17 Lead Generation Techniques to Boost Your Sales

If you’re looking for ways to generate more leads, you’re in the right place. In this blog post, we’ll share 8 latest lead generation techniques. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced marketer, these techniques will help you take your lead generation game to the next level.

Lead Generation Techniques

Before we start talking about lead generation techniques, let’s review some terms to ensure we’re all on the same level.

What’s a lead?

A lead refers to a person or company interested in your product/service. Each lead is made up of the information you have about them. A basic lead would include a name, contact details, company name/location/job titles.

Types of leads

Let’s now take a look at how to categorize leads. There are three main ways to do this:

Type 1: Based on your interest.

Interest is the first factor that helps you identify leads and divide them into two groups.

• Warm, also known as inbound leads, are those who expressed an interest in you and found you by themselves (for example, they found your blog and signed up for your newsletters).
• Cold, also known as outbound leads, is a subset of leads you can generate through your targeting strategy and lead generation software.

Lead type 2: Based upon enrichment.

The second type is based on the information you have about your leads. Depending on your data, you may divide them into two groups.

• Leads that are not enriched have very little information. Most of the time, they only have a username and an email address.
• Enriched Leads include additional information that you can use to personalize multi-channel marketing. These include secondary contact details, company name, location, job position, pain points, etc.

Type 3: Based on Qualification

This type allows you to identify leads based on their qualification and stage in your sales funnel.

• Marketing qualified Lead (MQL). Is interested in you but not ready to communicate. Suppose they have signed up for your blog newsletters or your lead magnet. They also left their contact information.
• A qualified sales lead (SQL) has expressed interest in your product and is now one step closer to becoming paying customer. These business leads can leave their contact information to contact your sales team for more information about your product.
• A Product Qualified Lead (PQL) has taken the necessary steps to become a paying client. Similar to SQLs, but with a slight distinction: PQLs are common for companies that offer a free trial (like Snov.io). These leads might be asking about paid plans but may be using your free trial.

What’s Lead Generation? 

Lead generation is the process of finding people (or businesses) who might be interested in your product or service.

A lead gen technique is any method of getting a prospect to give you their contact information willingly.

One great way to generate new sales for a company specializing in building outdoor wooden structures is by giving away a free, informative guide about maintaining those types of buildings. Providing value to your customers is a great way to build brand loyalty and trust.

By filling out this form, you can access this free guide that will teach you how to generate more sales through phone calls.

Got all that? Awesome.

The Importance of Lead Generation

The conversion rate of lead-to-customer is rarely 100%. This is why quality leads are the most important part of lead generation. It is evident how important it is to get quality leads. It will help you:

• Target the right people. This allows you to focus your resources on customers more likely than others to purchase your product or service. This saves time and money, streamlines your company’s processes, and increases sales.
• Increase brand awareness. Lead generation involves educating leads about your company and its products, both when they learn about you or when you reach them with information about the product’s features. Your leads can spread information about your brand via word of mouth, which will bring you more clients.
• Get valuable data. Generating leads is generally collecting information about potential customers, their needs and preferences, and your competitors. This information can improve your product or service and give it a competitive edge in the market.
• Increase revenue. A successful lead generation strategy can help your company get 133% more revenue.

Who Is Responsible For Lead Generation in a business?

Lead generation is a step-by-step process carried out by two groups: marketers and sales reps.

The sales team focuses on generating leads and then using these leads for cold calling, cold emailing, and cold marketing campaigns. They prioritize quantity, qualify leads, and work closely with the most engaged leads.

The marketing group is focused on generating warm prospects. They first acquire business leads via different marketing channels, warm them up using relevant approaches, and then forward hot leads directly to the sales department.

Although sales and marketing may have different methods and needs, the end goal is the same — a client and a sale.

Different Types of Lead Generation

The marketing method is what determines how customers find you.

Inbound lead generation

The inbound lead-generation process is permission-based. Your potential customer will find you and decide to interact with you. It involves the following steps:

Your website, blog, or social media page is where potential customers find your company.

They respond to your call to action (CTA) by clicking a button or linking to a message encouraging them to take action.

They are sent to your landing pages, where they complete a form to receive a valuable offer (or any lead magnet) and become your leads.

Outbound lead generation

Outbound lead generation is interruption-based. This means you only contact people who are most likely to become customers. They are contacted directly to communicate your brand and deliver a sales pitch. These are the stages of the process:

Identify your leads (people who fit your ideal customer profile), identify their needs, and then think about how you can assist them.

Research: Find leads’ contact information, gather it and organize it.

Reach out to your leads by cold emails, cold phone calls, or social media.

