad/link. Ranking well in Google for PPC is easier than it is when using SEO. Statistically though, the cost for PPC will be close to double that of SEO, for the same results. But, speed is important for many businesses. Pay per click is also trackable, which means you can track all of your ads and analyze the results using that data.

PPC is less expensive than traditional advertisements (radio, television, magazines, etc.) and can target a wider range of audiences. Adopting PPC for lead generation could be a good idea for your business.

3. Email Marketing

Emails are the evergreen medium of communication in the digital world, according to these email statistics. Companies should never forget the importance of emails. You can directly reach someone’s inbox with your message while still maintaining their privacy.

All you need is an active and professional email address. With that, dependency on third-party platforms for reaching out is greatly reduced, as there is no limit to sending emails. Additionally, and email can be sent with minimal time and effort, through a quality email marketing software.

You can grow your email list by providing a free email subscription and a good reason for your audience to want to subscribe. Building your email list is one of the best things you can do for your business. You can maintain a good relationship with your email recipients by always providing quality content.

However, make sure to send emails to people with their approval, otherwise they may send your emails right to the spam folder. This could result in multiple issues you don’t want to experience. If you’re concerned about having a poor quality email list, check out this blog post: How to Legally Send Marketing Emails to People Who Haven’t Subscribed

4. Lead Generation Websites

Let’s understand this through an example; suppose you have a web development service, but there isn’t anything on your website that helps a potential user. In this case, they won’t stay on your website and may not trust you enough to ever return.

Lead generation websites are created to provide value to visitors in the form of precious information and data. These websites have their own impact and advantages as you can connect with visitors by using your website’s content.

Through this, collecting information about your visitors becomes more straightforward and less challenging.

5. Webinars

It is just like a seminar, but conducted on an online platform You educate your attendees about a specific topic that’s related to your business, and that interests your target audience. A lead generation webinar is often free of cost, but the quality of information should still be high.

The prime objective of lead generation webinars is to build a good rapport with the viewers. You should wait until the end to inform them about your service and collect their information.

An important point to be noted is that a webinar should be educational and informative, rather than a sales pitch. Otherwise, people will leave it in the middle of the webinar.

6. Social Media

Social media has become a part of the life of modern-day society. Individuals use it to learn and explore new things related to their interests. Not only that, but social media enables users to connect with popular figures from their chosen fields of interest from all over the world.

Generating leads through social media includes searching for relevant accounts using keywords, or hashtags, and reaching out to them. Collaborating with a leader of the field like Gary Vee, Neil Patel, or Larry Kim, for example (well known marketing celebrities), can increase your brand awareness and benefit you through conversions.

Additionally, running ads on social media generates a high number of leads and allows you to track your campaigns hassle-free.

 

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7. Referral System

Referrals are much more effective than self-promotion. There are different kinds of referral programs that you can use to get the details of new prospects.

In a referral system, individuals refer your business to other people and encourage them to consider using your company. In return, a benefit is sometimes provided to the person who made the referral. This could be in the form of commissions or freebies.

Additionally, based on some studies, it is found that B2B referrals have a higher conversion rate. So, using a referral program can be very beneficial in generating quality leads.

8. Online Marketing Videos

Videos have become a significant part of running a business in recent times. It is effective in both marketing and connecting with the audience and builds trust. Adding videos to your lead generation campaign won’t disappoint you.

You can add videos about your business, or explain solutions to a complex problem. For best results, it would be better to briefly describe your video and add a call to action at the end, along with contact forms.

Videos can be added to landing pages, email campaigns, and more.

9. Ebooks and White Papers

White papers are brief case studies, guides, and reports that solve the problem of the reader. Ebooks and white papers are less expensive lead magnets that can still generate quality leads. It also builds your authority in the relevant field.

Ebooks are longer than whitepapers but both require good knowledge of the topic and the skill to embed it in the right format.

To generate more leads, provide your ebooks and whitepapers free of cost to build trust and your reputation. Apart from that, these can also be used to display advertisements through different platforms.

10. Online Networking

Last but not least, networking should be considered for lead generation. Networking practices are always important. It helps make strong connections through one-on-one interactions, and can generate leads that have a higher rate of conversion.

With online networking, reaching a large number of people has become easy and reliable. With the presence of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin, it is easier to make the right connections with the right people.

Conclusion

When done well, lead generation can be far more effective than simply relying on word-of-mouth marketing. The above-mentioned methods are well tried and true, and have a high level of effectiveness for generating leads. The method to be used for you will depend on factors such as budget, industry, location, target audience and more.

For more information on how to generate quality leads, or for assistance with developing or executing a plan that works for you, please contact us here or through the form below.