Last updated on August 14th, 2024 at 02:08 am
Looking for inbound lead-gen strategies you can use to systematically grow your business?
We’ve got 9!
These tactics will help you build brand awareness, increase the number of people who visit your website, and turn more of those people into high-quality leads.
Here they are.
Or cut to the chase and click the link below…
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1. Build a Blog
A fundamental pillar to inbound lead generation is SEO — or “search engine optimization”.
This is the process of optimizing content to rank in popular search engines (like Google) for the things that your customers are searching for.
But how do you know what your customers are searching for?
There are tons of great keyword research tools that will give you all the information you could ever want. Here are a few…
For example, I use Ahrefs to do SEO research on the articles I write for my clients, and once upon a time, it told me that the phrase “real estate wholesaling software” gets 150 searches per month.
It just so happens that I write for a real estate software company called REISift.
SO… we wrote an article to target that keyword phrase…
And now it’s ranking #1 for tons of awesome and relevant keyword phrases.
In fact, that one article alone is driving over 200 visits per month to REISift’s website.
That’s why not just having a blog… but having a blog that’s optimized to rank in Google… is at the top of our list.
You can drive tons of inbound traffic with high-quality blog content targeting high-value keyword phrases. You can learn the basics of SEO over here.
2. Create Content Upgrades
Let me assume — or rather, hope — that you read the first strategy in this article and thought to yourself, “That’s a great idea. I’m going to build a blog and get it ranking in Google.”
Awesome!
But… what happens after people land on your blog?
After all, the goal is lead generation. If those people visit your blog and read your content, you’ve got to have a plan in place to make the most of that engagement.
More specifically, you’ve got to capture their email address.
How?
Content upgrades!
Think of these as the “upgrades” people can get by giving you their email address. Here’s one example where the website simply offers a PDF version of the article itself…
Here’s another example where the publisher offers a cheat sheet…
Speaking of which, did we mention that we have an awesome five-day lead-gen challenge you can join RIGHT NOW to start generating leads like crazy for your business?
See what we did there? 😎
Content upgrades are important if you’re building a blog because they provide a natural and seamless way for people to get more value… and give you their email address.
3. Collect Emails
OBVIOUSLY.
Maybe I shouldn’t even mention it because it’s so obvious.
But I’m going to.
The goal of inbound lead generation is to collect email addresses, add those emails to your list, and market to those people as much as you want… for free.
It might be nice to ALSO know their phone number, address, credit card information, and the name of their dog… but you don’t need that.
In fact, asking for more information often results in lower conversion rates…
Clearly, the picture isn’t perfectly linear.
But you get the idea.
Less is more.
At most, ask for the person’s name and email address when you’re simply providing a lead magnet — this rule can be broken if you’re taking applications for a higher-ticket product or service like I do on my own website….
But still, keep it simple, slick, and quick!
4. Post Awesome Content
There’s no two ways about it.
Awesome social media content draws attention — and when we’re talking about inbound lead generation, a few other strategies are as effective as posting great content on your social channels.
Truly great content.
We’re talking about content that makes people laugh, makes them cry, or makes them think about something in a new way.
Specifically — according to Jonah Berger’s research — social media posts that evoke awe, excitement, humor, anger, or anxiety get the most shares.
Let’s look at some great content examples, starting with Mr. Peanut…
Here’s one from Getty…
And one final example from Ipsy…
Okay — those examples are amazing.
But not every post has to be a home run. Posting consistently is just as important as posting great content.
So create a schedule and stick to it… even if not every post is a slamdunk
5. Optimize Social Profiles
Woohoo!
People are seeing your content and engaging with your brand on social media.
You did it… sort of.
But when they click on your profile, are they being compelled and persuaded to do something? Ideally, your profile should be nothing more than a social-media-hosted landing page to drive people to your front-end sales funnel.
That’s how you transition from engaging with your audience on social media… to generating inbound leads.
It shouldn’t take you super long, but there are a few things that you’ll want to make sure you do to set yourself up for success.
