If you have a business that is suffering from the current economic downturn, you might be asking yourself, “How do I get ahead in my business with Customer Journey Mapping?”

Well, in this blog, I am going to explain how you can get ahead, and why now is the best time to take action.

Firstly, I want to point out how turbulent my world is now and that what seemed ‘normal’ last week is now uncertain. The pandemic has thrown everything up in the air. I don’t know how the pieces are going to fall or what ‘normal’ will look like in the future.

Does that sound familiar?

I want you to know that I understand how crazy this time is and that many of us feel as we are in the middle of a wash cycle in the washing machine!

So, if you are a service-based business, you will have experienced some level of change from your clients over the past month.

I have clients who are service providers, and they have had over 90% of their client revenue slashed in the last three weeks from cancellations—not pausing – cancelling. It’s a tough place for us all right now, and no doubt we are all faced with unusual and difficult situations.

Last week I ran a Live Training for a group of business owners, and polled the attendees asking them “What is the most significant issue you face right now?” The answer was –

“How do I gain market share for my product or service?”

This answer is a direct result of having all their clients drop off. It is not so much a question of how to gain market share for their existing product, but it’s more a case of how do they find a market share for their ‘evolved or pivoted’ product?

That is what the smart, adaptable businesses will be working on right now. The best approach, proven over time is to ensure the sustainability and success of their business when the market picks up again.

Is this how you are thinking too? I hope so – because then I’m talking to the right person.

By the way, this is a very different scenario from clients leaving because they don’t want your service any more, and where they may go to a competitor. What I’m focussing on today is our current worldwide crisis triggered by the ‘Covid-19 pandemic’ causing an economic downturn affecting most of the western world.

This situation is totally out of your control, and everyone in your market will be similarly affected.

So, the key is to follow a few steps to save your sanity – and your business – right now:

1. Ask yourself if your customers are no longer buying your product because of the current downturn, and any other reason?
2. Identify what your customers are saying they DO need right now
3. Consider a slightly evolved (or fully evolved) product that you can create to offer them
4. Map your new customer journey and deliver it with compassion

Let’s break these down a little bit more detail so you can see what needs to happen:

1. If your clients are cancelling on you, talk to them. Ask them why and find out what they can afford and what their exact needs are right now. Ask them if there are any situations or conditions by which they would re-consider. Just talk to them and find out everything you can.
2. Get a whiteboard and list out the things that your clients are saying that they need right now. Don’t make assumptions, and be careful not to skim over the details that seem unimportant to YOU (remember this is about your customers so, you’ve got to honour and respect everything they have said). Your goal is to list EVERYTHING out and then create a clear description of it all.
3. Look at your current product and then look at your customer’s current needs. See what the gap is? Hopefully, it is obvious to you! Most likely, there will be some level of ‘online’ involved in what they need or how you deliver it to them. Be open-minded and consider how you can evolve the product and give your customer what they need in affordable, bite-sized chunks!
4. The ‘gold’ for you lies in mapping your customer journey for your NEW product in this NEW situation, to your NEW customer need. Here’s why this will be a ‘game-changer’ for you. It will put your business ahead with customer journey mapping.

You see, now is the time for you to evolve your product, and deliver this to your customer in a compassionate and engaging way. Not fake, not rushed, not over-sold. Your customer is likely to be emotionally fragile right now and isn’t as robust and financially confident as they were a month ago! So they need you to understand them with a new level of compassion and patience.

Hence why it’s so vital for you to map your new customer journey, and to ensure your customer is engaged in the right way, with compassion, leaving them feeling understood and safe. These are uncertain times, and it’s your opportunity to show them the depth of your integrity and character.

Over all previous economic downturns, the evidence proves that the businesses that adapted flexibly to the economic conditions are those that ensured their business not only survived into the future but thrived. Also, there have been amazing innovations that have evolved out of the needs that emerged from an economic downturn.

It makes sense then to honour the customer journey and map it out in a way that focusses on the ‘new’ needs they now have.

Without that focus and level of detail, your customers will go elsewhere as they have no reason to stay with you in a market that is totally up for grabs.

I am sending out my warmest wishes to you all and hope you not only survive this difficult time but thrive.

To your ongoing success,

Aveline

If you need help with customer journey mapping, contact us here!

Webinars that convert stick to proven rules. Maybe you’ve been reluctant to try your hand at webinars. The tech setup seems overwhelming. Presenting and public speaking give you the heebie jeebies. And what if nobody signs up to watch?

