Credibility is essential because it builds that essential element of trust. An important part of lead generation that we haven’t talked about in detail is building credibility. When you establish a relationship between the customer and the business, it’s only successful if there’s trust.
It is essential to have a consistent customer flow to keep your business running. Employing effective lead generation techniques will help draw in more customers and sales.
It’s important to only email people who have given you permission to do so (i.e. have “opted-in” to your content). These are the people most likely to be interested in what you’re selling, so you won’t waste time or money trying to sell something to someone who didn’t want it in the first place.
Why having a lead generation strategy is important
A good lead generation strategy will also benefit your business in the following ways:
- It allows you to target your desired customers
- It helps you boost your brand awareness
- More leads equate to more customers, which means more revenue
After learning about the advantages of lead generation for businesses, consider the various methodologies for attracting new leads.
Here are the top email lead generation techniques you can use to bring in new leads for your business on a regular basis.
1. Optimize efforts with lead scoring
Lead scoring is an important tool for marketing because it allows you to target high-quality prospects with your marketing messages.
Lead scoring is a way of ranking and sorting your potential customers (leads) in order of highest to lowest likelihood of making a sale. This is done by evaluating factors such as how recently they interacted with your brand, how engaged they are with your content, whether they have visited your website before, and what kind of leads they are (e.g. cold, warm, hot).
A lead score is a numeric representation of the interest that a lead has in your products or services. The higher the score, the greater the interest. You can use lead scoring in your marketing by using email automation to score leads.
2. Design clean and concise emails
It’s important to have clean, concise emails for lead generation, and they shouldn’t be too long. Here are a few best practices to follow when designing your emails:
- Plain fonts: Your emails shouldn’t be flashy. They should be easy to read, so use plain fonts.
- Simple Design: Choose a clean, simple template design that makes your emails easy on the eyes. This will help you generate more leads.
- Text Formatting: Use well-spaced, concise wording, and highlight important information to make it as easy as possible for your subscribers to digest your email content.
- Clear CTA: Your call-to-action button must be easy to see and click on, particularly for readers on mobile devices.
3. Learn to grab attention with subject lines
Make sure your subject line stands out by using elements like bold or italic font, or even emojis. This will help capture the attention of your audience and make them more likely to click on your email.
Trying this tactic can improve the success of your email campaign by making more people open your email, and eventually turn them into customers.
If the email’s subject line mentions something intriguing, it’s likely to be opened out of curiosity. If the body of the email is interesting, recipients will definitely want to read the story.
4. Always include a strong call-to-action (CTA)
Each email should have a clear objective that is easy for readers to follow. Use creative language that will get reader’s attention and encourage them to continue.
To create an effective CTA, try to incorporate an element of urgency, excitement or mystery. This will make it hard to ignore and will spur readers into action, helping you improve your conversions.
Listed below are a few ways to help you get more action from your CTAs:
- Use action oriented text: Draw the reader in and compel them to take action by using text like “Get the Discount”, “Reserve Your Spot”, “Try for Free”, and so on.
- Keep it short: As a rule of thumb, keep your CTA text to just two to three words. If necessary, you can use up to five or six, but no more than that.
- Create urgency: Use phrases like “Shop Now!” “3 Spots Left”, “60% Off Today Only” to create a sense of urgency in your CTAs and generate higher click-through rates.
5. Utilize content upgrades and gated content
Content upgrades and gated content can be used to turn your most valuable content into an email collection tool.
Content that is only accessible after a user provides their contact information is referred to as gated content.
This kind of content is effective in generating leads because it offers an incentive. Upgrades to content are especially useful because they are relevant to the context and the reader’s interest. This makes it more likely that they will take the desired action.
6. Leverage social media channels
Your social media channels can help you grow your email list by adding a CTA to your profiles and scheduling daily posts to promote your free download.
Here are a few additional ways to leverage your social accounts to build your email list:
- Add content upgrades to your blog posts, and then promote them on Pinterest to grow your traffic and your audience. I personally recommend that you use Thrive Themes for this, as it’s the tool I use. You can read my full review of Thrive Themes here.
- Add a sign-up button and opt-in form to your Facebook page to give people even more opportunities to sign up for your list.
- Use promoted pins and Facebook ads to grow your list at a faster rate.
- Add click-to-tweets to your content upgrades so subscribers can share your lead magnets with their networks, thereby expanding your reach.
7. Use email automation
If you’re looking to free up some of your time, email automation is a great way to do it. By setting up your email marketing strategies on autopilot, you can focus on other tasks knowing that your campaigns are still running smoothly. Plus, email automation can also help you personalize your messages for even better results.
You can use specific triggers to send the right emails to the right subscribers at the right time. Potential triggers could be when customers do any of the following:
- Opt in to your email list
- Buy one of your products
- Register for a webinar
- Subscribe to a service
8. Split test to increase open and click-through rates
It’s important to test different versions of your emails (known as split testing) to see what works best and improve your conversion rates.
