All businesses depend on increasing their sales to grow their companies. The best way to do this is to have a steady flow of consumers (for B2C) or other companies (for B2B) that are interested in your products or services. These are commonly known as sales leads. Sales departments depend on these leads to make their sales goals.
So how does an organization find leads? Several ways include paid ads, finding your website after a Google search, current customer referrals, and more.
But to really boost the flow of sales leads, the following three-step lead generation content process is essential in today’s digital environment!
Step #1 – Create an enticing Lead Magnet for potential clients to download
Lead magnets contain valuable information that your audience could use. The most helpful content solves a problem that your target audience has right now. The info in your lead magnet should show how your company is the “go-to” place to help your potential client succeed.
Many kinds of lead magnets could capture potential clients’ attention. These include:
-Reports – e.g., Content Marketing Hiring Guide – for Recruiting, Selecting, and Training your next Content Marketer.
–White Papers – a more detailed report usually for technical or scientific industries.
–Cheat Sheets – e.g., Want to Learn 6 Fantastic Questions to Instantly Break the Silence with your Spouse?
–Mind Maps – e.g., My Complete Blueprint for How To Import From China (includes infographics).
–Set of Templates – e.g., 10 Email Templates for Accountants To Use in Any Client Situation.
–Swipe File – e.g., The Ultimate Social Media Swipe File.
–Tools – e.g., The A.I. Tool to Transform your Sales Copy from Mediocre to Magnificent.
I highly recommend including an appropriate Call to Action near the end of the Lead Magnet piece, pointing readers to your organization’s services.
Step #2 – Build a Landing Page to invite your audience to get your free Lead Magnet content.
Your Landing Page’s only purpose is to make your Lead Magnet sound so good that its copy will compel the reader to click on the “Download Now” button and get this valuable piece of content for themselves. It’s also known as a “squeeze page” as it has only one offer and one CTA, so it “squeezes” the reader into getting the free product.
A Landing Page typically has four sections:
1. A Title – What the lead magnet product is.
2. A Headline – A summary of the main benefit or how it will help the reader the most.
3. Bullet Points – A list of the main benefits contained in the Lead Magnet content.
4. Call to Action – Usually, “Download Now” or “Get This Free Report” in exchange for the reader’s email address.
Here is a Landing Page from Digital Marketer for their Content Marketing Hiring Guide. It’s easy to spot the title, headline, bullet points, and CTA.
Landing Page Headlines
Headlines, of course, need to grab the reader’s attention. There are lots of formulas for good headlines. Here are three great ones:
1. The “Benefit” Angle” — Get Instant Access To This (Lead Magnet Type) To Get (Desired Result).
Example: Get Instant Access To The Ultimate Guide To Babyproofing Your Home.
2. The “New” Angle — Grab Your (Lead Magnet Type) To Get (Desired Result) In (Current Date).
Example: Grab Your Young Professionals Checklist To Look Sharp and Professional in 2022.
3. The “Threat” Angle — Gain Instant Access To (Lead Magnet Type) Or You Risk (Undesired Result).
Example: Gain Instant Access to Your Cybersecurity and Ransomware White Paper To Avoid Getting Hacked and Soaked For Thousands of Dollars.
Landing Page Bullet Points
Readers “skim” landing pages (as they do most internet pages!), so it’s best to list the benefits of obtaining your Lead Magnet in concise bullet points. Once again, there are many ways to skin this cat. Here are 2 of my favorites:
1. The “Speed” Bullet — How To (Feature) So You Can (Benefit) + (Speed/Ease).
Example: Create a content strategy that’s laser-focused on moving the needle for your organization (Building this content is a snap using our Content Marketing Plan worksheets).
2. The “Piggyback” Bullet — How To (Benefit) Like (World-Class Example).
Example: How To Create An Engaging Editorial Calendar Using The Same Method Editors Use At The New York Times.
I’m sure you can think of other ways to list your bullet points that will appeal to your particular audience.
Step #3 – Create Facebook (and other social media) ads to lead your audience to your Landing Page
The only way to make your landing page work is to bring traffic to the page. And the most efficient way to do this is by having compelling online ads. Facebook and Google Search ads are the “big dogs” for online advertising. But there are other places to create ads, including LinkedIn (for business audiences), YouTube, Twitter, Quora, and Google Display Network. Most of these portals allow you to customize your target market to reach particular audiences.
There is a lot of information available about online ad best practices. Here’s an excellent primer on this subject from Mailer Lite.
You may have noticed that I’ve gone over the three steps of the Lead Generation Funnel in the opposite order that your potential clients will use it. To make the process clearer, here’s what the funnel looks like from a buyer’s point of view:
So, your potential client first views your online ad, gets curious, and clicks on the CTA. This leads her to the Landing Page. If she likes the free content piece offered there, she’ll volunteer her email address in exchange for the Lead Magnet content. Your company can now add her email to your list, and follow up with her until she’s a paying client.
What If You Still Don’t Get Leads?
If your Lead Gen Funnel doesn’t produce leads, there’s something wrong! The trouble could be coming from one or more of 4 areas:
- Your offer – what you’re offering on the landing page may not be what your audience wants.
- Your copy – your ad or landing page copy may not be enticing enough.
- Targeting – you’re not targeting the right audience in your ads.
- Design – Poor design work on your ad or landing page will not draw attention.
Review each of these areas if you’re not getting the conversions you’d like to see.
I Can Help
If you could use some help creating your Lead Generation Funnel, I’d be happy to assist! I’m a trained StoryBrand Marketing Guide and a certified SEO, UX (User Experience), and Sales Enablement Copywriting Specialist. I can create one or all three pieces of your Funnel. Wouldn’t it be nice to consistently see leads coming in for your services? If you’d like to find out more, please drop me a note on Fabulouscopy.com’s website Contact Page.
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