
For marketers and business owners, lead generation remains a top priority for driving business growth and revenue. A recent study showed that companies with a consistent lead generation process generate 133% more revenue than businesses without a lead gen process.
But how do you generate high-quality leads for your business? About 80% of marketers say their lead generation strategies are slightly or somewhat effective.
In this blog, we'll explore seven timeless lead generation tactics that have stood the test of time and have helped businesses drive more revenue. We'll provide actionable tips and best practices for each strategy, so you can execute them effectively and see results.
Before we get right into it, here’s a short selection of 8 customizable lead magnet form templates you can easily edit and publish with Visme. View more templates below:
Lead generation strategies are processes businesses use to acquire new customers or leads. It involves identifying the target audience and creating a plan to reach them to persuade them to buy your product or service.
Lead generation strategies can be tailored for B2B or B2C. However, B2B is typically more complex than B2C (business-to-consumer) strategies. The reason is simple: B2B buyers have more requirements, like detailed information about what they want, the price of your products/services and whether you have experience with their industry.
Because of this complexity, you need a well-defined plan to achieve your goals. You can’t throw money at the problem and hope something sticks. With an excellent marketing strategy, you can develop an effective roadmap for reaching your audience and getting them interested in what you're selling.
Not to mention, you're going to need powerful, captivating lead magnet forms to convert your traffic into leads and boost conversion rates.
So, what makes a lead generation strategy more effective than the others? There are many criteria to look for, but this one is our favorite: the 4Ls of a lead generation strategy.
Made with Visme Infographic Maker
The 4 Ls of lead generation are a framework for understanding the different stages of the customer journey that potential customers go through before making a purchase. The 4 Ls stand for:
1. Lead Capture: This is the first stage of the lead generation process, where you capture the contact information of potential customers who have shown interest in your products or services. This could be through contact forms on their website, landing pages, or lead magnets such as eBooks or free trials.
2. Lead Magnets: Irresistible offers that encourage your customers to share their contact information. It can be a discount code, ebook, whitepaper, free trial, or anything your potential customers find interesting and valuable.
3. Lead Qualification/Scoring: Once you have captured leads, you must qualify them to ensure they fit your product or service well. You can do this by assessing the lead's needs, budget, and decision-making authority, among other factors, to determine if they are qualified prospects worth pursuing.
4. Landing Page Conversion: Standalone web pages designed for marketing or advertising campaigns. They aim to convert website visitors into leads by encouraging them to complete a specific action, like filling out a form with their contact information.
Your lead generation strategies should address these 4 Ls to convey your message to your customers in every stage of their journey.
We’ll discuss the seven lead generation strategies to help you grow your business. Also, we’ll provide the best lead-generation tactics for each strategy. Go through them carefully and understand how your business can leverage them to reach its goals.
Use opt-in opportunities to encourage potential clients or customers to voluntarily share their contact information, usually in exchange for valuable content or offers. This is one of the best lead generation strategies to create a list of qualified leads who have shown an interest in your products or services.
To make your opt-in opportunities truly irresistible, consider incorporating some examples into your lead generation strategy:
Offer exclusive, value-added content that complements a blog post or article. For example, if you've written a blog post about the employee onboarding process, provide a downloadable checklist or template like the one below that readers can access by providing their contact information.
When sharing this checklist online, you can go to Advanced Settings and turn on the “Requires Registration” feature. Whenever someone wants to access your checklist, they will need to input their name, contact and company information within the form.
Host informative webinars or virtual events on industry-relevant topics. Encourage registration by highlighting the unique insights and actionable takeaways attendees will gain.
Need inspiration for hosting your webinar or online event? Watch the video below, where we talk with Morgan Ziontz, the Product Education Manager at Jotform Media. Get some insights into hosting webinars and take inspiration from how we do it.
Create a regular, high-quality newsletter that offers industry news, tips and insights. Encourage prospects to subscribe by emphasizing the value they'll receive by staying up-to-date and informed on significant developments.
Delight your email subscribers with irresistible emails using Visme’s newsletter templates. The professional and customizable newsletter templates are perfect for all kinds of topics, themes and purposes.
So, all you need to do is grow your email list using Visme's newsletter sign up forms and then use the newsletter maker to handle the content creation part.
Potential clients can try your product or service before purchasing. This allows them to experience the benefits first-hand and can encourage them to provide their contact information to access the trial or demo.
Here are some ideas:
Provide special promotions or discounts to prospects who opt-in to your mailing list. This can create a sense of FOMO and incentivize potential clients to share their information in exchange for a valuable deal.