10 Lead Generation Techniques For Businesses

We’ve both seen tremendous success in our companies and at a much faster pace than most people.

If you want your business to grow, then you need to focus on your lead gen strategies. Use these lead generation techniques to boost your sales;

1. SEO

Potential clients want to know how to solve their problems. A prospect should be computer-literate (and who executive doesn’t own a smartphone or a computer?). One of their first actions is to Google their problem, question, or issue.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) gives you the tools to match qualified customers with your online content. If you play your cards well, you will be on their shortlist when they are looking for services.

To ensure that your SEO is successful, there are some key things you need to do:

• Claim your Google My Business directory. Use keywords to fill out the profile.
• Keywords should be used throughout the copy of your website
• Each web page should have a meta description that includes keywords
• Claim your business listing on review aggregates such as Yelp, Citysearch, or other sites

Your customers can earn incentives to rate and review your business on the platforms mentioned above.

2. Consider running events

Organizing events in your industry might be worth considering to meet safety and health requirements. You can host webinars, speak at local conferences, or participate in industry expos. Your goal is to give your attendees (the target audience) a reason for engaging with these events. You can live-stream your event via your social media channels if physical events are not accessible to everyone.

3. Remember content is king

A wealth of content is a key part of running a successful lead-generation campaign. Although outbound lead generation strategies can be great, they are best when accompanied by an inbound strategy. Content marketing is about creating quality content that prospects are interested in. It’s primarily to solve a problem they might be having.

Your content should include blog posts, videos, infographic images, and special resources. Slideshow presentations and webinars are all examples of content you can use. Content creation can help you build relationships with prospects and establish authority in your niche. It can also boost your SEO.

4. Google AdWords is a great tool for outbound lead generation

Inbound marketing and content creation should be your main focus. However, you should diversify your lead generation efforts by using ads. Google AdWords can be used to advertise on the internet. Programmatic targeting advertising allows you to reach potential leads where and when they are looking for solutions your brand offers.

Google AdWords has search ads, video ads, and app ads that can all be very lucrative. You might be amazed at the reach that Google AdWords offers your business.

5. Email marketing is a great way to generate leads

Email isn’t dead, and it’s still a great tool for lead generation. Many lead generation professionals agree that email marketing is the best method for lead generation for B2B companies. This is especially true for those who use cold calling or email services.

You can use many tools to automate and track the emails you send to customers and prospects. To see where your marketing efforts are producing the most leads, it is important to track how people interact with your emails. Email automation tools, for example, can show you how many times an email has been opened and whether they clicked through to the email.

6. Look into client referral programs

Referrals from satisfied customers are a major source of lead generation for many small businesses across many industries. This type of lead generation is great because it doesn’t involve the internet in any major way, and it’s almost free marketing. A happy client might suggest your services to a colleague who is having trouble. A referral program can be a great incentive to encourage happy customers to recommend your brand to others.

7. Start a blog

A blog can be a great tool for any business, regardless of industry. Blogs can feature articles, videos, audio, podcasts, galleries of photographs, and many other things. This blog will answer industry-relevant questions your potential customers are looking for. This will make you an authority in your field, increasing your brand’s trustworthiness.

8. Convert landing pages

Landing pages are often why websites don’t generate many leads. These pages, which are linked to ads, should be a mixture of enticing and extremely helpful. They also need to be very direct. Poorly designed landing pages can make it difficult for customers to understand the value of your product or service.

You should have landing pages in place. It is not a good idea to link your ads to your homepage. We recommend using a landing page builder to create the best landing pages possible for your business.

9. Offer free trials

A great brand reputation is a key part of lead generation. Offering customers and prospects free incentives are a big part of building a strong reputation. This is not necessary for large enterprises and companies.

They already have a great reputation, and customers are comfortable buying their products and services. This luxury is not as common for small businesses. To ease your prospects’ concerns about your brand, offer free trials and freemium packages to give them a chance to test your product before making a decision.

10. Social media marketing

Many small businesses don’t use social media marketing because they don’t know how to use them properly. Connecting with potential customers is the key to successful lead generation for small businesses.

Find out which channels customers prefer. Start sharing content by creating business profiles on these platforms. You can share original content or curated content, depending on how much time you have available. Make sure to promote your social media channels on your website and elsewhere.

Last but not least, be informative and helpful to your prospects. It’s a great idea to follow influential people in your industry for networking purposes.

11. Pay Per Click Advertising

Another proven way to get your prospect’s attention is to buy your way onto search engine results pages for relevant keywords. This gives you more control over the keywords you want to associate. You only pay when someone clicks your link, as the name suggests.

PPC leads are often more valuable because potential clients are often looking for a specific solution. PPC is also trackable and usually less expensive than traditional print advertising. This is a very attractive combination.