Webinars tick a lot of boxes. They let you reach viewers at scale, build your authority, overcome geographic constraints and can save you time and money to boot. And they can be used to sell products, services, coaching, memberships – whatever it is that brings in revenue for your business.

It’s never been easier to tap into the power of webinars that convert than it is today. But webinars are definitely not something to rush into – failing to do the groundwork upfront will put you on the fast track to a flop. It’s not just about nailing the broadcast itself; what you do before and after is just as important. Read on to get the lowdown on how to create a webinar that converts like crazy.

What webinars that convert can do for your business

Webinars are a great way for service providers to demonstrate expertise and get in front of prospects

If you’ve been paying for ads but not getting the right kinds of qualified leads from your campaigns, webinars are an avenue worth exploring to add into the mix.

Webinars can reach people at all stages in your sales funnel. They’re great for driving traffic, increasing awareness, building an email list, generating leads and addressing objections face-to-face. No other digital channel can offer the personal touch in quite the same way.

“You’re literally building a relationship with them while they’re listening to you live and potentially interacting with them too,” says Smart Passive Income founder Pat Flynn, a pro blogger/podcaster/online entrepreneur.

What’s more, you can even use webinars as a tool for market validation.

“You get people to register for a certain webinar related to a particular topic and then you pitch them on something to see what the results are like… If you don’t ask for anything in return, they’re going to be jazzed. They’re going to be so thankful and they’re going to want to continue to open your emails and of course, you have their email at that point already because they’re registered for your webinar, which is great.”

How to choose a webinar topic

To have webinars that convert, it starts with getting your topic right. You’ve got a wealth of knowledge to draw on and you know your prospective customers could benefit from even a short group session on the fundamentals. Never forget that it’s not about you, it’s about your audience! The best webinar subject is one that’s highly relevant to your ideal client. You could survey your customer base asking what they’d like to hear more from you about. You could dive into your website analytics to get some insights about your most-viewed content. You could spend some time researching other webinars in your niche and identify an area that you could improve on if you were to host your own.

Whatever you choose, keep it focused and concise. Taking a comprehensive approach might seem like a good idea, but covering too much ground can confuse viewers and turn them off. Instead, select one idea or lesson to go deep on – one that showcases your expertise and where you can help your audience solve a related problem. Keep in mind the four Us: useful, urgent, unique and ultra-specific.

Webinars are ideal for teaching a process that you’ve had success with. If you’ve achieved something significant in your business, odds are others will be eager to hear how you pulled it off. A walk-through of your signature technique or tactic is a great subject for your first webinar that converts.

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Webinars that convert – it’s all in the name

The best titles are specific and focus on results!

Once you’ve identified your webinar topic, it’s time to work on your title. Without a compelling name, nobody will click to register, let alone tune in on the day. A great webinar title is snappy and specific; it addresses a pain point and clearly communicates the benefit of tuning in. It generates just enough intrigue to compel people to watch in order to get the answers they’re craving. If you’re asking someone to give up an hour of their day, there better be something solid in it for them in return. You must know the ultimate lead generation process too to help you create a webinar that converts!

So instead of Investing for beginners, try The proven path to wealth – a set-and-forget strategy anyone can follow.

Or instead of Reclaim your mornings, what about How to double your productivity with one simple tweak to your routine?

Tying it to the next step: the offer

You’ve landed on the perfect topic and title. But do you know what action you want your webinar attendees to take afterwards? It might be scheduling a free no-obligation call with you or booking an introductory consultation  – if you can offer a sweetener like a special price for attendees, even better.

Getting crystal clear on the service you want to pitch will help you to craft your presentation in order to position your offer as the next logical step. Whatever it may be, it should be a clear solution to the same issue that you’ll be exploring during the webinar.

Whether it’s a freebie or a paid offer, using scarcity is a great way to urge swift action. If you make it only available for the next seven days, people are more likely to take you up on your offer. 

Getting the timing right

The sweet spot for a webinar is 30-40 minutes so if you might struggle to fill that duration, rethink your subject matter! Conversely, if that sounds like too little time, consider splitting up your presentation into a multi-part series. A 15-minute session just isn’t long enough to drum up intrigue, deliver some answers, take audience questions and pitch your services. It’s going to feel like a waste of time for all involved. But just as you don’t want to rush, you don’t want your webinar to drag on, either.

Don’t forget to factor in time for a Q&A. Usually these account for about 10 minutes or so at the end of a webinar, but can obviously run longer or shorter in reality.

As to when you should host a webinar, people have been found to prefer late morning (10am or 11 am) in the middle of the week (Tuesday, although Wednesday and Thursday are also strong contenders). But what it boils down to is setting a time that works for the majority of your audience. For example, if lots of your audience hail from different time zones, think about what time would best suit for them to attend a live broadcast.

