Are you starting to worry because your best friend hasn’t replied to your messenger for a long time, no matter how much buzz you send him? Your comments on his Tuenti photos are still unanswered? What could have happened? Weird, isn’t it? Don’t worry, it’s not 2008.

Life has evolved. If you want to talk to your friend, you send them a WhatsApp audio that they will listen to 2x. It’s the same with your business and your customers. You want to get more customers, but are you looking for them through the right channels and in the right way? Let’s find out.

Your digital marketing strategy has to take into account who you are, what you offer and who your customers are. With this in mind, you can start to get a glimpse of where you need to go.

If you don’t, you can have the best products or services on the market, but if you don’t reach your audience, no one will buy them because no one is able to see you. You don’t exist.

Your goal should be to get more potential customers. These must be of high quality, that is to say, that we have some certainty that they are really interested in us and want to buy. So we have to find the formula to generate online leads.

Who is who and what is what

Let’s clear up any doubts about what we are talking about by defining the terms we are going to use throughout the post. Online lead generation can be summarised as the search for more leads online. It’s as simple as that. As long as you know what a lead is, of course.

A lead is nothing more than a person who is interested in our product and service. And we know this because s/he her/himself has been the person in charge of contacting our company with the desire to know more information. They have sent us their personal details while waiting for an email or call to clarify their doubts and, possibly, to be able to convert that user into a customer.

Lead generation is not immediate. Whatever the buying cycle of your business, an action does not result in an immediate reaction. Look at it more as a process. We need to develop a strategy and we need to take into account this famous funnel. The funnel through which our customer goes from being an outsider to an ambassador of our company.

FUNNEL PICTURE

This illustrates the customer journey and we must have an action plan for each phase, because they are all important;

-Awareness. Suddenly the customer starts to hear your name and starts to know that you exist.

-Consideration. it refers to the phase of interest in your business. This is where they find out who you are, what you do and what your products are. This is the phase we are going to focus on because it is when the customer becomes really aware of your existence.

-Purchase. When the customer already knows everything about you and trusts your service or product as a solution to their needs.

-Retention. This is the phase where after-sales service is key. The customer must be happy with us for our service or product but also for knowing that we are still at their side for any doubts or setbacks. The quality of our product is what makes them happy and our service is what convinces them to become ambassadors of our brand.

-Advocacy. This is the promotion phase. Here our customer becomes someone who will trust us again. But not only that, they are so satisfied that they will recommend us to other users, who will start this funnel again and, hopefully, also become future ambassadors.

The key moment is between awareness and interest. Because in order for customers to notice us, we have to be attractive. We have to have content that is useful and solves their needs, even if at the time they are not even aware that they have that need. So demonstrate the benefits of your product and how it solves problems and makes life easier for your target audience. The important thing is them and their needs.

If your creative and engaging content has caught your audience’s eye, you’re off to a great start. Once eye contact has been made, you need to be ready. Everything you offer your future customers should be in line with what caught their attention. Don’t let them down. If your ad was catchy, funny and original, so should be your website, your product and the way you speak.

If your customer likes what they see, you deliver what you promise and the product fits their needs, you have a high quality or qualified potential customer in front of you.

Is any user your customer?

No matter how much optimism and energy you put into your business, not everyone can be your customer. If you think so, you are wasting energy, time and money. The initial step must be the creation of your buyer persona. That is, the creation of a fictitious person who has the common characteristics of all your customers. This is the person you should target. The more information you add, the better: age range, tastes, gender, personality or profession, among others. The more selective you are, the higher the conversion rate.

Here’s an example. If your business is a backpacker hostel, you probably want to target a young audience. People over 45 don´t usually stay in hostels with late night parties. Some do, but the vast majority do not. So profile your model customer, that buyer persona, which could be Claudia, 20 years old, a veterinary student who loves to travel on holidays. Being a student, she has little money, but a great desire to have a great time. She also loves museums, meeting people, learning languages and discovering new and unexplored places. Great! Now you know who to contact and how to contact them. Talk to all the Claudias in the world.

Strategies that work

Although they are not the only ones, these are the most used tactics and, at the same time, the most effective when it comes to generating potential customers online and we are going to analyse them all, so that you don’t miss any of them;

1. Search engine optimisation
2. Content marketing with your blog
3. PPC Ads
4. Landing Page
5. Social Media
6. Website

Search Engine Optimisation

That tactic is not the first one to go. It’s what we all do, because now we are all the smartest and fastest with St. Google by our side. Is there any dispute? Let me ask Google, he knows and sees everything.

So optimise your content for SEO and be at the top of organic searches. It is not an easy task, it requires knowledge in the field, time and dedication to be able to get the full potential of this tactic, which is no small thing.

Also remember that voice search is increasingly being used and that mobile is winning by a landslide over desktop as a search channel. Adapt your content to these formats and habits of your customers.

Leads through blogs

Blogging has a tremendous importance in all this and attracts potential customers who want to obtain information on a specific topic. That search is based on a need and that is where your business should come in. Remember that you are not selling products, you are providing solutions.

The creation of quality content is what makes you write several posts on a specific topic. Let’s imagine that you start to get interested in the world of vintage vinyl collection-selling. If you look for information about bands, record labels, best-selling vinyls or vinyl care techniques and you find out that all the articles you have read come from the same website, maybe they are experts! They know what they’re talking about so if you’re buying your first vinyls online, who better to trust than the company that has answered all your questions?

