It’s no secret that building a list and generating leads is the most important thing you can do for your business. One internet marketing expert has even gone so far as to say that the first thing you should focus on is getting 1000 subscribers on your list.
Once you have those first 1000 subscribers, then you can actually start making offers and getting sales. You can do it with a smaller list – I have one list of about 100 people that I get sales from pretty consistently – but if you have a bigger list, you have more people to put your content and your offers in front of.
But, you need to have a strategy for how you're going to get those leads and turn them into subscribers and customers.
Here are seven strategies you can use to generate more leads and get more subscribers.
Strategy #1 –
Create Lead Magnets
Lead magnets are one of my favorite ways to generate subscribers for my various newsletters and mailing lists. Also known as opt-in freebies or “ethical bribes”, lead magnets give you way to share information with your audience in exchange for an email address.
There are several types of products you can offer as lead magnets. Checklists work well, as do short reports, workbooks, and templates. Anything that you can offer your audience that they find useful and will take action on.
Recommended Resource
White Label Perks offers done-for-you lead magnets in the self-help, business, and wellness niches.
Strategy #2 –
Use Content Upgrades
Content upgrades are another favorite lead generation tool of mine. The difference between a content upgrade and a lead magnet is that the upgrade is extra content that goes with the content the reader is consuming at that moment.
For example, if you are writing about weight loss and you have a post that talks about the benefits of a low carb diet a good content upgrade would be a five-day low-carb meal plan. Then once they subscribe to your list, you will be able to share more meal plans or tell them about your monthly meal planning membership.
Strategy #3 –
Optimize Your Landing Pages
Your landing pages are the best place to attract subscribers to your list. But, if it’s not done right, then you will lose your chance to get those people on your list.
A good landing page will eliminate distractions and make a compelling offer to your audience. It should talk about the benefits of your product or service, use images or video to explain your offer, and include testimonials if you have them.
The other thing you want to make sure of with an optimized landing page is that you have ONE call to action and that your offer is focused on ONE segment of your audience. That means if you have different segments that your offer appeals to, you should have a separate landing page optimized for each one.
Strategy #4 –
Use Paid Advertising
Paid advertising is a great way to generate leads. Facebook ads are very inexpensive and a great way to promote to just the right audience. When you have a strong offer, don’t be afraid to test advertising. Try five or ten dollars a day and if that provides a good ROI, keep going and even increase it.
Strategy #5 –
Build an Affiliate Program
If you sell products, you can have your own affiliate marketing set-up using software such as aMember.com or JVZoo.com to start your own affiliate program. Create and host contests and giveaways for your affiliates to help them promote your products and build your customer list.
Strategy #6 –
Network, Network, Network
It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut and in hermit mode, especially if you’re the least bit introverted. But don’t let that stop you. Networking is such a powerful tool that you should be making time for it every single day.
Network with your colleagues and your audience. Network online and in person. Find ways to follow up and get the people you meet subscribed to your list. But be careful how you go about this. The one thing you don’t want to do is collect business cards at a networking event and then go home and add those people to your list.
A better way to follow up with the people you meet would be to contact each one individually. Send them a link to a blog post with relevant information in it. If you have content upgrades built into your post, chances are good that they’ll subscribe to your list to get the extra information.
Strategy #7 –
Joint Venture With Others
A joint venture is another great way to get more leads. Choose a partner that serves your audience with a complementary product or service to work on a project together. When you both promote to your lists, you’ll have some crossover and sharing of information that will help you get more leads.
Final Thoughts
These strategies for lead generation will work for pretty much everyone regardless of what market you are in. Choose the one that resonates best with you, and work at that one until you start seeing results. Then you can add another. If you try to do them all at once you’ll end up burning out both yourself and your list.
What's your favorite method for generating leads? Share in the comments below...
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Hi Ruth,
It is true that lead generation is the crux of the exercise of online marketing. Online marketing being a long drawn process has several stages and it all begins with leads. Therefore it is justified that we give it sufficient attention.
Your article gives very practical advice that lead generation takes patience and we should start with that one method which we find most suitable. Trying everything all at once can become counterproductive.
Thanks for sharing the useful tips with us. Have a great day!
-Naveen
Hi Naveen, you are so right. Trying everything all at once can lead to overwhelm and a complete shutdown if you’re not careful. Definitely not the way to a productive business!
Hi Ruth
Great strategies! They are really going to be helpful.
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Sonal! Glad you found them helpful. :)