FOMO is the acronym for Fear of Missing Out, and it’s a powerful marketing tool. When you provide special deals or offers exclusively to your mailing list subscribers, they’ll feel like they are missing out on something valuable if they don’t opt-in. This can create an urgency that prompts them to share their information with you.
Here’s an example of a B2B packaging business, Berlin Packaging, offering a 10% discount for the first order to those who opt-in for their email list.
Incorporating these irresistible opt-in opportunities into your lead generation strategy will create a strong foundation for building long-lasting customer relationships. Remember, the key to successful opt-ins is offering genuine value and compelling prospects to share their contact information willingly.
Any digital media that actively engage users through participation or interaction, such as quizzes, surveys, calculators or infographics, is interactive content.
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 81% of marketers agree that interactive content is more effective than static content in attracting and engaging people.
Here are some types of interactive content that work well for lead generation:
Create engaging assessments or quizzes that help potential clients determine their needs or evaluate their current strategies. These tools can provide personalized results and recommendations, positioning your company as a valuable resource.
Interactive Infographics
Develop visually appealing infographics that allow users to explore data, trends, or industry insights by interacting with the content. This can help demonstrate your expertise and showcase the value of your products or services.
Use Visme’s free online infographic maker to create infographics for your business. You’ll find various customizable infographic templates you can edit and download to make your own.
Use the AI image generator to create unique scenes and visuals for your infographics. Input a text prompt and let AI help you craft attractive layouts and compositions.
Watch the video below to learn more about creating interactive infographics using Visme.
Enhance your long-form content with interactive elements, such as embedded videos, clickable charts, or interactive checklists. This can make your content more engaging and increase the likelihood that prospects will share their contact information to access it.
Use Visme’s templates to create ebooks and whitepapers that will wow your audience. Browse through Visme’s library of lead magnets, ebook and whitepaper templates and choose a suitable one.
Take advantage of the pre-existing content, eye-catching design elements and interactive features according to your needs. With Visme’s interactive features, you can create polls, quizzes, hotspots, clickable menus, hover effects, animations and much more. And Visme will preserve all this interactivity if you share your content online via email, shareable links or embed links for web publishing.
Get a head start on written content creation with Visme’s AI features. The Visme AI Writer, for example, can help you craft irresistible copy for ebooks and whitepapers. Prompt the AI to write specific sections, summarize your longer content or change the tone of voice.
Convince your prospective leads to connect with you by using captivating case studies. Share real-life proof about how your company has helped customers and clients solve their pain points.
A case study shares how a real client works with your product or service to improve their business. In a case study document, you show:
Create a case study one pager easily with Visme using the intuitive drag-and-drop interface and millions of design elements on hand.
Give your lead generation strategy a significant competitive advantage by leveraging the power of AI and automation. Streamline and optimize various process aspects with AI to save time and costs.
Here are some key ways AI and automation can enhance your lead generation efforts:
Integrate AI-powered chatbots on your website to provide instant support and assistance to potential clients. You can answer their questions and guide them toward relevant resources or conversion points.
For example, you can use an AI-powered CRM tool like HubSpot to perform many tasks like providing customer support, analyzing customer behavior, performing calculations and more.
AI language models like ChatGPT, Bard and others are set to make chatbots smarter and more efficient than ever before. Here’s a comprehensive guide to chatbot marketing that you can read to learn more.
Analyzing historical data to identify trends and patterns using AI will enable you to make data-driven decisions and forecast future lead-generation outcomes. This can help you refine your marketing strategy and allocate resources more effectively.
Many advanced tools like Salesforce Einstein, Marketo and Visme can help you use predictive analysis and perform the below-mentioned tasks.
Email automation software can streamline your email marketing efforts by sending targeted, timely and personalized messages to your prospects based on their interactions with your content or website. This can help keep leads engaged and guide them through the sales funnel.
Here are some ideas for using automated email marketing for lead generation:
To ensure that your automated emails are personalized and relevant, segment your email list based on user behavior and preferences. And there are many automation tools available to help you implement an effective email marketing campaign, such as Mailchimp, ActiveCampaign, ConvertKit, GetResponse and various others.
AI-powered tools can analyze social media conversations and identify potential leads, allowing you to engage with prospects proactively. Additionally, automation tools can help you schedule and publish content, ensuring consistent and timely posting across your social channels.
Use Visme's social media scheduler to manage and automate your social media content. With this tool, you can design social media graphics, create an editorial calendar and publish content automatically across multiple channels, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
This allows you to generate leads while building relationships with your audience through consistent messaging on all the major platforms.
Use this comprehensive guide on creating a social media calendar to learn more about it.
