How can I improve my leads?

A lot has been said about inbound and outbound marketing strategies. But what is an effective way to generate more traffic and more leads for your business? And what do these terms actually mean? If you're new to this field or just looking to learn more, here's everything you need to know!

Inbound Marketing: A term that means "pulling" people into your site instead of forcing them there. Instead of sending cold emails or making phone calls, it's all about creating content that engages with potential customers and getting them interested enough to want to find out more -- which could be anything from reading blog posts, watching videos, downloading eBooks, signing up for newsletters, etc. This approach works best when it comes to businesses who sell products directly to consumers (e.g., Amazon). It doesn't work as well if you have a B2B model where you deal with other companies' clients.

Outbound Marketing: The opposite of inbound -- this involves using methods such as email blasts, telemarketing, direct mailing, social media ads, etc. to get someone to respond to a call to action. Often used by businesses selling their services rather than products.

Leads: These are customers who've shown interest in one of your offers. They might buy something through you, they might sign up for a newsletter or optin form, or they may enter some sort of contest or promotion. Once they've done so, you'll usually see a spike in activity around those users. Depending on your goal, you can then convert leads into buyers, subscribers, trialists, or whatever else your company needs at any given time.

To make sure you're building great relationships with your audience, we asked our resident experts on digital marketing to share their tips for increasing website conversion rates. Here are their top 25 ideas for generating better leads for your business.

How can I improve my business leads?

1. Get rid of spammy links. One big mistake many internet marketers make is linking to a page full of affiliate product banners, popups, and other forms of advertising. You don't want anyone clicking through to your homepage because they won't stay long -- especially if they think they're going to lose money doing so. Use relevant text links throughout your pages that link back to your own landing page. You should also avoid placing too much emphasis on sponsored content, banner ads, or popup windows. Also keep away from freebies and giveaways unless they're part of a legitimate offer.

2. Don't overuse keywords. When writing copy for your webpages, steer clear of keyword stuffing. That is, putting too many words related to your main topic in order to rank highly for certain phrases. Google wants websites that are informative and easy to read, not ones filled with unnecessary jargon. Overusing keywords will result in your rankings dropping off dramatically due to poor user experience and low engagement levels.

3. Avoid using generic wording. Your webpage title should reflect the specific nature of your offering. For example, if you run a jewelry store, use "jewelry" as opposed to "gold rings." Likewise, you shouldn't repeat yourself multiple times within your body copy. People generally scan information online, so having similar phrasing across different parts of your website will confuse readers.

4. Write short paragraphs. Longer blocks of text tend to intimidate visitors. Make each paragraph count by focusing on one idea per sentence, avoiding overly wordy sentences, and keeping things simple.

5. Include images and graphics. Graphics help break down complex concepts and convey important messages quickly. Try inserting visual elements whenever possible. They don't always have to be eye catching, either. Simply adding a few photos to your website can go a long way toward improving your conversion rate.

6. Keep your navigation clean. Navigation bars are often cluttered with unimportant icons and buttons. Make sure every button serves a purpose. Remove unused options wherever possible.

7. Offer incentives. Giveaways and discounts increase visitor retention and encourage people to leave feedback after visiting your page. Offering high value items that aren't available anywhere else increases brand awareness.

8. Be consistent. Having several variations of your same theme isn't recommended. Choose one design template and stick with it until you start seeing diminishing results.

9. Test different formats. Different types of content perform differently depending on whether you publish it via article format, video, podcast, image gallery, etc. Experiment with various platforms and styles to see what converts best for your target market.

10. Focus on quality over quantity. There's no guarantee that the most popular sites will rise above others simply because they attract more viewers. Quality wins over popularity. To stand apart from the crowd, focus on providing valuable information that helps solve problems and deliver solutions.

11. Promote social sharing. Social media allows you to connect directly with your audience, allowing you to interact with prospects before they even visit your website. Encourage interaction by including Facebook Like/Share buttons, Twitter retweet/favorite buttons, and Google +1/+share buttons. By encouraging your followers to spread the word about your offerings, you increase exposure exponentially.

12. Update regularly. Regularly updating your website shows visitors that you care about the success of your business. Visitors appreciate being able to check back frequently to see changes and updates. Take advantage of tools such as RSS feeds and live chat features to ensure constant communication between you and your visitors.

13. Create compelling headlines. Headlines play an enormous role in determining whether or not people click on your ad. Always write headlines that grab attention without confusing readers. Your headline must contain keywords relating to your service or product while still sounding interesting.

14. Make it interactive. Interactivity adds excitement to an otherwise dull subject. By asking questions or inviting comments, you provide opportunities for discussion among your fans and followers. Ask for input regarding topics that matter to your community.

