The 10 internet lead generation methods I describe in this article are used by a majority of businesses online and are proven to be effective for them. These methods will generate high quality leads for your products and services, often for very little cost other than your time. Using some or all of these methods will alow you to generate a steady flow of leads.
Reducing the costs of lead acquisition is no doubt important to you. By using these methods you will be able to reduce costs and increase the quality of the leads you generate. By mastering each of these proven methods you will generate a regular supply of leads and your efforts will be spread across the internet such that prospects will be approaching you for your products and services.
The 10 Lead Generation Methods Explained
I define an internet lead generation method as a proven method that works online to generate qualified leads. These methods have been used by many businesses and a lot is known about the results that can be obtained and how to get them. What's more, other people have made mistakes which you can learn and profit from much faster without having to go through the same learning curve yourself.
The best way to work with these methods is to
*choose one you may already be using but only had a moderate or poor level of success with, or one that takes your fancy
*find out how it works for other businesses and why
*apply the method to your business by copying how it is implemented by others who are successful in using it
*track the results and make changes to improve them
*move onto the next method once you are successful with the one you have chosen.
Here are the 10 effective internet lead generation methods in no particular order:
1. Pay Per Click Advertising
This method of lead generation costs money and can be very expensive if not managed properly. If you are new to internet marketing, and especially pay per click advertising, avoid this method until you are earning enough to implement it.
PPC marketing is a method where your ads appear on search engine results pages and also other websites. You pay when someone clicks on your ad and visits your website, whether you sell them anything or not. Google Adwords is the most popular pay per click advertising service, Microsoft also have a similar service.
To make PPC advertising pay you need to be good at converting leads into sales. The major advantage is that you can generate leads and be making sales in a matter of hours, so learning how to effectively manage a pay per click campaign is well worth it.
2. Lead Capture Page
This type of web page is designed to collect names, email addresses and possibly other information from anyone interested in your offer. In the past you may have completed forms like this to get a free report or some other gift. The page you visited to get this information in return for your details was a lead capture page.
Offering something of real value to your website visitors is what makes these pages a success. Your visitor has to believe the free gift will help them in some way before parting with their details. Of course, you also need to get people to the page in the first place.
3. Website
To turn your website into a lead generator you need to encourage your visitors to give you their name and email address. Offer something of real value for free that your visitors will find useful.
4. Articles
Writing articles can be a good lead generator. Make them around 300 - 500 words in length, don't try and sell anything, instead make them informative and helpful. Upload your articles to article directories and make sure you include an author bio box at the end of your article with a link to the product or service you are promoting.
Website owners often re-publish articles on their websites that they obtain from article directories. For this reason it is a good idea to write useful and informative articles. As your article is re-published you will get increasing numbers of links to your website which will potentially increase the number of visitors and therefore leads you generate.
5. Blogs
A blog is a website where you can post content without being involved in the technicalities. Search engines love fresh and relevant content which is why they frequently visit blogs or websites containing a blog.
Putting a blog on your website, or even creating your website entirely as a blog, can get your site indexed faster and attracting visitors that much sooner. Attracting visitors to your website can be made easier with a blog.
6. Podcasts
An audio recording can be made using software that may already exist on your computer, this is called a podcast. Podcasts contain informative content and may be published regularly like a radio show or magazine. If you don't want to produce your own podcast there are companies who can do it for you.
Podcasts can be distributed for free on Apple iTunes, which is now the most popular place for podcast distribution on the internet.
For a podcast to work as a lead generator you should make sure to include your website address in the audio and encourage people to visit your website by offering them a free gift or some information related to the topic of the podcast. You can also use a podcast as a free gift in return for a name and email address as long as your prospects find the content to be helpful to them.
7. Reports/eBooks
Reports and eBooks can be good free gifts in return for getting a lead. Ebooks are read on an e-reader or computer and they can be perceived as high quality gifts. Delivering useful and relevant information in an eBook or report can raise your status as an expert and thereby attract more leads.
