Anonymous visitors make up 97% to 98% of your website traffic, which means that only 2% to 3% of your visitors share their contact information and agree to communicate with you. To increase these small numbers, digital marketers are looking for unique lead generation strategies. Quizzes, eBooks, and webinars don’t attract visitors as actively as they used to. It’s time to design offers that are hard to find somewhere else.
Below we will discuss nine online lead generation strategies:
- Industry reports
- Planner/calendars
- Examples/swipe files
- Checklists/to-do-lists
- Templates/scripts
- Collections of expert quotes
- Training/online courses
- Case studies
- Free trial/freemium plans
9 Lead Magnets for Acquiring Customer Contact Information
One of the vital aspects of successful lead generation strategies is customer contact information. In this part, you will learn where and how to promote your lead magnets and add new leads to your marketing platform.
Industry Reports
Businesses in all industries need reports that discuss recent trends, statistics, and insights. Similar information is so valuable and demanded that research centers may charge up to hundreds and thousands of dollars to give you access to a single pdf (e.g., Statista’s annual pricing starts at $468, or this report on mobile marketing cost $4,250).
The critical point here is that if you give away a free report that includes fresh and accurate data, your visitors will happily submit their contact information.
Your report doesn’t have to be 46 pages like this one from Social Media Examiner. But you should invest a considerable amount of time to make your information share-worthy and linkable.
Planner/Calendar
Planners and calendars will work for almost any industry.
Fitness clubs may offer workout or diet calendars. Financial institutions may provide budget planning and spending calendars. Marketing agencies may offer social media posting or blog content calendars, etc.
Similar freebies help people do initial planning and organize their activities effectively. They are practical, and users will usually keep them at hand to check out daily.
Examples/Swipe Files
Examples and swipe files are especially effective to use in marketing (ad, email, and website copywriting) and design. This kind of resource doesn’t just teach users how to run ads or what best practices to follow. They include real-life examples of design, emails, ad copies, or campaigns that worked and helped companies reach their goals.
For example, the title “32 Enviable Examples of Inbound Marketing” is more engaging than “32 Best Practices of Inbound Marketing”. A title with eye-catching alliteration can get more clicks than one person has seen a thousand times before.
Checklists/To-do-Lists
When people are getting ready for a big, important event, they want everything to look perfect. But sometimes they forget about nuances that may negatively affect the final result. That’s why publishing checklists and do-to-lists is relevant for so many industries.
For example, people will be interested in downloading pre-wedding checklists, software launch checklists, job interview preparation checklists, housewarming party checklists, travel packing checklists, etc. Make sure your checklists have interactive checkboxes through which users can take notes and track their progress. Here’s an example from Smarter Travel:
Templates/Scripts
Templates and scripts are again hands-on resources that guide people, providing tried and proven formulas.
For example, you can share a resource on what template people can use to write more convincing emails, give better sales pitches, job interviews, presentations, etc.
They don’t suggest general tips but mention precisely what phrases to use to persuade or handle objections, and they are usually based on experience.
Collection of Expert Quotes on a Certain Topic
Articles usually have one author who researches the topic on the internet and educates readers based on the findings. Interviewing industry experts and turning those quotes into a mini-eBook can help you stand out.
You will end up publishing a piece of content that doesn’t repeat famous statements but introduces unique, previously unpublished standpoints.
You can get quotes from authors by submitting HARO queries and choosing the best answers.
Here’s an example from Search Engine Journal:
Training/Online Course
Creating and publishing courses is time-consuming, as it requires extensive research and expensive equipment. Giving it away for free might not seem like a great idea. But you don’t have to create multi-lesson courses as HubSpot or SEMrush do.
For example, The Deep End Design offers free video training on a website strategy that consists of one lesson that lasts a few hours.
Case Study
Case studies are relevant and effective for B2B lead generation. People need detailed social proof when they consider working with a company in the long term and when high prices are involved.
These kinds of resources showcase your reputation and how you helped clients previously. Case studies usually include what problem your client was facing, what solutions you offered, and what results you achieved.
You can use case studies if you are offering marketing, law, financial and similar services. Users downloading case studies are in the decision stage of the buyer’s journey and should be regarded as mature leads. Your salespeople, of course, know how to deal with leads in different stages after the lead distribution process.
Free Trial and Freemium Plan
Free trial and freemium plans are perfect lead generation strategies for SaaS companies. These customers take a major step toward purchasing your product.
Best Ideas on Where and How to Implement Your Lead Generation Strategies
When your lead magnets are available, you should start working on promotion. First, you should drive users to your website and then pave the way for an email address and phone number submission.
