updated April 2024

Lead generation looks different for every type of business. For some industries like insurance or finance, it's necessary to have hundreds of leads entering the sales funnel so that at least a handful convert to customers at all times.

In other industries (and businesses like mine), I'd go crazy if I had hundreds of leads. I couldn't possibly handle that many incoming inquiries, and most likely, a good portion of them wouldn't be a good match to work with me anyway.

The best lead generation strategies are those that combine different techniques to reach a wide audience and help both the business and the potential client ensure both are a good fit for each other.

Let's look at five different lead generation strategies you can experiment with.

Create Email Campaigns

Email marketing has made a resurgence in recent years and still holds the highest return on investment for strategies within the digital marketing realm. However, if you're new to using email to nurture existing customers or drive new leads, knowing where to start can be a bit overwhelming.

The first step in creating an email campaign is to choose an email marketing platform. There's no right or wrong answer - platforms best for one industry or personal brand may not be the best fit for another. Do your homework to determine which features you need based on your list size, how often you plan to send emails, and whether or not you'll use automation features like sending a welcome email to new subscribers or using a nurture sequence after someone makes a purchase.

A few email platforms offer a free trial of their software that gives you access to features like automation, email sequence templates, or designed campaigns, making it easy to try it out and see if it's right for you.

The most successful email campaigns are those sent with a specific action in mind, relevant to the audience or list segment, and designed to be conversational and not purely focused on sales. Remember to get permission to email anyone on your list, making it abundantly clear that you intend to use their email address for marketing purposes. Even the most thoughtfully crafted email campaigns can fall flat if they end up in the spam folder. Ensuring your emails reach your audience's inbox is crucial for successful engagement. Before launching your next email campaign, consider testing your email's deliverability with this tool, optimizing for elements that improve open rates and prevent being marked as junk.

Meet Your Audience Where They Are On Social Media

Social media for business is almost a requirement in your digital marketing strategy. Love it or hate it (I'm in the "meh" category on this one), your audience is likely on at least one social media site.

However, it's your job to determine which social media site your ideal clients use the most and what content they expect to see from you. For example, it does you no good to spend time creating content for Facebook if you're audience is more likely to be on LinkedIn.

So how do you know where to find them? Start by emailing your client list with a quick survey and ask which social media site they spend the most time on each day. Or, test your content on a few different platforms and watch your analytics to see which posts drive the most traffic to your website and result in conversions.

Remember, the job of social media is to direct your potential clients to your website, where they can take a specific action - filling out your contact form, subscribing to your email list, or making a purchase.

Focus On Content Marketing with SEO

Marketers often overlook content marketing because it can be time-consuming and even intimidating for some. Essentially, content marketing means you're using the power of your own content (text, photos, video) on your website to educate your audience and move them along the buyer journey.

For example, I sell templates in my Nonprofit Template Shop geared toward helping nonprofits create resources to help them raise money or build a better board of directors. Instead of constantly pushing my Shop link out on social media, I choose to write blog content regularly around the topics my nonprofit audience cares about.

If I'm trying to sell a sponsorship proposal template, I'll write some content about what companies want in a corporate sponsorship partnership with a local nonprofit. Typically, once someone reads the content, they're more ready to purchase if they only saw the sales page.

Likewise, you'll need to learn what kind of content your audience wants to consume and then use that information to create helpful, relevant content on your website. It will serve your audience well and signal to Google that you're a leader in that particular topic or space.

Offer An Appealing Lead Magnet

Lead magnets are a popular way to attract a wider audience and offer something valuable in exchange for information on the potential customer (email or phone number, typically).

For lead magnets to work well and be worth the time investment to create and market them, they must solve one immediate problem your audience is experiencing.

For instance, let's say you run a local health food store. It's back-to-school season, and your audience has school lunches at the forefront of their minds. A lead magnet that offers ten quick ideas for healthy school lunches and a 10% off coupon code for the next purchase is likely to be a lead magnet that works very well with the audience.

In exchange for the lunch ideas and coupon code, your customer provides their phone number and enrolls in your text marketing campaign.

Lead magnets often produce more organic leads and cost you significantly less than purchasing leads elsewhere. However, they take work to market, require enough website traffic for visitors to discover, and require an email or text marketing strategy to follow up and deliver the promised outcomes.

Experiment With Pay-per-Click Ads

Pay-per-click, or PPC advertising, can be a great way to generate more leads for your business when done intentionally using ample keyword research. For example, you can use PPC ads to target inactive visitors who decided not to buy or sign up for anything on your site or to try and attract brand new website visitors.

PPC campaigns are typically long-haul ones that require significant time and money and may take longer to see results than an email or text campaign. However, when done correctly, they can be a reliable source of new leads for your business. However, when done correctly, they can be a reliable source of new leads for your business. (Check out our recommended top agencies specializing in effective and results-driven PPC campaigns.)

Final Thoughts

Generating new leads and nurturing current clients are integral parts of a business's overall marketing strategy. It's tempting to choose volume over quality in these situations but ultimately, finding qualified leads ready to work with you is a much better use of time than filling your inbox with inquiries that will never convert.

Take your time to ensure you know exactly what your ideal customer or client looks like and where you might find them online. Then, use a combination of these strategies to talk directly to their fears, objections, and hopes and help them see why your product or service solves their problem.

Tell us in the comments which lead generation strategy you use the most and which has worked best for you!

One Nine Design is a digital marketing company helping small businesses and nonprofits learn how to use their website and email list to grow their reach and make a bigger impact!

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