Make sure your reports and eBooks contain links to the product, service or website you are promoting, and make it clear that they can be freely passed onto people who may be interested in the subject. Very popular reports can spread around the internet like wildfire, an effect known as "viral marketing".
8. Video
Another effective online lead generation method is video. YouTube, Google's video sharing website, gets millions of visits each day and many fortunes have been made from video alone.
Creating video can be quite easy using software such as Camtasia Studio. If you don't like the idea of creating your own videos you can hire a company to do it for you.
Make your videos informative, not just a sales pitch. A good use of video is to demonstrate how your product can be used to solve a specific problem or issue your prospects may have. Make sure to lead your prospect to your website by including the website address in the video.
After you have created your video get it hosted on YouTube. You can also distribute it to other video sharing sites by using a service such as Tube Mogul, which will distribute to several sites for free.
9. Email Course
Using a series of emails as a training course, also acts as a good lead generator because it is able to build trust with your prospects. The emails usually contain training materials covering a specific problem. At the end of every email you get the prospect to complete an exercise or carry out some research before moving onto the next lesson.
Any topic that can be taught step-by-step is great for this type of delivery. You need to make sure the topic is related to your product in some way and at the end of each email provide a link to the product sales web page.
Your prospects need to trust you before they will buy your products and services. An email course can build up an appropriate relationship due to the fact the emails arrive on a regular basis and are filled with really helpful information and advice. It is worth driving traffic to your website to encourage people to sign up for your course.
10. Mobile Devices
The last internet lead generation method I would like to discuss is mobile devices.
As smartphones and tablets, such as the Apple iPad, reduce in price, their numbers will increase substantially. Google has aleady stated that more people access the internet from these devices than from desktop or laptop computers. You need to make sure your website can be used from these devices.
This means making sure your business
*has a listing in Google Places (it is free)
*a mobile specific version of your website (expecting your standard website to look good on mobiles is at best a folly)
*uses HTML5 to display your video. If you don't understand what his means ask your website developer about what needs to be done on your website.
More people are accessing their social media communities whilst they are on the move, and this will only increase further as prices drop.
11. Social Media
Ok so I lied, my 11th. entry in the top 10 is not actually a lead generation method as such but, instead, should be used to make your articles, blog posts, podcasts, videos and other content reach a wider audience and potentially help to generate more leads.
Social media websites, and engaging via these sites, is now vital to businesses, and should be a mandatory part of your marketing plan. Helping your prospective customers on social media websites, engaging in conversations with them, pointing them to resources you know they are interested in, and providing your valuable content to them, is a vital part of the marketing mix.
One Lead Generation Method Should be Your Focus
Don't try to rush off and implement all 10 of these internet lead generation methods, now that you know what they are.
To be successful, I would advise you to only focus on one method at a time. Focus on your chosen method until it is working and generating leads for you, before moving onto the next. In fact, if your chosen method is really successful that may be the only method you need to employ in your business.
The problems that stop most people from following through, and making one method a success, is that they see it is quite simple to set-up each method so fall into the trap of thinking the more methods they implement, the more leads they will generate.
Whilst each method is easy to implement you need to be persistent in making each one work well for you. This is why I suggest focusing on one method at a time, getting that going, and then moving onto the next one.
You should also ensure you are tracking the results of each method, otherwise you could end up losing money. Don't give up on a method that isn't working, your tracking will show you what is going wrong so you can fix it. It would be a shame to give up on a lead generation method just because you didn't track it.
Make sure you track every step of the method from first contact to the sale. Don't make multiple changes at once as you will not be able to work out which change led to an increase or decrease in performance. You need to approach the fine tuning of each method as a logical process.
The biggest impact you can make to any of these methods is to improve the lead to sale conversion rate. Improving this by a small percentage can yield significantly more revenue without you having to generate any more traffic.
These methods allow you to generate higher quality leads for your business, leads that will more readily convert to a sale.
Make sure all of your content is aimed at helping your prospects to solve a specific problem they have. They do not want to be sold to and will not buy anything from you until you have established the trust required for a sale to happen. Always create your content with a view to answering the question "how can I help my prospects today?" if you do this the quality and number of the leads you generate will increase.