Add Your Sales Funnel Link to Profile Pages
Imagine that someone sees your content for the first time, loves it, and wants to learn more about you. So they visit your social media profile page. From there, you want to make it as easy as possible for that person to become a lead. So include links to the beginning of your sales funnel on your profile page.
Create a Consistent Brand Image
You don’t want people to visit one of your social media profiles and not recognize your brand. So stay consistent. The colors, logos, and even images you use on your website and social media profile should be as similar as possible.
Fill Out Your Entire Profile
You also don’t want people to feel like they stumbled across a poorly put-together social media profile. Take the time to add a photo, cover image, bio, and other important elements.
6. Encourage Reviews
As your brand awareness increases, people are going to be searching for you online.
But they’re not going to just search for you, they’re going to search for what people are saying about you.
For instance, the phrase “ClickFunnels reviews” gets 150 searches per month in Google.
People are trying to vet whether other people like our software, whether it’s worth the price, and if it’s a good fit for what they’re trying to accomplish.
The last thing you want is for these people to stumble across either…
- Absolutely nothing because no one is talking about your business
- Only bad reviews
Ideally, you want people to find great reviews from real customers.
How do you do that?
Get your business listed on third-party review platforms like G2, Capterra, Google, and Facebook… and create email automation that encourages new customers to leave a review.
This will help your brand awareness.
But more importantly, it will help your brand reputation when people start scouring the internet for information about your business.
7. Leverage YouTube
YouTube is a powerful platform for building brand awareness. In fact, YouTube has become the second-largest search engine (after Google)…
…Which is why it makes sense to leverage this platform for your inbound lead gen efforts.
The best way to do that?
Create helpful, informative videos and post them on YouTube with calls to action that encourage viewers to visit your website.
Here’s an example of this from HubSpot…
And here’s one from Neil Patel…
You don’t need expensive equipment or editing software to create great videos. You can record yourself on your phone or webcam and edit the videos using free tools like iMovie or Windows Movie Maker.
Not sure what kind of videos to create?
Use YouTube’s predictive search feature to figure out what people are searching for — then create videos targeting relevant keywords (just like you would in Google).
8. Work With Influencers
Influencer marketing is an effective lead gen strategy because it allows you to tap into an already-existing audience.
When you partner with influencers in your industry, you get access to their engaged followers.
And when done correctly, you can turn those followers into leads and customers for your business.
For example, let’s say you sell fitness equipment.
You could partner with a fitness influencer and have them use your equipment in a workout video. Then, at the end of the video, you could have them include a call-to-action that encourages viewers to learn more about your products.
Or you could send the influencer a box of your products to give away to their followers. The winner could be chosen at random or could be the person who leaves the best comment on the influencer’s social media profile.
This is an excellent way to generate leads and customers because you’re getting in front of an engaged audience that’s likely interested in what you have to offer.
Here are some great examples of influencer marketing.
From GoPuff…
And from Hublot…
So…
How do you get influencers to help you out?
Send them free products, build authentic relationships, pay them to promote your brand, or offer them a commission on the sales they make.
Remember: the sweeter the deal, the more likely they are to agree.
9. Create a Referral Program
What if your existing customers just sold your products or services for you?
That’s how a referral program works!
Referral programs encourage customers to promote your business to their friends, family, and social media followers for rewards.
And when done correctly, referral programs can be a low-cost way to generate leads and customers.
Dropbox is one of the best examples of a company that’s crushed it with its referral program…
Referral programs are particularly effective because they come with built-in social proof.
People are more likely to trust a recommendation from a friend or family member than they are an advertisement.
Here are a few examples of referral program rewards you could use:
- Free products or services
- Discounts
- Store credit
- Cash
No matter what type of business you have, there’s a way to incorporate a referral program. You might just need to get creative and think outside the box.
Final Thoughts
Lead generation can be a difficult and time-consuming process. But it doesn’t have to be!
By using the right strategies, you can generate leads and customers on autopilot.
So what are you waiting for? Start implementing these strategies and see how they impact your business.
If you’re ready for the next step, click the link below!