Here’s how you can execute these strategies by integrating Visme with customer relationship management (CRM) platforms like HubSpot and Salesforce.
Content Personalization: Integrate Visme with HubSpot or Salesforce to leverage the data stored in your CRM and create personalized visual content for your leads. This personalization can include their name, company, or other relevant information, making your content more engaging and increasing the chances of conversion.
Automated Lead Nurturing: You can automate your lead nurturing process by connecting Visme with HubSpot or Salesforce. For example, you can set up workflows that automatically send personalized visual content to leads based on their behavior, such as downloading a whitepaper or visiting a specific page on your website.
This targeted approach can help move leads from the top of the sales funnel to the bottom of the sales funnel more effectively.
Lead Scoring: Integration with HubSpot and Salesforce allows you to use lead-scoring algorithms based on interactions with your visual content. By assigning scores to leads based on their engagement with your Visme-created content, you can prioritize your sales efforts on those leads who are most likely to convert.
Enhanced Collaboration: By integrating Visme with HubSpot and Salesforce, your marketing and sales teams can work together more efficiently. For instance, marketing can create and share visual content, while sales can easily access and use it during outreach efforts.
This streamlined collaboration helps create a consistent brand experience and messaging for your leads.
Visme’s design collaboration features take your content creation process to the next level. You can give your team members access to a design project to review. They can pin annotations, point, circle or draw, and assign, reply to or resolve comments.
This gives your sales and marketing teams complete control over personalized content creation, making your lead-generation strategy more efficient.
Watch the video below to learn more about Visme’s collaboration features, or read this article about collaborative design.
The ability to integrate with other advanced tools and collaboration features has been a lifesaver for many of Visme’s users. Here’s what one of our customers Jaime Kelm, the Director of Business and Data Strategy at LAFC, has to say about it.
“I absolutely recommend Visme due to its dynamic functionality and ability to integrate everchanging media and digital technologies. That combined with a collaborative environment which empowers our team to be more efficient with time has been a huge plus.”
You can read the complete case study here
A/B testing, or split testing, is a powerful technique that involves comparing two versions of a webpage, email, or other marketing material to determine which performs better regarding a specific goal, such as conversions or click-through rates.
A/B testing is one of the best ways to optimize your lead generation efforts and ensure you're utilizing the most effective strategies to reach and engage your target audience.
Here’s an example of a successful A/B testing by HubSpot. Their goal was to test the visual prominence and functionality of the search bar on their blog.
After running the test, they found a version that increased their conversion rate by 3.4% and the number of users who used the search bar.
Follow these simple steps below to approach A/B testing for your lead generation strategies:
Do you want to improve landing page conversions or boost click-through rates on CTA buttons? Clearly define the testing goal you are trying to achieve.
To obtain accurate results, focus on testing a single variable (e.g., headline, button color, or form layout) in each A/B test. This will ensure that you can attribute any performance differences to the specific change you made rather than multiple factors that may have influenced the outcome.
To achieve statistically significant results, ensure that your test includes sufficient participants or data points. This may vary depending on the specific element you're testing and your website traffic or email list size.
Avoid bias and ensure accurate results by dividing your audience randomly and evenly between the two test variations. This will ensure that any differences in performance can be attributed to the variable being tested rather than external factors.
Give your test enough time to accumulate a substantial amount of data. Depending on your traffic or engagement levels, this could range from a few days to weeks. But avoid running it for too long, as external factors or changing audience preferences could influence the results.
Once your test is complete, analyze the results to determine which variation performed better. Use this insight to inform future marketing decisions and continuously optimize your lead generation efforts.
The most crucial thing about any online advertising campaign is engagement. Zero engagement means zero website traffic and conversion.
To avoid this pitfall, you can introduce retargeting in your ad campaigns, increasing your engagement by 400%.
Remarketing and retargeting are powerful techniques that involve re-engaging potential clients who have previously interacted with your brand or content but have yet to convert.
You can do this by using retargeting or remarketing lists. The first step is to create a cookie-based list of all prospects who have visited your website but did not convert. Then, start advertising on other websites related to your industry using Google AdWords and Facebook Ads.
Using a CRM like Salesforce, you can get information about past leads interested in your product or service. Now you can use this information to create future marketing materials to retarget those leads.
As mentioned, Visme integrates with HubSpot and Salesforce, making your retargeting process effective.
Forms are an essential part of any website’s user experience. They help you gather data from your potential clients and turn them into leads. Sometimes poorly designed forms can be the reason you cannot generate any leads at all.
Here are some ideas to help you create forms that will persuade your audience to sign up for your business.
