4 Ways to Generate Leads Online with Inbound Marketing

Welcome to my home, may I offer you some sea salt-flecked dark chocolate truffles or this otherworldly 2009 Merlot? I happen to know that you favor luxurious sweets and dignified wines, so I made sure to have some in stock. In case you think we’ve gone off our rockers, let me explain the picture that I’m painting. Everyone likes to feel taken-care-of and understood. When you visit a friend, a restaurant, and yes, even a website, you want to feel like you’re right where you’re supposed to be. Can we agree on that? Good! Now you understand the basic concept behind Inbound Marketing and how to generate leads online.

Older methods of marketing, which we’ll refer to as Outbound Marketing, assume that each customer is looking for basically the same thing and is open to obtaining it from a business that is casting a very wide marketing net. This train of thought birthed banner ads, billboards, TV commercials, and expensive sponsorships. Guess what? They weren’t nearly as effective as populations grew. Competition exploded, and buying options significantly increased.

What has worked then, you ask? In today’s over-saturated marketplace, the key to staying afloat is setting yourself apart. Also ensuring that your customers know that you have their best interests at heart. There are many ways to make your customers feel at home with your brand; let’s look at a few helpful techniques to generate leads online.

increase leads online

increase leads online

First Thing’s First, Don’t Ignore SEO

One mistake that many organizations make is to go all Field of Dreams and say, “If we build it they will come.” That is yet another example of the old way of thinking, and it just won’t cut it in today’s marketplace. Even with the most beautiful website and compelling content on the planet, none of it will matter if the masses can’t find it. Most internet users begin their online queries with a search engine. Where they land is ultimately the result of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). We won’t talk your ear off about this, but some highly effective ways to up your SEO game is to design websites responsively. You can also curate a specific list of keywords, and incorporate body text links that match the needs of your ideal consumers.

increase leads online

Build Your Social Media Space

What is social media if not a portal used to get as much information to as many people as possible at all hours of the day and night worldwide? It sounds a bit daunting when we put it that way. So it’s no surprise that many organizations are not taking advantage of this form of client interaction as much as they should. What if your message is too strong, too bold, or even too weak? Who has the time to craft the perfect tweet or post when there is real work to be done? Wrong. Social media is the playground for today’s office-bound consumers, and play equals fun. You want to position yourself to take a bite out of that market, believe us. Maintaining a strong social media presence is one way to gain potential consumers’ trust and interest. Start by building a presence in forums where your customers spend most of their time. Before you know it you’ll be enjoying a fertile garden of active leads!

increase leads online

Blog Like It’s Your Job (and It Should Be)

One way to ensure that your social media posts will feel relevant and valuable is to set a schedule for weekly blogging and to stick to it. Blogging may seem like a time suck, but remember blog posts are excellent click-bait! They can be weekly newsletters and mailings, and they can also be cross-posted to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and specific forums that your users frequent. Relevant blog posts that are educational and thought-provoking will speak loud and clear to consumers!

increase leads online

Create Beautiful Pages

Give yourself a digital facelift by designing pages responsively. Responsive websites can evoke the intended reaction from your consumer base and enhance your virtual storefront. Many studies have shown that strategic use of color and image positioning on websites works to draw the eye to specific information. Appealing visuals will also retain interested visitors longer. Keeping content hierarchy in mind will also up your SEO ante! Search crawlers prefer to see faster load times and prioritized key content.

We hope that you’ve learned a thing or two about Inbound Marketing and how to generate leads online. The successful theory says attracting new consumers hinges on creating content that will naturally draw them to your brand.

Roll up your sleeves and create and optimize the content most valuable to your customers. Then roll out your welcome mat and invite your customers to come view it. We hope this will help you make many new friends and generate leads online (customers).

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