15. Provide useful resources. Showcase helpful articles and tutorials as well as links to news stories, blogs, forums, and other sources of knowledge.

16. Have fun. Your website should feel welcoming and engaging. Emphasize personality and humor by incorporating quirky fonts, bold colors, and playful animations. Make sure you include contact info on your home page in case visitors wish to speak with you further.

17. Add a blog section. Blogging provides another unique opportunity to engage with your audience. As mentioned earlier, blogging encourages active participation between you and your visitors. Readers love interacting with you, and you build goodwill by giving them a chance to ask questions.

18. Respond promptly. Being responsive makes you appear trustworthy and reliable. Even just a quick reply acknowledging receipt of an inquiry can help create positive feelings towards your business.

19. Share industry insights. Sharing expert advice and opinions shows that you respect your customers. Letting them know that you understand their pain points and concerns gives them confidence in your ability to serve them.

20. Invite testimonials. Including customer reviews and endorsements demonstrates sincerity and transparency. Customers enjoy feeling appreciated and valued, and you gain credibility by showing them that you listen to and take seriously their opinion.

21. Build trust. Trust is essential to establishing credibility. People buy from people whom they believe to be honest, capable, knowledgeable, and dependable. Building trust takes time, however. Start slowly by posting genuine pictures, videos, and case studies demonstrating your expertise, and gradually add testimonials and recommendations from satisfied customers.

22. Incorporate polls and surveys. Polls allow you to collect data from your audience. Surveys give you insight into the interests and preferences of your customers. Both activities show you care about your community, and encourage members to become loyal supporters of your business.

23. Reward loyalty. Loyalty rewards demonstrate that you recognize the importance of repeat visits and purchases. Rewards can range from small gestures like coupons and discount codes to larger gifts like merchandise vouchers and trips abroad.

24. Maintain consistency. Consistency creates familiarity, comfortability, and predictability. Allowing your visitors to come back again and again builds rapport and trust.

25. Offer exclusive deals. By rewarding your best customers, you demonstrate appreciation for their continued patronage. Showcasing special offers lets them feel special and appreciated.

What does a good lead look like?

Good leads are typically individuals who have shown an interest in purchasing products from you based on the information provided on your website. However, they don't necessarily fit neatly into categories like warm vs. hot, passive vs. aggressive, etc. Good leads are individuals who have already expressed an interest in learning more about your company, its products, and/or its services, and are open to receiving additional information. While good leads may not immediately purchase a product, they represent potential future customers who potentially could someday consider buying a product from you.

One thing to remember is that everyone responds differently to different messaging. So try experimenting with different approaches and tactics to determine which ones work best for you. Some examples of common bad leads include:

· Leads who ignore you completely

· Emails that are sent straight to trash

· Requests for personal information

· Unsubscribe requests sent to your entire list

· Sales pitches disguised as friendly inquiries

Leads are vital -- they're the foundation upon which any successful online and offline marketing campaign is built. But what exactly do we mean by a "lead"? What makes one person more likely than another to become your customer? How should you go about generating as many high-quality leads possible? And why are these questions worth asking when it comes to increasing sales?

To answer those questions, let's look at some statistics that show just how valuable leads are. According to HubSpot Research, there were 2 billion interactions with digital content last year alone. That means every single day people around the world read something new on their computer or mobile device. Every time someone reads this article, then, he or she has the potential to be exposed to a brand message -- and if that user likes what he or she sees (or hears), then the chance increases dramatically. This means that each interaction represents a potential sale!

But while a lead might have already expressed interest in your product or service via email or social media, the vast majority will never convert into a paying client. So even though everyone reading this right now may be interested in buying from you, the chances are slim that they'll ever make such a purchase. Therefore, effective lead generation strategies focus on improving conversion rates.

In other words, how much money a company generates compared to its total revenue generated per month is called its ROI. It measures the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and the return on investment made through them. The higher this number, the better. While ROI isn't necessarily measurable directly, it's still a useful metric that indicates whether or not a given strategy was worthwhile. If you want to know how to generate leads for your business, here are 25 tips to get started.

What's an effective lead in a story?

When you think about building relationships with customers, who do you think about first? Your family members? Friends? Colleagues? Acquaintances? Neighbors? Or maybe you think about the people who buy products similar to yours regularly -- like yourself, perhaps. These are all great places to start thinking about where you'd like to build your relationship with prospective buyers.

