Small and large businesses alike struggle with generating leads online, yet it’s the foundation of any online business. For this reason, you need to master the lead generation funnel—and we have an idea how.
If your business is not generating qualified leads, your digital marketing efforts are as good as pointless. Traffic and customers are at the heart of any online business—and if you’re not attracting any, you need to act before your business goes under as part of the 90% of failed online startups. So, how can you generate more leads, and what’s the point of funnel anyway?
Did you know that up to 96% of people who visit your website are not ready to buy your offering? These prospects are at risk of leaking if you don’t meet their needs in the sales journey. With this in mind, a lead generation funnel aims to capture leads online and nurtures them down your marketing funnel.
The following are some useful tips to generate leads online by improving your sales funnel.
Map Out an Organization-Wide Strategy
There are many facets and players in a marketing funnel—including the management, sales team, and the marketing department. For your lead generation and nurturing efforts to bear fruit, you need the entire team working cohesively like a well-oiled machine. Set clear organization-wide goals, get everyone on the same page, and focus!
Find the Most Effective Online Lead Generation Strategies
According to statistics, most digital marketers tend to gravitate towards email marketing, event marketing, and content marketing—but they’re not the only lead generation strategies available. If your current strategies are not driving traffic into your marketing funnel, then it might be time to explore elsewhere – i.e., there’s no point in “feeding a fed horse.”
Feel free to diversify and explore different lead generation strategies—until you find one that works for your business model. But remember, “never test how deep the water is with both feet.” So, exercise caution.
Leverage the Right Tools for Your Marketing Funnel
A worker is only as good as his tools. Luckily, there are tons of tool today to optimize your marketing funnel and generate leads online. This may include communication tools to keep the entire team on the same page, marketing automation tools to reduce the hassle and improve the efficiency of digital marketing campaigns, and CRM (customer relationship management tools) to help nurture prospects.
Continually Improve to Keep Generating Leads Online
Finally, never settle! Make a habit of continually tracking, analyzing performance data, and adapting your lead generation strategies for greater efficiency. The idea is to find a strategy that delivers the best ROI (return on investment) for your business – i.e. getting rid of approaches that don’t work and focusing on those that do.
A lead generation funnel could make or break your business. For this reason, you need to dedicate enough effort, time, and other resources to improve its efficiency. Learn the best practices; what works for you, and work on ways to improve.