How to create a webinar – the software you need to power it all

Technology matters if you want to pull off a successful webinar.

You could start out by using Facebook Live or even YouTube Live.

However, a dedicated webinar hosting platform will have more features, from integrations with other programs such as Outlook or Slack to screen sharing, registration tracking and polling functionality. They offer better control over settings like privacy and branding, and often a more stable broadcast and higher quality audio and video.

How to create a webinar that converts

Ever attended a webinar that promised huge things and delivered none of them? One where the presenter spent all the time talking about themselves, then launched into a hard pitch without delivering any value? Don’t let that be you!

A good webinar should never be just one extended sales pitch – that’s one of the biggest mistakes people make when hosting a webinar, according to Forbes’ Erika Maguire.

“Webinars give you an opportunity to present your expertise and knowledge on a topic, and it is only after you’ve established yourself as a credible and trustworthy source that you can then present your solutions or services. By jumping straight into a product pitch, you will alienate your listeners and miss an opportunity to build a relationship with your attendees.”

By sharing great content for free, viewers are more likely to stick around to the end of your webinar – and this should naturally lead into your paid offering. Once you’ve blown them away with insights, make it a no-brainer for them to invest in your product or service as the next step to solve their pain point. Keep the 80/20 rule in mind: 80% content, 20% sales.

How to promote your webinar

Knowing how to create a webinar is one thing, but it’s just as important to nail your marketing plan. At best, about half of those who register to attend will actually turn up to your webinar on the day. Some of those signups will occur at the start of your promo period; a lot will also happen in the 24 hours immediately before. So it’s crucial to leave sufficient time to promote your webinar. Plan to start getting the word out at the very least a couple of weeks prior, if not more, in order to attract enough viewers.

Start with a landing page

The first thing you’ll need is a registration page with an opt-in form to collect details from everyone interested in coming. Some webinar platforms offer this as part of the package, or you can use a tool like Unbounce or Leadpages.

You’ll lead with your captivating webinar title and a description of what attendees will learn from it. Keep it short and sweet, focusing on the benefits for readers – bullet points can be your friend here.

Include a photo and bio introducing yourself and the experience that qualifies you to talk about this topic, and back this up with social proof if possible – testimonials that speak to your expertise.

Then, it’s time to get some traffic to this page!

Use your email list

Email never goes out of fashion

Email is likely to be your most effective channel for driving registrations. But this is not an instance where one-and-done is all it takes – it’s best to warm up your audience to the event with some drip-fed content. A  sample email sequence could go something like:

Save the date: Pique readers’ interest without giving too much away. In this teaser email, let them know you’ve got a webinar coming up, and what problem it’s going to solve for them.

Registration: More information about what the webinar will contain, and a link to sign up.

Last call: A reminder that goes out just a few hours before your webinar, reminding people of all the insanely useful content you’re going to cover off, and any bonuses on offer.

You’ve only got a few chances to grab readers’ attention, so make the most of them. Your subject line should be short and snappy but give recipients an idea of what your webinar is about. Your body copy is where you expand on the benefits of attending, and includes a large call-to-action linking to your webinar landing page. To mix up your copy, you could also refer to it as a live training or masterclass, depending on how you plan to run your webinar. And instead of the generic ‘register here’, try experimenting with CTAs like ‘save my seat’.

And your social media presence

The natural place to start is by sharing the news about your upcoming webinar on all your social media profiles. Follow these up with regular reminders as the day approaches, but mix up the content so you’re not repeating yourself verbatim with every post. It can be well worth putting some money into ads to get in front of more users, too – here’s a tutorial on setting up a campaign to promote your webinar on Facebook.

Consider branching out to guest posts

One way to get beyond your immediate circle of followers is to pitch guest posts on other websites or land interviews that allow you to spread your message wider. Just as with your webinar content, it’s vital to offer content of genuine value upfront in order to establish your credibility. Round off with a no-pressure pitch for your upcoming webinar.

Teaming up for webinars that convert

Another webinars that convert marketing tactic to consider is leveraging partnerships. Inviting a guest speaker to appear on your webinar adds another selling point and joining forces means you can benefit from marketing directly to their customer base too. A joint venture webinar packs twice the punch!

Offering an incentive

One way to boost your webinar registration rate is to provide an extra bonus for anyone who turns up. That could be a bonus download like an e-book, a recording or transcript of the webinar, or a special package offer for anyone who chooses to work with you afterwards.

