I want to generate leads

All businesses want to build interest in their product or services. They know that doing so will prompt inquiries, phone calls and form submissions – which could all convert into physical sales. The first step towards achieving this goal is typically generating leads – the process of making contacts who will go on to become loyal customers.

Lead generation is understandably the Holy Grail for marketers and many techniques are employed to secure that all-important data. However, don’t think that it’s as simple as gathering names and passing them to your sales department, oh no. Things have changed. Consumers do their own research now; checking reviews, comparing prices and even showrooming (viewing the item in a shop, then buying the same thing more cheaply online).

As such, one of the most important elements of modern day lead generation is your visibility on the internet. There is a vast amount of big data readily available to you through digital channels, much of which can be captured, segmented and used to generate those vital leads.

What do you need for lead generation?

Essentially, you need the tools that will help build your reputation online. Given that the majority of buyers are already at least two-thirds of the way into the buying cycle before they reach you, it’s crucial that you take steps to grow your digital presence and stand out from the rest.

Each page should feature a form which is integrated with an intelligent Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. It should share content which helps build relationships with consumers, positioning you as a trusted expert and a company that values each and every individual. Segmenting your data will allow you to create personal emails to engage recipients or deals to tempt back those who have abandoned their carts.

Design considerations for lead generation websites

It’s not enough to simply boast a prettily-designed website; for lead generation you need to consider incorporating elements that will allow consumers to make contact easily. To that end, each page should include obvious calls to action (CTAs) – clearly displayed clickable buttons such ‘contact us’, ‘buy now’ or ‘subscribe to our mailing list’. It’s all about convenience, remember, so ensure these link directly to the corresponding page so that your goal can be completed. It helps if your website can be optimised for mobile devices, too; an eConsultancy study found that almost a third of British consumers make purchases on a smartphone.

Of course, this is merely the tip of the lead generation iceberg; there’s much more to it. However, providing you understand that the shift in consumer behaviour means you need to put more effort in online, you should start to see those leads roll in.

Lead generation companies

It’s easy to buy the names and email addresses of prospective customers from a lead generation company – however externally provided sales leads may have a number of risks associated with them. Imagine a scenario where you carry out an email marketing campaign to a list of purchased email addresses. Should this list contain too many inactive email addresses, spam traps (honey trap email addresses configured by ISPs to detect people sending spam) or uninterested recipients who click the ‘this is junk’ link then this can affect your overall deliverability and cause your future emails to be imprisoned in the spam folder where they’ll never seen the light of day.

Don’t risk your future marketing capabilities by relying on bad data, think about building a proper lead generation website so that the people registering with you are the ones who are unlikely to complain and are more likely to convert. We can set you up with a lead generation website that targets people who will be genuinely interested in your services – the ones that matter.

Pelling Marketing by Design, experts in design, branding. We have all of the skills you need to build the ideal lead generation website. From helping you decide what to include in your marketing strategy to taking care of all the work for you, Pelling can help. Take a look at our portfolio to see who else we have helped, read about our services and talk to us for a no-obligation chat about what you want to achieve.

Vector image by Freepik