XMind

An introduction to Lead Generation

1. Author

   1. Kipp Bodnar

   2. an Inbound Marketing Strategist

   3. co-author of The B2B Social Media Book

      Become a Marketing Superstar by Generating Leads with Blogging, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Email, and More (John Wiley & Sons), the definitive guide for B2B marketers who want to master social media and drive leads.

2. For whom?

   1. Introductory

      Introductory content is for marketers who are new to the subject. This content typically includes step-by-step instructions on how to get started with this aspect of inbound marketing and learn its fundamentals. After reading it, you will be able to execute basic marketing tactics related to the topic.

   2. Intermediate

      Intermediate content is for marketers who are familiar with the subject but have only basic experience in executing strategies and tactics on the topic. This content typically covers the fundamentals and moves on to reveal more complex functions and examples. After reading it, you will feel comfortable leading projects with this aspect of inbound marketing.

   3. Advanced

      Advanced content is for marketers who are, or want to be, experts on the subject. In it, we walk you through advanced features of this aspect of inbound marketing and help you develop complete mastery of the subject. After reading it, you will feel ready not only to execute strategies and tactics, but also to teach others how to be successful.

3. Content

   1. CHAPTER 1, Defining a lead

      1. A lead is a person who has indicated interest in your company’s product or service

      2. Online, a lead is traditionally defined as a person that completes a landing page.

         Landing page a webpage with a form through which a person supplies contact and business information in exchange for free information provided by a company, such as an ebook, webinar, product consultation, or product demo.

      3. only email does not make them a lead for your business. Instead, view that person as a contact.

      4. Communicate with Sales team to make sure what are the key information of customer for sales and markerting, email, phone number, address, or others?

      5. The mechanics of Inbound lead generation

         1. Good points

            1. Save sales/markerers millions time

            2. let customer feel better when getting prior service

         2. Three crucial things making inbound lead generation happen

            1. Landing Pages

               one distinct purpose: lead generation Collect visitors' information

            2. Offer

               some sort of content or product that is of enough value for a person to provide contact information in exchange Traditional lead generation offers include: ebooks, whitepapers, webinars, free consultations, and product demonstrations.

            3. Call-to-Action (CTA)

               an image or button that links directly to a landing page

            1. Useless, if no one see

   2. CHAPTER 2, A guide to generating leads with your website

      1. TRAFFIC to landing page

         1. Home Page

         2. Product Pages

         3. Blog

      2. Lead generation best practices

         1. Improve Position of Call-to-Action

         2. Be more Clear about What you're Offering in CTA

         3. Use Image, not just Text

         4. Use Colors that Contrast with Site Color Scheme

         5. Make CTA a Hyperlink to the Corresponding Landing Page

         6. Place CTAs on the Most Relevant Pages

            CTAs shouldn’t be one size fits all. If your company offers various products or services, you may want to consider creating a different offer for each of them. Then you can place CTAs linking to each offer on the website pages that are most relevant to that offer.

         7. Add CTAs to Each Blog Post

            Whenever you create a new blog post, choose an offer that’s most relevant to the content of the post. Then add a call-to-action to the bottom of that blog post linking to the landing page for that offer. Informational offers such as ebooks, guides, and webinars do very well in this space, because people reading your blog likely be eager to get more free information from you.

         8. Match Headline of Landing Page to the Corresponding CTA

            Keep your messaging consistent on both your CTA and the headline of the landing page. If people click on a link for a free offer and then find out there’s a catch on the landing page, you’ll instantly lose their trust. Similarly, if the headline reads differently than the CTA, it might lead to confusion, and the visitor might wonder if the CTA is linked to the wrong page.

         9. Be More Clear About What You’re Offering on Landing Pages

            This is the biggest mistake I see in landing pages. People often try to be too clever or witty in the headline, and it’s not clear what the offer actually is. Again, if you’re giving away a free guide, say “Download our FREE Guide to Improving X”. Plain and simple.

         10. Improve the Form Position

         11. Keep the Form as Simple as Possible

             “Simple” does not always mean “short.” What you ask for on a form should match the information your sales team needs from your leads to make the sale. For top of the buying cycle folks at the beginning of their research process, name and email address might suffice. For more committed prospects at the bottom of the buying cycle, you might want to ask for some qualifiers like job title or city/state, and perhaps ask for a phone number. Just try not to ask for more than what’s necessary.

         12. Use Images to Show Off What You’re Offering

             Your landing page doesn’t have to be a visual masterpiece, but it should show what your offer is all about. If your business is something a bit more abstract, just take a screenshot of your guide/whitepaper/eBook/etc. and add the image to your landing page. You can use freeware like Jing to easily capture and save screenshots.

         13. Keep the Text Concise and Easy to Scan

             Be brief and to the point; it’s in the offer itself where you give more information. In addition to your headline, include a brief paragraph explaining what the offer is, followed by a few bullet points outlining the benefits of the offer.

         14. Emphasize the Benefits of the Offer

             Make it clear in your brief paragraph and/or bullet points what the benefits of the offer are. It’s more than just listing what the offer is comprised of; it takes a bit of spin. Instead of “Includes specifications of product XYZ,” say something like “Find out how XYZ can increase productivity by 50%.” In other words, convey the value of your offer clearly and effectively.

         15. Remove Links and Navigation to Maintain Focus

         16. Create a Thank You Page that Keeps New Leads on the Site

             When creating a thank you page, not only can you bring back the navigation, but you can provide other links to keep the lead engaged. You can include calls-toaction to the next step in the buying cycle, link to your blog, encourage them to follow you on Twitter, ask them to subscribe to your newsletter, and more. You can do a lot more with your thank you pages than just adding tracking code!

         17. Make Sure Your Offers are Compelling

             Your landing page should always be able to answer the question: “What’s in it for me?” Things like pricing brochures, specs, and self-promotional videos are not compelling offers, because they do not provide enough value to answer that question. Informational items like whitepapers, guides, and webinars are compelling offers because they do. See the difference?

         18. Link Back to Your Site in Your Offer

             Although lead nurturing is a very powerful tool, you should provide a way for your leads to find you again besides email, especially if they are more inclined to ignore email from people they don’t know. If they enjoyed your whitepaper (which is full of remarkable content, so of course they did!), make it easy for them to remember where they got the whitepaper from by linking to your site on your cover page.

         19. Create Offers for Each Phase of the Buying Cycle

         20. Be More Clear About What You’re Offering With Email Copy

   3. CHAPTER 3, Don't waste leads

      1. Lead generation isn’t the end goal. Generating revenue is the end goal.

         As a marketer, your work doesn’t stop the second that a lead hits the submit button.

      2. Job of Markerter

         1. Ensure the lead makes it to sales team quickly

         2. Aid the sales team in converting that lead into a customer

   4. CONCLUSION, Conclusion and Additional resources

      1. Lead Generation Rocks!

      2. The basics are just the beginning.