Even if you haven’t had any first-hand experience of online dating, by this time you should know one or two things about it.
Usually, you just need to go online or download an app, then set up your profile, and you are ready to meet your true love amongst hundreds of smiling faces and quirky self-descriptions.
What are the things that will make you hit the crucial 'contact this person' button?
Will you and your beautiful stranger match both online and offline?
Despite all the technical and apparently cold-hearted terminology, online lead generation is all about attracting the right people and letting them know that your products or services are a perfect match for their needs.
Are you keen on meeting your business soul mates?
Let the courtship begin, with us playing Cupid to your leads!
Let’s get visual
Would you go on a first date without some personal grooming?
Don’t you just want to put on your favourite shirt or dress in order to feel amazingly confident?
Approach your website in the same way.
Your website is your only occasion to make a remarkable first impression online, so leave laziness aside and consider how a good restyling could improve it.
- Optimize your landing page - avoid scary blocks of copy, and chunk them into briefer paragraphs.
- Craft a value proposition that reflects your uniqueness, and let it shine in your headline.
- Talking about the “s” word straight away would be rude, so avoid mentioning the dreaded word spam in your subscription forms.
- Spice up your landing page a little by adding a product or brand video.
According to statistics collated by Hyperfine Media:
- Including video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80%,
- 90% of users say that product videos are helpful in the decision process,
- Enjoyment of video ads increases purchase intent by 97% and brand association by 139%,
- 59% of executives would rather watch video than read text.
You can’t 'buy me love'
Just like every other kind of courtship, chasing your prospects requires a lot of effort.
You devote a lot of time and energy to the process, without being sure that you’ll get what you want in the end.
So, if you’ve ever found yourself wondering if buying a customer list from a lead generation company would be the best option, we won’t judge you.
Nevertheless, we think it’s important to remember that the organic acquisition of prospects who are genuinely interested in your business leads to more conversions, whilst sharing the same list of customers with other companies and competitors can dramatically decrease the chance of you being their special, chosen one. We’re talking about exclusivity here!
Take them to a fancy restaurant
Now that your optimised website has attracted leads organically, it’s time to spoil your visitors with some juicy and delicious content.
Usually, the customer decision process starts with a need, a problem, or a challenge.
The copy on your website is aimed at showing clients that they can work well with you and that you can actually make their life easier.
You want them to be sure that your actions, rather than words, will be how you will be demonstrating your love for them.
You can a company blog on your website, as long as you promise to blog consistently and professionally.
This will allow you to share interesting bits and news about your company, share educative and informative content, and also start conversations about your favourite topics and get a chance to share your knowledge and competence.
You can also seduce your prospects by offering them a free download of useful materials like e-books and short video courses, in exchange for their email address or a subscription to your newsletter.
Take them to a quiz night out and have some fun
Quizzes can be funny and entertaining, and they can also give a special flavour to your lead-generation strategy.
As long as they are related to your business field, they can get your web visitors interested in your products and services; and visitors can also leave their email address in exchange for their quiz results.
Stay clear of survey-like quizzes, and keep them short, sweet and funny: sharing some good times with you will leave a great, long-term impression about your company in every prospect’s mind.
Long-distance meetings make the heart grow fonder
Who said you have to hide your business awesomeness behind a blue screen all the time?
Webinars, Google Hangouts and live chats are now easy to set up and manage; and they are a powerful, cost-effective tool that allow you to get in touch with people interested in your business.
Whether you choose to run the meeting yourself, or you prefer to invite a bunch of five-star experts to lead, you will be able to attract both potential leads and professionals from your own field; and you’ll be able to raise your brand awareness while doing some good old networking at the same time.
Want to go the extra mile? Record the event and insert the file in your next newsletter or - even better - in a data capture page.
Show them that you care
Answer phone calls, email questions and enquiries promptly.
If you feel like you haven’t got enough staff and resources to do so, you can also provide a live chat service that can be active 24/7.
Many online providers now offer customer service chat portals manned by a team of experts - which could save you plenty of headaches.
Answer common questions by putting together a clear and thorough FAQ page and let your support staff be freer to deal with more urgent questions.
Don’t forget to reply in a snap to questions and reviews on social networks: that’s what customer care and lead generation are all about.
Conclusion
With luck, you've got some great ideas now on how to capture those leads.
Just as with the search for romance, you've got to show them love and think outside the box.
Happy lead generating!