Here are the ways you can ensure it:
Insert Links to Lead Magnets in YouTube Video Descriptions
YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google and has 1.9 billion users, which means that this platform can become a vast source of quality traffic and leads for your company.
You should record and upload high-quality, informative, engaging videos to YouTube at least once a week. Your videos don’t need to be too long – even 3-4 minutes videos are OK if you manage to share useful and practical information.
Remember to mention your lead magnet during the video and encourage viewers to download it. The link to your lead magnet should be in the video description.
Here’s an example from Tanya Aliza, who shares marketing tips. She talks about prospecting in her video and also encourages you to download an additional free resource on the same topic.
Promote Your Offers Through Facebook Ads
Facebook Ads aren’t so effective when used to sell products and services to strangers. But they work well when you advertise freebies and especially to a warm audience.
A warm audience includes people who are already familiar with your brand, e.g., your website visitors. They may visit your website, and browse it, but do not leave their contact info for various reasons (they are part of the 97% to 98% that leave anonymously).
Facebook Ads are a great way to reach them again and capture their names, email addresses, etc. So you can use Facebook Ads:
- To encourage strangers to share their contact information and “get acquainted” with your brand.
- To promote your website visitors share their contact information and restore their interest in your brand.
You do not always have a lead magnet to generate a lead. There are other methods you can use to draw people’s attention and capture their contact info.
Present a Chance to Win a Prize
The internet is filled with ads that do little to excite consumers. Inviting visitors to enter a contest draws them in because they want to win the prize. People are more willing to enter a game if it only requires sharing their email addresses.
Here’s an example from Single Grain. You submit your email address for a chance to win a prize like a discount or a strategy session.
This is a great way to capture email addresses as visitors love challenges and the feeling of victory, no matter what they end up getting.
Use Facebook and LinkedIn for Social Prospecting
Social prospecting is when you use social networks to find ideal prospects for your offers and enter one-on-one conversations. Your activities may include engaging with potential customers’ posts by liking, sharing, commenting, and trying to pave the way for private discussions. Depending on whether you want to ensure B2B or B2C lead generation, you should choose the right social networks.
For example, LinkedIn allows you to find B2B prospects by searching for people’s job positions. Then you can add filters such as location and current and past companies to find your ideal customers.
You can connect with relevant members for free or use the LinkedIn InMail option to contact those who didn’t accept your connection request.
The next step is understanding their problems, earning their trust, and warming them up.
On Facebook, you can join private groups relevant to your industry and engage with members that seem to be a good fit for your offer.
Network; Ask for Shares and Referrals
People trust customer reviews and check them out before using a company’s services. But in this digital age, one never knows whether the reviews are unbiased or even from real users. That’s why people usually turn to their friends and colleagues to decide which company to choose.
If you want to become a frequently referred company and generate leads, you can earn it through a simple step – asking your visitors to share an offer with their friends.
For example, when the visitor downloads a checklist or calendar, thank them and say, “Do you think your friend will love this too? Send it via email.”
Another way to reach new leads is to provide high-level customer service to your existing customers and offer a motivating referral program.
Retain Leaving Visitors with Popups
100% of your desktop website visitors will see your popup! Neither emails nor SMS has that high of an open rate.
So how do you ensure that people follow your popup CTA and submit their email addresses? Don’t show popups at the wrong time or the wrong place.
For example, one of the best times to show a popup is when the visitor is leaving your website. You don’t interrupt his session; you just take the chance to keep his attention. Here’s an example:
Another way to show a popup is by taking only a little space on the page (for example, the bottom right corner). Since they are not disturbing visitors and don’t cover the whole page, you can show them almost anytime.
The content included in the popup is critically important. It should mention what your company offers (webinar, guide, etc.) and include a CTA (Register, Download, Get, etc.).
You should choose a popup maker that gives you flexibility and allows for a better visitor experience. It should not be an inconvenience.
Engage Your Visitors with a Chatbot or Human Conversations
Conversational marketing is widely applied in digital marketing. While some websites offer a live chat option, other companies install chatbots.
Chatbots are virtual assistants that can communicate with users, read their replies, and share information when human assistants aren’t available.
Here’s an example from Napoleon Cat. Even when their team is away, you can submit your email address with a question and get an answer when they are back.
Final Thoughts
Lead generation marketing is a process that goes beyond publishing a pdf and announcing it’s free. Many brands are already following the philosophy of inbound marketing and giving away free content. On the other hand, there are a vast number of brands that have adopted the Marketing Made Simple guide as a step-by-step StoryBrand lead generator technique.
Don’t be the brand that repeats well-known facts about widely-discussed topics. Google search results are full of beginner guides and articles on every topic. Pick one of the lead generation strategies we suggested above and promote it on multiple channels.
