What is the fastest way to generate leads?

There are a variety of tools that you can use to generate leads quickly, from cold calling to social media campaigns. However, if you do not implement your lead generation campaigns effectively, you will generate low-quality leads that provide zero conversions. 

To ensure your lead generation campaign provides high quality leads in a short amount of time, digital marketing is the way forward. Below, we take a look at lead generation tactics that will get you quality leads in a short amount of time.

Pay Per Click Advertising

Pay Per Click (PPC) is an online advertising model that is used to drive traffic to your website. This is done by publishing your website as an "advert" in the Google search results related to your business offerings, and you will pay every time your ad is clicked. 

PPC is commonly linked to Google Advertising, however as technology has evolved, so too have PPC opportunities. Today, PPC advertising is available not only through Google but also Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest. Each platform provides access to a different type of customer so it's well worth considering the use of more than just one of the platforms above for your PPC marketing activity.

There is nothing simple about PPC  but when it comes to quick lead generation, it will usually be first in the lead generation playbook. An experienced agency will be able to take on the hard work that goes into creating a successful PPC campaign and ensure you gain quality leads in a short amount of time. What makes paid advertising a successful way to generate leads quickly is because you are choosing what kind of visitors land on your site. You are able to target people who are looking for your specific services, ensuring you are focusing on leads with the highest potential for conversion. With that in mind, you may pay for every click, but every click is worth it. 

You are also able to use PPC to capture leads who are interested in learning more about your product and services, but are further down the buying process. You will then be able to collect their information via forms on your landing page, and nurture those leads through email campaigns and targeted social media campaigns. 

Free Helpful Content for Download

People love anything that is free, and you will watch your database grow if you provide your audience with valuable resources that don’t cost a cent. In order to make this work, you need to begin publishing helpful content on your website, and on a regular basis. 

By implementing this kind of content strategy, you will be able to collect your existing content and place it into a larger resource, offering it to your audience as a free download. This could be an e-book or e-guide. Make sure the content you offer is in-depth outlines technical topics, provides step by step tutorials, or provides industry secrets that will add value to the reader's life. You can begin by promoting your e-books or e-guides on social media, directing your audience to a landing page. It is here that you collect leads, and this is where sign-up forms and dynamic call to actions come into play.

Dynamic Call to Action

When a person views your blog, they are interested in your content and the chances of converting those viewers into clients is high. To convert those blog readers into leads, they need to provide you with their contact details. There should be a signup form on your page that they fill in, in order to download your content. This is why you need to place Call to Actions for a free download on every one of your blog pages. 

You should create free downloads for each category of your blogs page, and create what is known as a “dynamic” CTA. A dynamic CTA automatically matches every download to a relevant category.  For example, if a viewer is reading a blog on Search Engine Optimisation, the CTA will ask them if they want to download an in-depth e-book about Search Engine Optimisation.

The goal is to make sure that every visitor is prompted to download your free content, and in turn, you receive their contact details. 

Optimise your Lead Forms

The last thing you want on your website is a form that confuses your users. It doesn’t matter how fast your lead tactics are, if they are not user friendly, you will not be able to convert users into leads. Invest in a professional form optimisation platform to ensure you are able to convert clients into leads.

HubSpot offers online form builders to ensure you get the best out of your lead generation campaign. Learn more about HubSpot's lead generation forms, here. 

Social Media for Lead Generation

From Facebook and Instagram to LinkedIn and Twitter, social media offers a targeted way for you to reach your audience and direct them to your website or landing page. You can do this by sharing your content to your social media platforms. Once a person clicks on your content, they will automatically be directed to your preferred landing page. 

You can also promote this content on your social media platforms via paid advertisements. For example, Instagram and Facebook provide lead generation adverts that are specifically designed for lead generation and to collect a users information. Capturing this information is imperative for fast lead generation, allowing you the opportunity to nurture those leads through email campaigns and turn them into paying clients. 

Marketing Qualified Leads & Sales Qualified Leads

If you do decide to embark on a lead generation campaign, it's important that you recognise the different stages of your sales funnel and how the leads generated should fit within it.  For example, leads generated from downloadable content are often identified as being marketing qualified.  A Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) is qualified in the sense that the prospect clearly has an interest in the product or service being offered but MQLs are typically not ready for sales conversations given that they are still in the research / self education stage, which is early in the sales cycle. 

Conversely, a Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) is a prospect that has asked for a sales interaction, whether that be a sales call or meeting / demo request.  These leads are often much further along the sales cycle.

By understanding the difference between MQLs and SQLs companies can take very different and strategic paths for each prospect.  Trying to force a MQL into a sales interaction may result in frustration and rejection, while not providing SQLs with the right interaction can provide the same end result.

In Conclusion:

Remember that lead generation is about quality, not quantity.  The above outlines quick ways to collect leads, and leads that are of only the highest quality.   It's important to also understand that if MQLs are generated and doesn't result in an immediate sales opportunity, these leads should not be classed as poor quality and instead should be carefully nurtured until they're ready to engage with your business further.

At Nexa, we have been providing Inbound Marketing, Sales Strategy and Sales Lead Generation to a wide variety of businesses for well over a decade. If you are looking to generate leads, we can help. Contact Nexa today and drive highly qualified sales leads for your business.