In the marketing world, we tend to focus a lot on what happens during the conversion funnel—getting people who have clicked through to your landing page to turn into paying customers. But as valuable as it may be to have a killer landing page, what sometimes gets overlooked is the process of getting people to become interested in your product or service in the first place—in other words, generating leads.
It doesn’t matter how great your landing page or other conversion methods are if you can’t get the attention of your leads in the first place. So what can you do to give your lead generation efforts a boost (and get more conversions as a result)? We’ve got a few ideas that can help you out.
Smart blogging
Everyone knows that blogging is key to building a strong web presence, but what many companies fail to do is go about blogging in a way that will actually generate leads and interest in their products and services. A few simple tactics can help you overcome this common pitfall.
The first key thing successful companies do to generate leads from their blog is to consistently post quality articles with targeted calls-to-action (also known as CTAs). As HubSpot notes, CTAs can serve a wide variety of purposes—from generating comments on your blog posts to inviting people to “click to learn more” about your software or sign up for an email list.
For lead generation, it’s essential that you focus on connecting your company’s product or service with your CTA. The more consistently you can make this connection and use it in your blog posts, the easier it will be for your blog to contribute to your marketing funnel.
Another key tactic is to produce—and optimize—evergreen content pillars for your blog. This content generally takes a deep dive into content relevant to your brand, offering almost everything beginners need to know to better understand or apply a particular principle in your niche. As long as you update the information in these posts when necessary, these useful “how-to” posts can be re-shared months (or even years) later, continually drawing new audiences who you can reach with your latest CTA.
While LinkedIn may not boast the user numbers of juggernauts like Facebook or Twitter, this business social platform offers a lot of lead generation potential for B2B companies. In fact, it’s estimated that nearly 80 percent of B2B social media leads are generated by this platform on an annual basis.
Much of this comes from LinkedIn groups and other features that allow users to share top-notch, business-related content to a more targeted audience. Publishing blog content on LinkedIn is an excellent way to showcase your industry knowledge, and readers don’t mind if you share your company’s success stories regarding a particular tactic—which is also a great way to pique the interest of potential B2B clients.
You can even share content that originally appeared on your own website if you lack the resources to create 100% original content for LinkedIn.
Most importantly, by creating your own detailed profile and forming meaningful relationships with industry thought leaders and other relevant LinkedIn users (by commenting on their posts or joining similar groups), you’ll be better prepared to make a persuasive pitch later on.
Reach out to thought leaders
The idea of forming meaningful relationships on LinkedIn leads directly into our final point—that is, developing quality relationships with industry influencers to build positive word of mouth for your business. After all, a positive endorsement from a well-known blogger or speaker in your niche can easily cause hundreds—or even thousands—of new people to check out what you have to offer.
Of course, you can’t just spam these industry leaders with a mass email asking them to write about your product. Conduct your research to find bloggers and other influencers who closely match your niche, and reach out by engaging with them on Twitter, LinkedIn, or their own blogs. Add meaningful comments to their blog posts, start online discussions, and maybe consider introducing yourself in-person (gasp!) at an industry event.
During these interactions, resist the temptation to shamelessly promote your company. Add a bit of your knowledge and insights to relevant discussions that are already taking place. Only after you develop an authentic relationship with an influencer should you ask for the favor that will boost your brand (like a review of your software or sharing your blog content).
But if you practice a bit of patience and take the time to form meaningful relationships, you can ensure that industry influencers will be far more willing to share positive messages about your company, which will ultimately help you attract new leads.
Conclusion
With these lead generation tactics in your arsenal, you’ll be better equipped to snag the attention of your target audience, ensuring that all the work you’ve put into your landing page and other conversion efforts is actually worthwhile.
As you use smart blogging practices, tap into the potential of LinkedIn, and form meaningful relationships with industry thought leaders, you’ll see a greater number of conversions and build the foundations for your company’s lasting success.