Reducing the costs of lead acquisition is no doubt important to you. By using these methods you will be able to reduce costs and increase the quality of the leads you generate. By mastering each of these proven methods you will generate a regular supply of leads and your efforts will be spread across the internet such that prospects will be approaching you for your products and services.
The 10 Lead Generation Methods Explained
I define an internet lead generation method as a proven method that works online to generate qualified leads. These methods have been used by many businesses and a lot is known about the results that can be obtained and how to get them. What's more, other people have made mistakes which you can learn and profit from much faster without having to go through the same learning curve yourself.
The best way to work with these methods is to
*choose one you may already be using but only had a moderate or poor level of success with, or one that takes your fancy
*find out how it works for other businesses and why
*apply the method to your business by copying how it is implemented by others who are successful in using it
*track the results and make changes to improve them
*move onto the next method once you are successful with the one you have chosen.
Here are the 10 effective internet lead generation methods in no particular order:
1. Pay Per Click Advertising
This method of lead generation costs money and can be very expensive if not managed properly. If you are new to internet marketing, and especially pay per click advertising, avoid this method until you are earning enough to implement it.
PPC marketing is a method where your ads appear on search engine results pages and also other websites. You pay when someone clicks on your ad and visits your website, whether you sell them anything or not. Google Adwords is the most popular pay per click advertising service, Microsoft also have a similar service.
To make PPC advertising pay you need to be good at converting leads into sales. The major advantage is that you can generate leads and be making sales in a matter of hours, so learning how to effectively manage a pay per click campaign is well worth it.
2. Lead Capture Page
This type of web page is designed to collect names, email addresses and possibly other information from anyone interested in your offer. In the past you may have completed forms like this to get a free report or some other gift. The page you visited to get this information in return for your details was a lead capture page.
Offering something of real value to your website visitors is what makes these pages a success. Your visitor has to believe the free gift will help them in some way before parting with their details. Of course, you also need to get people to the page in the first place.
3. Website
To turn your website into a lead generator you need to encourage your visitors to give you their name and email address. Offer something of real value for free that your visitors will find useful.
4. Articles
Writing articles can be a good lead generator. Make them around 300 - 500 words in length, don't try and sell anything, instead make them informative and helpful. Upload your articles to article directories and make sure you include an author bio box at the end of your article with a link to the product or service you are promoting.
Website owners often re-publish articles on their websites that they obtain from article directories. For this reason it is a good idea to write useful and informative articles. As your article is re-published you will get increasing numbers of links to your website which will potentially increase the number of visitors and therefore leads you generate.
5. Blogs
A blog is a website where you can post content without being involved in the technicalities. Search engines love fresh and relevant content which is why they frequently visit blogs or websites containing a blog.
Putting a blog on your website, or even creating your website entirely as a blog, can get your site indexed faster and attracting visitors that much sooner. Attracting visitors to your website can be made easier with a blog.
6. Podcasts
An audio recording can be made using software that may already exist on your computer, this is called a podcast. Podcasts contain informative content and may be published regularly like a radio show or magazine. If you don't want to produce your own podcast there are companies who can do it for you.
Podcasts can be distributed for free on Apple iTunes, which is now the most popular place for podcast distribution on the internet.
For a podcast to work as a lead generator you should make sure to include your website address in the audio and encourage people to visit your website by offering them a free gift or some information related to the topic of the podcast. You can also use a podcast as a free gift in return for a name and email address as long as your prospects find the content to be helpful to them.
7. Reports/eBooks
Reports and eBooks can be good free gifts in return for getting a lead. Ebooks are read on an e-reader or computer and they can be perceived as high quality gifts. Delivering useful and relevant information in an eBook or report can raise your status as an expert and thereby attract more leads.
Make sure your reports and eBooks contain links to the product, service or website you are promoting, and make it clear that they can be freely passed onto people who may be interested in the subject. Very popular reports can spread around the internet like wildfire, an effect known as "viral marketing".