How to follow up after your webinar

Once your live webinar is done and dusted, it’s easy to take that recording and offer it up to anyone who originally signed up. The replay caters to anyone who couldn’t attend after all, or anyone who did but needs further clarification on any of the content later.

But to maintain a sense of urgency, to make sures you have webinars that convert, make the replay available for a limited window of time only. Plan to take down access after a week or two.

It doesn’t take long to set up an email series for those who attended but didn’t purchase. Try offering a limited-time discount to this audience to nudge them into the next step.

Any stats you can glean from your webinar such as viewing duration are useful to note down – these kinds of metrics give you a better insight into your audience and how you can serve them more effectively.

Tips to make your webinar shine

We’ve covered off the key points on how to create a webinar. Now here are some extra pointers!

Don’t forget about design

The saying ‘death by powerpoint’ applies to webinars too

It’s surprisingly easy for viewers to forget why they signed up for the webinar and who you are. Branded slides using your colours, logo, URL or tagline are a nice way to subtly remind them; it’s also worth reiterating on one of your early slides just what people are going to get out of the presentation. With those benefits top of mind, attendees will be more likely to stick around.

In that vein, it’s wise to move through your slides at a fairly brisk pace. Linger too long and you risk losing people who weren’t paying very close attention to begin with.

Keep your slides simple and easy on the eye; where possible go with visuals over text and use bullet points liberally. Your last slide will be visible for some time as you wrap up the webinar, so this can be used to display key info about how viewers can act now to take the next step with you.

Have a practice run

To have webinars that convert, they must run like a well oiled machine. So, run as many tests as it takes until you know your material inside out and feel comfortable navigating your webinar platform. If your dry run goes smoothly, you can head into the real thing with confidence.

Q&A prep

It can be a challenge to try and anticipate what questions viewers might have for you. Or, when you’re first starting out, you might not get asked any questions at all! It pays to have a few questions up your sleeve just in case. If all you get is crickets when you segue into Q&A time, you can treat it like an FAQ instead. Explain that you’ll tackle some of the most common queries, and whip out your ready-made questions and answers.

Encourage interactions

Interaction is everything and is the secret sauce in webinars that convert. You see, it’s easy for viewers to exit as soon as their attention wanes, so to keep them engaged, think of your webinar as a conversation rather than a presentation. You know you need to leave time for questions toward the end of your webinar, but don’t restrict yourself to only taking queries at that stage. People may have forgotten what they wanted to ask by then, if they have to hold off. Webinar guru Tim Paige recommends encouraging viewers to submit questions at any point.

“It’s a best practice to ask the audience if they have any questions at several points along the way, especially when you’re about to transition to a new topic. To stay on track, simply request that they keep their questions relevant to the content you’re covering at that time – and remind them that there will be a Q&A at the end where they can ask anything at all.”

Limit the sales talk

Webinars that convert limit the sales pitches. People don’t sign up to be pitched at right off the bat. They’re coming to your webinar to learn something. Before presenting your service as a solution, establish yourself as a trusted source by teaching them something new, or you’re going to alienate viewers pretty quickly. Just like you wouldn’t bombard someone you’d just met with a long-winded business proposal, don’t do it to people at the other end of a screen either.

Log on early

As the host, you should always arrive 10-15 minutes ahead of time – enough to iron out any last-minute technical difficulties. Often, a few early birds will also sign in before kick-off time. Feel free to chat with them; in fact it would be odd if you didn’t! A little banter can break the ice, or you can use the time to ask a little about themselves and get deeper into the minds of your buyers in the process.

Enlist some help

You’ll have enough on your plate to deal with as the presenter of your webinar. An assistant can be a tremendous help on the day – taking care of any troubleshooting behind the scenes, relaying audience questions to you, even fielding basic queries that come in via the chat box that don’t warrant your full attention (like sharing the link for a resource you’ve mentioned).

Conclusion

We’ve established that webinars that convert can help you achieve massive results, whether it’s filling your pipeline with new prospects, converting leads, establishing your expertise and thought leadership, not to mention building your email list for further marketing.

Now that you know the key elements to create webinars that convert, you’re in a prime position to harness the power of webinars and turn a profit from the get go. Your first time may not be perfect, but perfection isn’t the aim – connecting with customers and helping them solve their problems is. Ultimately, that’s the gateway to webinars that convert into sales!

Clients are the lifeblood of your business, but if you stop to think about it – once upon a time, none of them even knew your name…What you need is a Lead Generation Process.