This is a good example of how lead nurturing through content marketing works. You want both Google and your customers to see you as a true subject matter expert and creating high quality content is key to achieving this goal. It’s not quick, but if you are consistent, it can be crucial.

Potential customers with PPC

If you want a quick fix, consider PPC (pay per click) advertising. Your customers will see you quickly and will come in to research who you are and why you have appeared there so suddenly. Another positive aspect is the control you have over this campaign because, as the name suggests, you pay only for the number of clicks you receive and you can control your budget without any surprises.

Take advantage of your opportunity for great positioning and design a title and meta description that takes advantage of your situation for a high conversion rate and ROI. Although we can’t forget the downsides; one is that if you focus solely and exclusively on this tactic, as soon as you stop paying, you will disappear and everything that goes up, goes down again.

Of course, remember that if you are going to make this investment it is because your website, landing page and strategy are up to the task. You are going to offer your customer just what you promise because your message is coherent and your product is extraordinary. If not, you will cause disappointment among your customers. And worst of all, you will be paying for it.

A Landing Page that convinces

Among the elements mentioned above, we have mentioned the landing page. It must be capable of converting web traffic and be attractive in the eyes of customers. It must be coherent. Everything must be in harmony, the product with the message, the logo with the colours, your tone with your voice.

Although one element stands out above all, an attractive Call to Action. A button that awakens that animal instinct that we all have inside us and makes us do things in an unstoppable way. If you are in a waiting room, alone, and there is a button just painted red with a clear sign that says Do Not Touch, how many of us do not wake up the caveman in us and we are like crazy to touch the button?

Free download, Buy now, Instant discount, I want the discount, Try now.

These are just a few examples of the Call to Actions you may come across that will make you click full of hope and excitement. So you better not disappoint your customers. Keep your word and deliver what you promise.

Social media strategy

Who doesn’t have a social network? Certainly not any company, because it must be present wherever your customers are going to be. But still, as long as you are willing to keep them up to date and use them as the great tools that they are. If not, it’s better that you don’t even appear, because a social network left to its own devices is not a very good presentation.

In your posts, remember one thing: you are the centre of the universe… for your mother. And that’s it. When you write you are addressing your customers, because the most important thing is them and their needs. Remember that their problems are your problems and your products offer solutions and happiness. That’s why they exist, that’s why you’re there, to put your customers at the centre of it all. They are the stars.

Interact with your customers in a natural way. Don’t shout from the rooftops what you are selling and don’t go round and round in circles. Interact with your customers by answering their questions, being honest, professional and expert. Over time, trust will be built up, which will translate into leads. It is a slow and long process but it creates a very solid foundation about who you are and what you do.

Generating customers on your website

It wouldn’t make much sense to fix up a car on the outside, paint it, upholster it and buy shiny new wheels if there’s nothing under the bonnet. Something similar happens if you’ve designed a digital strategy around customer generation but you have a website that doesn’t convert. Then you’re directing all your customers to a venue, which doesn’t do its job. All for nothing.

Of course your website should be a nice place and create a positive customer experience. Everything should be consistent and relevant to what you have promised but there is one small detail that can make all the difference and add a little extra to your website; live chat.

Chatbots are programmes for creating automatic responses to customer messages. They usually appear in a pop-up window on websites and social networks to interact in real time with the customer. You might be wondering, but does it really work? Hold on and read on.

It turns out that according to Facebook, 2 billion messages are sent every month between businesses and customers. 56% of users prefer to communicate via messages rather than calls. And that’s not all, according to the same study 53% of customers are more likely to buy from businesses they can message.

So, shall we look for a nice chatbot for your website?

Techniques that work for lead generation

Keep an eye on your competition

Before a fight, in addition to training, do you think a boxer studies his opponent? Of course he does. You need to know how he attacks and how he defends himself in order not to waste resources and strength and to know exactly how to use his strengths. You must do the same. I don’t mean that you meet the CEO of another company in a car park to beat each other up, but you need to study your competition.

How can you analyse them? First, find out who your direct competition is. Those companies with which you share sector, public and volume of work. Look at their content marketing, social media and SEO.

Acquire what works for them, studying why and avoid falling into the same mistakes. Their experience can become your own, as by sharing so many elements, including audiences, you can discover tastes and aspects through their movements and reactions.

Optimise your email

Let’s think positively, if you got a potential customer’s email, it’s because they want to hear from you. Don’t miss the opportunity and turn this channel into an entry and presentation channel. Make the most of it by offering quality and, above all, useful content.

Put love in your emails, make the customer feel that you are talking to them, not just to the other two thousand who receive your email. Offer them things they want to read, things they want to learn from. Not only that, how about a little something? Offer exclusive discounts for those who read you, because they are the most important.

Calls to action

We have already mentioned the importance of a good CTA. Customers, in part, expect you to tell them what to do, which way to go. So use it to your advantage. Offer them quality content, and deliver it, and for free. Downloadable documents, talks, webinars…

Remember to keep it short, direct and clear. You can be persuasive without being heavy-handed and still be creative. Imagination and few words, that will be your challenge.

Don’t give up, don’t let the party stop.

You are achieving your success. You have made a good study, you have drawn your strategy, you have implemented your tactics with the best tools and techniques. Moreover, you are measuring the results, studying the metrics and everything is going smoothly. Now, don’t stop. Don’t think that the inertia of positive results will last forever. Not at all.

You need to keep measuring results, study them and act accordingly. Apply the changes that you think are convenient, attentive to the changing trends and tastes of the market. Change what doesn’t work and improve what does. Keep taking care of your customers and now, more than ever, take care of your business and its strategies.