The sign-up form should be easily readable and understandable. Use clear and concise language and avoid asking for too much information simultaneously. Also, try to keep the design minimalistic to keep the focus on the form itself.
Your sign-up form should clearly communicate the value that users will receive in exchange for sharing their information. This could be a free ebook, a webinar, or exclusive access to content.
Tailor the form to your audience and personalize the fields to collect the information that matters most for your business. Consider using progressive profiling to gather more information from leads over time gradually.
Make sure your form is optimized for mobile devices. Test the form on different devices to ensure it’s easy to use and filled out on mobile.
Use an action-oriented CTA that encourages users to sign up. Use action verbs like “Download Now” or “Register Today” to clarify what the user will get by signing up.
Include trust indicators, such as a privacy policy or security certification badges, to give users peace of mind when sharing their information.
Did you realize that almost every lead generation strategy relies heavily on sign-up forms? And for a good reason. Without these forms, you won’t be able to ask your audience to share their contact information.
But, for many years, most businesses have been using the same traditional-looking forms that may not have the potential to capture leads.
To solve this problem, Visme has introduced no-code forms you can use wherever you want. You can create interactive, high-converting lead forms, contact forms, email forms, email collectors, popup forms, feedback forms, and registration forms—without writing a single line of code.
Just customize your form, include your branding elements and embed it on presentations, marketing materials, landing pages and more. Furthermore, you can integrate it with your favorite platforms, like HubSpot, Mailchimp, Salesforce and many others.
Ensure your website is optimized to encourage users to provide their contact information. This can include strategically placing calls-to-action (CTAs) on your homepage, blog posts and other key pages and using attention-grabbing pop-up forms or exit-intent offers. Track and analyze user behavior to continuously improve your website's conversion rate.
For example, we use these eye-catching, animated, exit-intent pop-ups on our blogs to engage readers and ask them to sign up for our newsletter.
Here are some tips to optimize your website for lead generation:
It’s crucial to know how the competition is conducting lead generation strategies so you can stay ahead. Conducting a comprehensive competitor analysis and formulating a robust SEO strategy can give your business a competitive edge.
Before you can outperform your rivals, you need to understand them. Start by identifying your key competitors and analyzing their websites, content and online presence to gain deeper insight. Here are some good things to look at:
Once you’ve assessed your competition, it’s time to build your SEO strategy. This should be a dynamic plan that evolves with search engine algorithms and market trends. Here are some key components to consider:
Do you still have pressing questions about lead generation strategies? These FAQs have the answers you seek.
Inbound and outbound are two types of lead generation strategies for your business. Here they are in detail:
Inbound focuses on attracting leads by creating and sharing valuable content, optimizing for SEO and building a strong online presence. It’s about making your business discoverable by people who are already interested in your products or services.
On the other hand, outbound involves proactive outreach to potential leads. Some methods include cold calling, email marketing and direct advertising. It’s more of a direct approach in which you initiate contact with prospective customers.
Here are some social media strategies and how you can use them for lead generation and brand awareness:
A lead generation funnel is a systematic process that businesses and marketers use to turn potential customers into paying customers. It’s called a funnel because at the wide top is where you capture the majority of leads which then decanter down towards the thin end.
The funnel has three main sections:
The funnel also has stages that progress from top to bottom:
Effective lead generation hinges on understanding your target audience’s needs, pain points and preferences. To sum it up all, you must offer compelling value to prospects, such as helpful content, exclusive offers or personalized solutions.
To make lead generation work effectively, use data and analytics to continually refine your lead generation strategy and focus on what works best.
To generate leads organically, you must attract potential customers through non-paid, inbound approaches. Some methods include content marketing, SEO and keyword optimization, social media marketing, referral programs, email marketing and guest blogging.
Keep your lead generation efforts from falling short. Embrace the power of Visme and its integration with CRMs to elevate your marketing and sales strategies, drive better results and unlock your business's true potential.
By taking advantage of Visme's personalization features, enhanced collaboration and robust reporting capabilities, you can create more engaging and impactful content that resonates with your target audience.
Also, Visme forms, designed to captivate your audience, can be a great help when persuading your target audience to provide their contact information. Beyond signup forms, you can whip up eye-catching and interactive lead forms, contact forms, email forms, email collectors, popup forms, feedback forms, registration forms and much more.
This will ultimately result in higher conversion rates, better-qualified leads and a more streamlined sales process.
We hope you enjoyed our selection of lead generation tips to optimize your efforts. Go ahead and sign-up for Visme’s lead generation form to streamline your lead generation process and attract high-quality leads.
Improve your data collection from emails, leads, to surveys and more, by using beautifully designed forms that convert up 2X better.
Signup Free