You need to decide what aspects of the email you want to test before you can start testing it. This could involve the CTA, subject line, body text, images, or the layout of the message.
Once you’ve decided which elements to test first, you can use the built-in AB testing tools in your email marketing software to begin running the test.
9. Provide valuable content
It’s better to send content that is useful and targeted to your email list subscribers, rather than just any content, in order to keep them engaged.
To create valuable content, you should focus on your audience’s major pain points. This will help you create content that is based around their needs and wants.
10. Incentivize referrals from current subscribers
You can increase the number of subscribers to your email list by offering appealing rewards for referrals. This is an easier way to get referrals than trying to get your subscribers to refer customers to purchase your products.
If you offer a reward that is attractive, such as a small discount for a future purchase, you are more likely to have higher conversions. Be sure that what you offer is worth their time, and your subscribers will be willing to promote your list to people they know.
11. Renew your database often
Your lead database becomes less valuable over time as addresses change and lead information becomes outdated. To combat this, use software that can find new email addresses for inactive leads.
12. Encourage your subscribers to share your emails with their friends and family members.
Ask them to forward your emails to people who might be interested in your products or services.
Providing bonuses for people who sign up for your email marketing campaign is a good idea because many people are used to getting coupons or discounts from emails.
13. Connect in every digital way possible
When creating content for social media, consider what will make your audience want to share it. You can also use online, print, and direct mail ads to promote your content, and make sure to include a call-to-action that encourages people to click through and sign up.
14. Use Social Media
If you’re looking to get more involved with social media, a great way to increase support for your brand is to run contests or create groups or pages.
You can either create loyal customers who will market your content for you, or you can create a community of salespeople. By making it easy for visitors to sign up for your email list on your social media profiles, you can turn them into leads.
15. Include a link after employee’s email signatures
Adding a link to your employees’ email signatures that leads to a landing page where email addresses can be collected for a newsletter is a good way to increase the number of people who sign up for the newsletter.
16. Create a microsite
Other than your company that demands an email address to use, promote your business with another email newsletter or website that has a relevant audience.
17. Collect email addresses offline
At trade shows, conventions, and other offline events, you can import new leads into your database.
18. Add a QR code
Add a link to your digital and print marketing collateral that goes to a landing page or lead generation form.
19. Send a direct mail offer
The only way to redeem this is if the recipient signs up for your email list.
20. Give a sneak peek
What can people expect if they sign up for your email? You might archive previous email campaigns online.
21. Train your customer service representatives
The person who answers your phone can make a good impression on the caller and get their email address to help turn email marketing leads into sales.
22. Ask current customers to pass the word
Offer something to someone else in the same industry, or offer an upgraded version of your content in exchange for referrals.
23. Present a pop-up
When someone new visits your site or if you are already publishing content, trigger a screen to pop up at the end of the piece of content that will collect the consumer’s information.
24. Present a sliding request
As a user scrolls on your site, you can create a sliding request.
When someone scrolls down on a page, a subscription request will slide in to capture their information. This type of pop-up is less-invasive and has been shown to be more successful with a higher conversion rate.
25. Have a static top bar
Show a top bar in your header that stays in place as the user scrolls. Users can sign up for your optin offer at all times.
26. Advertise on your own site
You should also promote your eBook, content, or offer through internal house ads.
27. Create an exit intent offer
The software works by tracking the user’s mouse actions and presenting a specific offer or form when the visitor shows signs of exiting the page. This way, you can try to convert the user to a lead or persuade them to stay on your site longer, or lead them to an offer or landing page, even if they are leaving your site.
28. Implement a retargeting pixel on your site
You can create ads that are specific to what your visitors are interested in and link them to a landing page where you can establish and reinforce your brand. You can also share links to your content on this page and capture email addresses from people who want to download it.
What makes up a successful email marketing campaign
Before you start creating your campaigns, decide what their purpose will be and how you will create a business-to-consumer interaction. You can use automated software or content templates to help you craft your message. Once you have your message, segment your leads based on their preferences.
By sharing your most engaging content, you can use email marketing to show potential new customers what your brand has to offer. Only include information that will create a positive impression of your brand, so that you can leverage your email marketing platform to its fullest potential.
To provide your subscribers with varied types of information, send them different types of email content. For example, educational newsletters can establish your business as a knowledgeable source by providing value and giving information. Additionally, email drip campaigns can automate the process of leading the prospect through your sales funnel.
Invest in a custom email design to establish your brand and company as an authority on the topic. Consistent branding across each email will go a long way in promoting your company.
See that each message you send corresponds to the topic the person signed up for. Make sure your email subject lines are appropriate, that the emails are straightforward and uncluttered, and that the formatting is easy to follow. Keep the message brief and simple to read.
Don’t send the same email over and over. Test what works and track your progress. If your first email campaign isn’t perfect, that’s okay. It will give you a starting point to work from, and insights into what works and what doesn’t. Then you can track your successes, test new ideas, and make changes based on conversions and sales.