En the highly competitive world we live in, for every idea we have, there are dozens of businesses doing the same. As a business owner, this makes it very challenging to grab the attention of potential customers (better known as leads in marketing).
We understand that as an entrepreneur, your time is mostly invested in activities such as managing your business, hiring the right people, maintaining your website, or finding new products; leaving little time to generate strategies to attract leads.
Do you identify with this? Or are you just looking for new strategies to grow your business? Whatever your motivation, we are here to help.
In this article, we will discuss what leads are, the types of leads, and the top 10 strategies to attract quality leads.
What are leads?
A lead, as the name suggests, is a person or organization that can become a consumer of a particular brand or company. Leads for a business share some characteristics such as age, gender, interests, or purchasing power.
To define who the leads for your business are, you need to analyze existing customers or define ideal users, understand the benefits of your product, research your competitors, segment your audience, and finally, define the target market.
Types of leads
To better understand your leads and, consequently, create more effective strategies to turn them into frequent buyers, we divide them based on their buying habits. Let's take a look at the types of leads:
Leads by purchase frequency: How often would customers buy? Taking into account the frequency of purchases, we can divide leads into frequent customers (regular buyers), occasional customers (buy less frequently than frequent ones but can easily increase their frequency), and sporadic customers (buy only occasionally, mainly when there are offers or other sporadic motivations).
Leads by purchase volume: How much would customers buy? Considering the volume of purchases, we can divide leads into high-volume customers (buy in large quantities and represent a good source of income for the business), average-volume customers (fall in the middle range of product quantity), and low-volume customers (buy smaller quantities, and they are likely to increase their frequency).
Leads by the degree of influence they exert: How much can they positively influence other potential customers? These types of leads show a high level of interest in the product or service, know it thoroughly, and talk about the product with others. These leads are ideal for business growth.
Strategies to attract quality leads
We mention quality leads because these strategies aim to attract leads with a high probability of becoming buyers. The strategies we will discuss range from online efforts to in-person initiatives that help spread the word.
Here are the best strategies to acquire leads:
Create a strategic website.
Create forms to grow your database.
Engage in conversations with your customers.
Produce relevant content.
Harness the power of SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Share customer testimonials.
Create a referral program.
Collaborate with complementary businesses.
Partner with social media influencers.
Host brand activation events.
01. Create a strategic website
Your website is where your leads find you, learn about you, and leave their data so you can contact them. Many of the strategies we'll talk about are digital, and this is only possible if you have a professional website that includes all the elements that customers might be looking for (your story, products, contact information, policies, etc.). To create a strategic website, make sure the design is intuitive, and navigation is easy on both desktop and mobile.
If you need help creating a professional website and understanding what elements it should contain, we are here to help!
02. Create forms to grow your database
To have more leads, you need to create a database where you can save their relevant information, such as name, email, and other fields like phone number, age, or date of birth. A form on your site allows visitors to leave their data and automatically captures and stores this information.
Through a form, you can obtain key information about your customers. For example, you can ask how they heard about your company to understand which marketing campaigns are working best.
03. Engage in conversations with your customers
By talking personally with your customers, you can tell them about the benefits of your product, your company's mission, what makes your business unique, answer their questions, and make personalized recommendations.
Talk to your customers, listen to them, and use the opportunity to influence them to buy your products. With a chat, this can be done automatically, and you can even schedule automated responses if you're not connected at that moment. Did you know that users who talk to their customers via chat increase their sales?
04. Produce relevant content
The more you make your business appear on different channels, the more likely you are to attract new customers. The practice of using valuable and engaging content to attract customers to your brand is called inbound marketing. There are many ways to do it, including:
Social media posts: Create posts for social networks and customize them to fit your specific goals.
Start a blog: Blogs not only help improve your SEO strategy but are also an excellent way to keep customers informed about what's happening in your business and industry.
Email marketing: From a weekly newsletter to the launch of a new product, emails generate leads when the content is short and engaging, and the calls to action (CTA) are bold and enticing. Create, schedule, and track email marketing campaigns with an email marketing engine.
05. Harness the power of SEO
(Search Engine Optimization) is the process of implementing strategies to help a website appear higher on Google when someone makes a related search.
06. Share customer testimonials
Many times, customers make purchasing decisions based on the opinions of others about a business or product. It is a great strategy to share positive reviews and experiences from existing customers on your website (with their permission, of course). This can be in the form of recommendations or success stories.
07. Create a referral program
What better way to attract new leads than through recommendations from your current customers? By creating a referral program where your customers receive benefits for bringing in new leads, you will be growing your contact list organically and effectively.
Start by creating a benefits plan, specifying what customers who bring in new users will receive, and then create personalized coupons to send to both your customers who bring in new customers and the newcomers who have just learned about your brand.
This strategy has proven to be very effective for companies like Yoigo, Uber, Rappi, and American Express.
08. Collaborate with complementary businesses
Unlike a competitor, a complementary business sells a product or service that perfectly fits with yours. A classic example of complementary products is wine and cheese. Suppose you have a business that sells artisanal cheeses, and another brand sells high-end wines. You two can work together as the perfect duo, whether you decide to sell your items with a bundled discount or send samples of your cheeses with each bottle of wine purchased.
Think of a product or service that complements your business. Then brainstorm a creative way to give consumers a taste of your business or a tempting discount.
09. Partner with social media influencers
An influencer is someone who can influence the purchasing decisions of others. They are generally individuals with solid knowledge of a particular subject who build trust and credibility among their followers.
Consumers are willing to listen to their opinions because they are seen as authentic people. Depending on your business, it may be worth working with them as they are a reliable third party who can help generate interest in your product or service by sharing their genuine opinions through reviews.
10. Host brand activation events
Everyone loves free things, especially food and drinks. Whether it's a conference or a picnic, events are a great opportunity to meet new leads and introduce them to your brand! Surrounded by food and fun, this strategy is an informal way to create interest in your product or service.
It is also entirely acceptable, even recommended, to come prepared with samples or gifts from your company or business. To create invitations for your event, sell tickets, collect RSVPs, and manage your guest lists conveniently from your website, use our event sites.
Now you know that implementing strategies to attract leads is an activity that every business should undertake. Choose the one (or ones) that best suit your type of company and product, and get creative to grow your customer base.
Published by Tere Metta
Blogger & Growth Marketing Specialist