The same goes for creating compelling stories. When trying to find ways to engage readers and drive traffic back to your site, don't forget to tell a good tale. Stories are powerful because they allow us to connect emotionally with characters who seem real and relatable. They also give our brains a reason to care about the outcome, making it easier to visualize ourselves being part of the narrative.

This type of storytelling doesn't always have to involve fictional characters, either. You could write up a case study using the experiences of actual clients of yours. By doing so, you'll have the opportunity to share information about your services that would otherwise remain hidden from others.

Why are strong leads so important?

While most businesses struggle with getting enough leads to fulfill demand, B2B companies face unique challenges due to their nature. Unlike consumers who typically seek out specific brands based on price comparisons, B2Bs have different needs based on industry sector. For example, healthcare professionals need software solutions tailored specifically towards medical practices, whereas manufacturers require systems designed specifically for factories.

As a result, B2Bs often have trouble attracting the kind of leads that work best for their target audience. To address this issue, you should consider implementing multiple channels that appeal to various demographics. Some examples include blogging, Facebook ads, LinkedIn ads, Twitter retweets, Google AdWords, YouTube videos, Instagram posts, video hosting platforms, podcasting, eBooks, etc.

You can also take advantage of paid search options available within certain industries. For instance, if you run a law firm specializing in divorce cases, you can advertise a special discount on legal services during the week leading up to Thanksgiving Day. Not only will you attract customers looking for cheap legal advice, but you'll also draw attention to your blog post announcing the offer.

Additionally, you can leverage the power of influencers in order to reach targeted audiences. Influencer marketing works well for both B2C and B2B companies alike. Simply put, influencers play a crucial role in shaping public opinion and influencing purchasing decisions. By working with influential figures in your niche, you can create buzz around your offering in addition to driving traffic to your website.

If you're unsure of what steps to take next, ask yourself a few questions before starting down the path of lead generation. Will your efforts pay off over time? Are you willing to invest significant resources into developing your marketing plan? Do you feel comfortable managing a team of employees dedicated solely to finding new prospects?

It's important to remember that a lot of small changes can add up to big results over time. There's no magic trick to instantly transform your company into a powerhouse that gets millions of dollars in annual revenues overnight. Instead, it takes consistency and dedication to see sustained growth.

What are the 5 types of leads?

There are five main categories of leads:

1) Leads created organically - This refers to people who've found your website accidentally after searching for something else entirely. Organic leads tend to come from referrals from friends, colleagues, or acquaintances. However, since a large portion of Internet users rely heavily on search engines, organic leads can quickly grow into a sizable percentage of the overall market.

2) Targeted leads - These are leads that came to your website after clicking on a link provided by another source. They're usually identified as follows:

a) Paid leads - Often referred to as PPC leads, these are the kinds of leads you receive from paid advertisements placed on Google and Bing.

b) Affiliate links - Links embedded in articles shared across blogs, forums, news sites, etc., and which redirect visitors to landing pages hosted elsewhere on the web.

c) Social media followers - People who follow your page on social networks like Facebook or LinkedIn.

d) Content syndication - Bloggers, journalists, authors, experts, etc., whose websites contain relevant content related to your area of expertise.

3) Recruitment leads - Sometimes referred to as cold calls, recruitment leads refer to individuals who call you personally seeking employment. Many recruiters use automated tools to identify candidates, but some prefer to talk to humans instead. Either way, you should prepare to field hundreds of phone calls in hopes of finding just one candidate worthy of hiring.

4) Sales leads - Referred to simply as "warm" leads, sales leads are people who have shown interest in your business by visiting your website or filling out a form requesting additional information. Once they've done so, however, they won't automatically qualify themselves as potential customers. Instead, you must actively track them down and nurture the relationship until they turn into genuine leads.

5) Qualified leads - As opposed to sales leads, qualified leads represent a smaller subset of warm leads. Since they've expressed some level of interest in your product or service, it's reasonable to assume that they're ready to move forward toward becoming a customer. However, it's essential to keep things professional and avoid coming across as pushy or desperate.

How does lead generation help a business?

Generating leads helps you achieve several goals simultaneously. First, it allows you to expand the size of your network without spending a fortune on advertising. Second, it gives you access to fresh talent and insight that would otherwise cost thousands of dollars to hire outside consultants. Third, leads provide you with a steady stream of income from commissions earned on future sales. Finally, they enable you to establish credibility among prospective customers, thus boosting trust levels between you and your target demographic.

Of course, lead generation requires effort. Depending on the scale of your organization, you may need to dedicate full-time staff members exclusively to tracking down leads and nurturing existing ones. Fortunately, you can automate the process of collecting data once you set up a system. Afterward, you can easily monitor progress and adjust accordingly.