8. Video
Another effective online lead generation method is video. YouTube, Google's video sharing website, gets millions of visits each day and many fortunes have been made from video alone.
Creating video can be quite easy using software such as Camtasia Studio. If you don't like the idea of creating your own videos you can hire a company to do it for you.
Make your videos informative, not just a sales pitch. A good use of video is to demonstrate how your product can be used to solve a specific problem or issue your prospects may have. Make sure to lead your prospect to your website by including the website address in the video.
After you have created your video get it hosted on YouTube. You can also distribute it to other video sharing sites by using a service such as Tube Mogul, which will distribute to several sites for free.
9. Email Course
Using a series of emails as a training course, also acts as a good lead generator because it is able to build trust with your prospects. The emails usually contain training materials covering a specific problem. At the end of every email you get the prospect to complete an exercise or carry out some research before moving onto the next lesson.
Any topic that can be taught step-by-step is great for this type of delivery. You need to make sure the topic is related to your product in some way and at the end of each email provide a link to the product sales web page.
Your prospects need to trust you before they will buy your products and services. An email course can build up an appropriate relationship due to the fact the emails arrive on a regular basis and are filled with really helpful information and advice. It is worth driving traffic to your website to encourage people to sign up for your course.
10. Mobile Devices
The last internet lead generation method I would like to discuss is mobile devices.
As smartphones and tablets, such as the Apple iPad, reduce in price, their numbers will increase substantially. Google has aleady stated that more people access the internet from these devices than from desktop or laptop computers. You need to make sure your website can be used from these devices.
This means making sure your business
*has a listing in Google Places (it is free)
*a mobile specific version of your website (expecting your standard website to look good on mobiles is at best a folly)
*uses HTML5 to display your video. If you don't understand what his means ask your website developer about what needs to be done on your website.
More people are accessing their social media communities whilst they are on the move, and this will only increase further as prices drop.
11. Social Media
Ok so I lied, my 11th. entry in the top 10 is not actually a lead generation method as such but, instead, should be used to make your articles, blog posts, podcasts, videos and other content reach a wider audience and potentially help to generate more leads.
Social media websites, and engaging via these sites, is now vital to businesses, and should be a mandatory part of your marketing plan. Helping your prospective customers on social media websites, engaging in conversations with them, pointing them to resources you know they are interested in, and providing your valuable content to them, is a vital part of the marketing mix.
One Lead Generation Method Should be Your Focus
Don't try to rush off and implement all 10 of these internet lead generation methods, now that you know what they are.
To be successful, I would advise you to only focus on one method at a time. Focus on your chosen method until it is working and generating leads for you, before moving onto the next. In fact, if your chosen method is really successful that may be the only method you need to employ in your business.
The problems that stop most people from following through, and making one method a success, is that they see it is quite simple to set-up each method so fall into the trap of thinking the more methods they implement, the more leads they will generate.
Whilst each method is easy to implement you need to be persistent in making each one work well for you. This is why I suggest focusing on one method at a time, getting that going, and then moving onto the next one.
You should also ensure you are tracking the results of each method, otherwise you could end up losing money. Don't give up on a method that isn't working, your tracking will show you what is going wrong so you can fix it. It would be a shame to give up on a lead generation method just because you didn't track it.
Make sure you track every step of the method from first contact to the sale. Don't make multiple changes at once as you will not be able to work out which change led to an increase or decrease in performance. You need to approach the fine tuning of each method as a logical process.
The biggest impact you can make to any of these methods is to improve the lead to sale conversion rate. Improving this by a small percentage can yield significantly more revenue without you having to generate any more traffic.
These methods allow you to generate higher quality leads for your business, leads that will more readily convert to a sale.
Make sure all of your content is aimed at helping your prospects to solve a specific problem they have. They do not want to be sold to and will not buy anything from you until you have established the trust required for a sale to happen. Always create your content with a view to answering the question "how can I help my prospects today?" if you do this the quality and number of the leads you generate will increase.
About the Author:
Want to find out more about internet lead generation, then visit Greg Spence's site on how to use the internet as a powerful internet marketing tool.
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