12. Use lead generating website

Many professional services websites are not intended to generate leads. Many websites are not designed to generate leads. Visitors will leave if they don’t understand what you do and what problems you can solve.

This contrasts with a lead-generating website that makes it easy for clients to understand your value proposition, download valuable information, and request a proposal. Online lead generation can have a dramatic impact

13. Webinars

A webinar is an online version of a seminar. The webinar that generates leads is usually offered at no cost. Registering is required to gather basic information about attendees. Like its offline counterpart, a webinar should be educational and not just a sales pitch.

A successful webinar will focus on relevant topics to your target client. Your firm will earn trust over time, and your attendees will be more likely to call you when they have a suitable need.

14. Industry research reports

Offering executive summaries and full research reports on your industries is a proven strategy for generating leads online. There are two ways you can benefit. These documents are a great lead generator. They also increase your credibility and strengthen your online brand.

Your research topics should be of great interest to your target clients. These research studies can also be a great way to partner with a trade association or non-competing firm and reduce your marketing costs.

15. Online Marketing Videos

Video is everywhere these days, and for good reasons. Video is a great marketing medium for professional service firms. A testimonial from a client who is a major client of yours explaining how you solved their problem is the best way to build credibility. It’s almost as if you can automate the referral process.

Video can be used to introduce your company, explain complex services, or introduce your team. Video can be used in these roles to provide lead generation and nurturing functions.

16. White Papers

White papers are one of the most popular online lead generation techniques. They can help establish credibility and produce qualified leads. The white paper can be offered on your website for free or with a registration screen. You can also distribute it through third-party sites. White papers make great pay-per-click offers.

The e-book is a variation of the white paper. It serves a similar purpose to a white paper but is typically longer than a paper. Your e-book can create a lot of buzzes if it covers a complex topic in great detail.

17. E-newsletter

Your e-newsletter can help you generate significant leads if it offers quality, educational content. Your e-newsletter can also be used to nurture existing leads. Many companies also use newsletters to announce new services or offer specific deals.

Offer a free subscription to e-newsletters on your website or in the email signature block to build your subscriber base. Remember, the better the content, the more people will remember you and read it — and the less likely it is to be deemed spam.

Tools for Lead Generation

Manual lead generation can be difficult and inefficient if you work at scale. Lead generation tools are a great way to automate certain processes.

Lead generation software helps you find leads and contact them. There are many lead generation tools that you can choose from, and each one is different depending on your goals. We’ll be discussing five of the most common categories:

Email lookup tools

This software automates the lead scoring process. It enables you to find the email addresses of your leads. Snov.io is one example. It allows you to receive emails from any website or social media page. It automatically verifies them and lets you create a targeted list.

Other email finder tools examples are Hunter and FindThatLead.

Email outreach tools

Email is still one of your best tools to generate leads. This can be done through targeted email campaigns or cold emails that you can easily create and automate using this software.

Snov.io Email Drip Campaigns allows you to create an email sequence, schedule follow-ups, personalize your message using variables, and even A/B-test your campaigns to determine which one is the most effective.

Other examples: Sendinblue and Prospect.io.

Marketing and sales automation tools/CRMs

CRMs or all-in-one sales and marketing platforms combine many tools necessary for lead generation success. Many also offer additional features such as lead qualification or lead management.

Snov.io allows you to find the perfect leads, contact them via email, segment them and manage them in your account. It also integrates with CRMs and apps you love for deeper functionality.

Other marketing and sales automation tools/CRMs include Hubspot (Keap) and Constant Contact (Constant Contact).

Communication tools

You can generate leads by communicating via special messengers with people who visit your website. These tools allow you to communicate with your leads from one place.

Examples of communication tools: Intercom (Drift), CallPage.

Advertising tools

Advertising software is a great way to generate leads and promote your company. These tools can help you attract more people to your website.

Examples of advertising tools: Google Ads. AdEspresso. AdRoll.

Which are the 4 steps of the lead generation process?

Conclusion

These lead generation techniques are a great place to start if you’re looking to take your lead generation game to the next level. You can choose which ones are right for you, from SEO to lead generation tools. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced marketer, these techniques will help you generate more leads than ever.

Need Help Automating Your Sales Prospecting Process?

LeadFuze gives you all the data you need to find ideal leads, including full contact information.

Go through a variety of filters to zero in on the leads you want to reach. This is crazy specific, but you could find all the people that match the following: 

• A company in the Financial Services or Banking industry
• Who have more than 10 employees
• That spend money on Adwords
• Who use Hubspot
• Who currently have job openings for marketing help
• With the role of HR Manager
• That has only been in this role for less than 1 year