By taking a step-by-step approach to lead generation, you'll soon discover that it becomes second nature and you'll begin enjoying the benefits almost immediately. Just remember to stay consistent throughout the entire cycle. Otherwise, you risk wasting months of hard work.

If there is one thing that every marketer needs in their toolbox it's a way to generate more leads from your current list. There are many different strategies and tactics available to help get those new names into your database so they become prospects and eventually customers. But what happens when all your best efforts have failed or haven't even been tried yet? How will you know if what you're doing isn't working until after the fact? And what should you be doing instead? Here are some ideas about improving your conversion rates before you start trying out new methods.

What do you look for a lead?

When someone visits your site, what are you looking for them to do next? Do you want them to fill out an application form and send it off? Or do you just want them to sign up for your newsletter so you can keep sending relevant content to them over time? If you don't set yourself apart with clear value proposition then no matter how well designed your site looks, nobody will ever take the action you want them to take because they won't understand why they need to act now. Before you spend any money on advertising at all you should make sure you've got something compelling enough to convince people to join your mailing list or give you access to their contact information.

How do you find a good lead?

There are several factors to consider when choosing who you'll call first and which ones you'll use as criteria for qualifying a prospect as worthy of being contacted. You could choose based solely on location (e.g., "I'm interested in speaking to anyone within 20 miles of [city]"). Another method would involve determining whether someone has recently made a purchase (or had a transaction processed) of products similar to yours. This may include anything from purchasing a car to buying a book online. The last step might be selecting contacts based purely on demographics such as age group or gender. A third approach would be to target certain industries like education or finance. Whichever strategy you choose, remember that each person you speak to represents potential revenue. So treat everyone with respect and professionalism regardless of where they fall along the spectrum between salesperson and customer.

What makes a lead effective?

Once you've chosen a few candidates to follow up with, ask yourself this question: What makes these people worth pursuing further? Is there something specific about them that makes them better than others? For instance, maybe they bought two copies of a product you sell while other buyers purchased 1 copy and none at all. Maybe they were willing to pay extra for expedited shipping while other buyers didn't care at all. These differences represent opportunities for differentiation and increased profits for you. Even if none of the things listed above apply directly to the prospect, you still have plenty of room to offer special promotions to attract his attention: perhaps he'd be open to a discount if you offered free delivery right away.

What are the elements of a good lead?

Now that you have a general idea of how to identify and qualify potential leads, let's talk about the actual process of contacting them. Keep in mind, though, that the key here is to focus on building relationships rather than convincing people to buy immediately. It takes time to build trust with your audience, especially if you're approaching strangers cold. As long as you're upfront about your intentions and present honest value propositions, most people will respond positively to your efforts. Once you've built rapport, you can begin discussing specifics regarding your offerings. Then you can move forward and discuss pricing options too. Remember, you're dealing with real human beings here, so never assume that everybody wants everything you offer! Always address questions honestly and openly. Let people decide what works for them individually.

This article was originally published by Lead Generation Training Institute. Republished here with permission. All rights reserved.

The views expressed in this article belong exclusively to the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Contentful.

The first step is to figure out how much money each person on your email list brings in for your company. This doesn't mean just revenue, though. It means every single dollar brought in by people who receive emails from your business.

The first step for any business owner looking to make improvements is to take inventory.

Your website - Is this the most complete version of your product/service? Are you using social media effectively on multiple platforms (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube)? Do you update frequently? What do people see when they visit your site?

Email marketing strategy - Does it reflect who you want to reach with email? If you are sending emails directly to prospects without having them opt-in then you may need to rethink how you are approaching your audience.

Social Media Marketing Strategy - Do you use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.? Have you created an online presence at all other social networks which might include Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn and others? Has anyone ever clicked through to your page from another platform?

Content creation - Are you creating content regularly enough to encourage visitors to stay longer? Can you provide valuable information to those visiting your website?

Lead capture forms / landing pages - Are these optimized for mobile devices and tablets? Will users find what they need quickly and easily?

Optimized call-to-action buttons - Are your calls-to-actions clear and concise? Do they match up clearly with each piece of content?

SEO - Search engine optimization includes everything from keyword research to link building to proper title tags. It is important because search engines like Google play such a large role in driving traffic to your website.

Analytics & tracking tools - These days everyone has analytics software installed on their computer or phone.

Advertising campaigns - Have you tested advertising options over time? Did they work as expected?

Marketing automation - Not sure where to begin here? Marketing automation software helps automate repetitive tasks while also saving you time. You don’t necessarily have to hire someone else to manage your campaign either – there are plenty of services out there which offer automated solutions.

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