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The 2014 Global Digital Statistics, Stats & Facts report indicate that there are approximately 2.5 billion people online. Just imagine tapping into this incredibly large market. Capturing merely a fraction of such a tremendous source of customers may lead to considerable profits for your brand, products, and/or services.
How can you tap into this huge global market? The answer is Online Lead Generation. This is now the age where cold sales calling and elaborate sales team efforts are slowly ebbing away into the past. What business owners need now to tap into this bountiful market are effective digital marketing tools specifically designed for maximum lead generation results. There are many tools of these kinds available for businesses to use. However, business owners should select which lead generation technique will cater to their unique business needs and circumstances.
Digital Marketing Philippines takes you through this journey of exploring lead generation ideas that were specifically tested and proven to deliver results. These ideas will guide you in making your ultimate goal of increasing sales and revenues through effective online lead generation techniques. Here are the top 5 most effective online lead generation ideas, in no particular order, as Digital and Internet Marketing experts recommended.
The infographic (click to zoom):
1. Online Lead Generation by Website Optimization
Your website and/or landing page lie at the central hub for conducting an online business and is where most of the sales transactions will like take action. The results of a LinkedIn B2B Technology Community survey conducted among more than 800 B2B marketers indicate that website optimization for better lead acquisition is among the top 3 effective lead generation ideas.
Experts from the Brainrider Knowledge Marketing Group showcase some websites that were already optimized for lead generation. Don’t expect to have good lead generation if your website has not yet been updated or optimized for the last 3 years according to Brainrider who recommends the following best practices for optimizing your websites and landing for better lead generation:
2. Online Lead Generation by Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization is still the primary lead generation strategy used by top digital marketers according to several reports including the State of Digital Marketing Report from online marketing expert Webmarketing123. This survey included more than 500 online marketers in the US, with SEO garnering the biggest impact on lead generation for both B2B and B2C markets.
SEO is ideal for generating leads particularly through organic web searches that consumers use every day. Good ranking in search results means higher visibility for your websites and landing pages, generating lots of leads in the process. There are several SEO techniques that you can choose from but content marketing should be your primary focus in SEO.
The 2014 B2B Content Marketing Research by the Content Marketing Institute highlighted that 93% of digital marketers will make use of SEO and content marketing as a primary tool for 2014. Running SEO together with content marketing is a good strategy according to these experts in preparation for future changes in search engine algorithms that may occur. For these experts, the link building strategies done in the past won’t cut it anymore. 92% percent believe that creating really good content is the way to generate better leads through SEO.
3. Online Lead Generation through Pay-per-Click (PPC) Advertising
Pay-Per-Click advertising is still alive and strong, helping businesses generate a great deal of highly targeted traffic that has the most probability of lead conversion. If your business is new in the digital marketing arena, then PPC is your ideal launching point, quickly generating good results and the shortest possible time. The 2013 State of Paid Search Report highlighted that up to 72% of digital marketers find PPC advertising is very effective in lead generation and plans to increase their budget in 2014 for PPC ads.
Google Adwords still stands at the forefront of PPC advertising, as indicated in the diagram above from the 2013 State of Paid Search Report. While many people frown on paid advertising as a digital marketing tool, these experts believe that PPC ads are still a very viable and high-quality resource for generating valuable leads. New businesses can quickly generate their much-needed leads using PPC ads. Veteran digital marketers will continue to make use of this important tool for generating good results that will push them towards their goals.
4. Online Lead Generation through Social Media
Social media is undoubtedly one of the most effective sources for lead generation and the 1.8 billion users of social networks definitely won’t lie, as the 2014 Global Digital Statistics, Stats and Facts reported. Their report also indicated that more than 135 million users of the top social networks were added in 2012, with Facebook jumping to an astounding 1.184 billion active users.
Social media is a very important channel not only in engaging or connecting with your targeted audiences, but it has evolved into a new digital marketing culture that has a strong influence on consumers’ buying behavior. Studies from industry experts like Forbes indicate that up to two-thirds of the top sales experts in the world categorize social media as an important lead generation and sales channel.
Chadwick Martin Bailey, another expert market research firm, reported that up to 51 percent of Facebook users and 67 percent of Twitter fanatics will most likely purchase recommendations from brands they are a fan of, or follow. Such is the impact of social media on lead generation and sales. Industry experts like eMarketer, in their report on the US Social Network Ad Revenues 2012-2015, expect revenues to go up exponentially in the coming years.
5. Online Lead Generation by Email Marketing
Email marketing is not dead and is definitely one of the most effective lead generation tools. Digital marketing experts, iContact, reported that even though email is an old internet marketing tool, many marketers still use email heavily on a daily basis (see the graph below). The report states that email marketing still delivers a good deal for your investment, averaging a $44 ROI for every dollar spent, if you use and execute proper email marketing techniques.
The report also indicated that email can still influence a consumer's buying behavior in a world where too much information floods every available online channel they have their hands on. The report states that up to 83% of consumers will most likely spend more during their shopping or purchases if they get good information about brands, products or services through email. From this list of consumers, orders were actually 44% larger while others would make online purchases 28% more often.
Lead generation is still at the heart and soul of doing business. This fact applies both to online and traditional methods of generating prospects that eventually can be converted into paying customers. There are so many ways available to generate valuable leads online. Making use of these time-proven and expert-recommended ways of generating leads online should put your business at the forefront of making headway and generating favorable results from your digital marketing efforts.
Digital Marketing Philippines, is committed to providing you with valuable tools for Internet Marketing success. They have outlined the Top 5 most effective channels among these myriad ways for online lead generation. Business owners and digital marketers must still choose, test, and validate which of these tools will fit perfectly well with their business niche. The key here is to start using these tools now, generate more leads than you can handle and reach your digital marketing goals for this year, and beyond.
Thank you to author: Jomer Gregorio, "Top 5 Most Effective Online Lead Generation Ideas According to Experts"
Edited and contributed by Rix Robinson
