One of the biggest frustrations for small businesses is hitting a wall with lead generation. Maybe you’re not attracting qualified leads, or leads are just not converting or turning into paying customers. It’s time to look at what missteps you could be making with your lead generation approach.
Here are the top six mistakes that can get in the way of lead gen success and how to resolve them so you can turn things around.
When you’re creating content, you need to consider where your visitors are in the buyer’s journey. Otherwise, newcomers may not have any idea what you’re talking about when trying to get them to take action, like making a purchase or scheduling a demo. They may not be anywhere close to being ready to do those things.
Focus instead on creating and delivering content to people in different phases of the journey. Think of including CTAs for leads who are still in the early learning stages to learn more valuable information, for example. Inspire your visitors no matter how familiar they are with your brand at a given time.
Then, you can target leads who have specifically taken a certain action with content geared toward the educated lead who may be ready to take the next step with you.
Don’t underestimate the power of social media for lead generation. There are almost 4 billion people using social media across the globe (over half the world’s population), so you could be missing out on loads of opportunities to reach more people with your content.
Pay attention to which posts and content get the most attention. Do plenty of linking to your landing pages and blog posts and include a clear value proposition when posting.
Then, once you have your audiences following you on social, you set the stage for better customer relationships. One study showed that 90% of people report buying from companies they follow on social media platforms, and 75% will increase spending with a brand when they follow them on social.
Make sure you’re keeping up with what your competitors are doing, too. Otherwise, it will be challenging for you to keep or create the edge you need to keep attracting customers and growing your business.
When you’re stuck with your lead generation, look at what’s working for other brands. Is there a way you can also incorporate a tactic? Do you notice something they’re doing that never works that you should avoid? What are their customers sharing about them, and where are they interacting?
Many marketers fall into the lead-buying trap. This is enticing when your numbers are falling and your strategies just aren’t working anymore. But, when you buy contact lists, lots can go wrong, and you could be in a worse place than where you started.
If you use an email list like this, it could impact your IP reputation, and your emails may not be delivered properly. And, you really don’t know who you’re marketing to, and these people could quickly assume your message is spam.
Instead of buying contact information, make sure you’re always generating leads organically, even if it means you have to be patient or work a little harder. The people you send content to should have opted in, so you’re not just spamming them randomly. These higher-quality leads are much more likely to convert and become customers and (hopefully) eventual brand promoters who think you’re precisely what they need for a long time to come.
Sometimes your lead capture forms could be the culprit behind worsening lead generation. Take a look at what you’re asking leads to do. Are you asking for too much information? Requiring them to read too much text? Are your forms too short and attracting too many poor-quality leads?
Finding the right balance is key to getting more, but most importantly, qualified leads. Think about what you’re asking, who you’re asking, and how you’re asking. Don’t make people jump through a lot of hoops just to sign up. Think about ways you can ensure that people filling it out are truly interested and are legitimate. Also, only include information you really need and not, for instance, an address or phone number unless it’s necessary.
Finally, one mistake you’re making could be failing to use thought leadership to attract leads. You may think it’s enough to release a lot of content on your channels, gather lead information, and send them emails, but are you really establishing credibility and authority with your messages?
Think of ways you can drive a conversation online that will engage audiences organically and genuinely. This takes a deep look at what motivates them and what their interests are. And, it takes a bit more effort on your part to learn and discuss the latest industry news and research.
A big part of lead generation is producing and posting the best content. ContentBacon’s team of experts is ready to help you create the right inbound marketing strategy on all the right channels so you can give lead generation the attention it needs.
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