Generating leads is the first step in getting more clients and expanding your book of business. Anyone who has signalled some sort of interest in your services is a lead! Someone who signs up to receive your monthly email newsletter or download your latest e-book counts as a lead. When they next hear from you, it’s infinitely less intrusive than a random cold call. That’s great news for you, as a warm prospect is that much closer to becoming a client.

Nowadays, though, there are so many marketing tactics at your disposal. How are you meant to know which to focus on in order to drive leads? Get ready to unpack the lead generation process as we cover off the key effective marketing strategies you need to know in 2019.

The 4 Steps To A Full Appointment Book Without You Having To Chase A Client Ever Again

Know thy audience: First off, you must truly, deeply understand your customers. Not just their typical age, occupation, income, and similar demographic info – but their motivations, goals, biases, fears. Getting inside their hearts and minds is the key to learning what drives your buyers so you can deliver to those needs.

Create content that speaks to their needs:,/span> Once you’ve fleshed out your buyer personas, it’s time to get serious about crafting unique and useful content that addresses their pain points and offers an answer. You content may be in a form of a catchy blogs, informative videos, or webinars that convert!

Promote your content: Find the channels where your ideal clients hang out. Wherever they turn to in order to consume information – be there! Get this step right and you’ll be well on track to attract new leads practically on autopilot.

Capture their details in exchange for a lead magnet: Having turned your signature content into one or more gated pieces, you’re now in a position to collect contact information from every lead. In order to download the lead magnet, they’ll hand over their details, which are then all yours to use to follow up with them.

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Step 1 in the lead generation process: How to get inside your clients’ heads

Take the time to dive deep to understand your clients – there are no shortcuts!

Research is a must to inform your lead generation strategy. Without this foundation, you might as well be flying blind! Once you genuinely understand your clients through and through you can serve them to your best ability. Data underpins all the best marketing strategies, enabling you to make more informed decisions about how to communicate with potential clients and what services you offer them

Research is a must to inform your lead generation strategy. Without this foundation, you might as well be flying blind! Once you genuinely understand your clients through and through you can serve them to your best ability. Data underpins all the best marketing strategies, enabling you to make more informed decisions about how to communicate with potential clients and what services you offer them

Market research – it all starts with talking to people

The quickest way to gather data is to put together an online survey. This can be sent out to your existing client base; you could also drive traffic to it from your website and social media channels. Offering a sweetener can be a powerful incentive for completion, especially if you’re soliciting answers from strangers as opposed to current clients.

For even more qualitative insights, you can do a deep dive with one or more hands-on focus groups. This enables you to get to know your clients better and get up to speed with their challenges, as you can ask follow-up questions and see where conversations head organically.  (It also gives them a chance to learn more about you in the process and deepen the relationship in a positive way. Win-win!)

As Adele Revella, founder of a market research firm, wrote for the Content Marketing Institute: “The key to success in developing a buyer persona is asking probing questions based on your buyer’s answers. For example, if buyers tell you they chose you because your solution is easy to use, you might ask follow-up questions to understand what about the solution needed to be easy. Or you might ask about the training the buyer expects to attend before it is considered to be ‘easy’ in their mind. Another follow-up question might seek perspectives on the resources the buyer will consult, or steps they will take, to compare your solution’s ease of use to their other options.”

The results can directly inform your marketing efforts – for example, you can take verbatim phrases from the feedback you get and integrate them into your landing page copy. Using their own words is guaranteed to make for a compelling sales pitch as you know for sure that’s how your clients think and talk!

Drilling down to your target audience

Identify your target audience – who needs your services and where do you want to play? And don’t say ‘everyone’ and ‘everywhere’. The spray and pray approach just doesn’t work; you need to narrow down your audience.

Specialisation instantly simplifies the lead generation process. A clearly defined niche will be your guide in deciding which waters to fish in and how to reel in prospects

Building buyer personas to inform the lead generation process

Buyer personas are representations of customer segments based on real data. The idea is that these can be used to improve your business decision making by keeping your customers front of mind. You might feel slightly foolish making up fictional characters, but it’s a powerful method to get you into the mindset of your clients so you can come up with ways to better reach and serve them.

You probably think you know your clients inside out, but you might not know them as well as you think you do, or you might not have spent any time pondering what similarities and differences exist within this group.

For example

Consider James, a mid-career professional at a multinational with a young family. He travels a lot for work and spends most of his limited free time training for his next marathon. While the household’s day to day finances are humming along mostly on autopilot, he knows their investments could use more attention and that their wills and insurances are well overdue for an overhaul.

James is a made-up persona brought to life, but you can see how that description might help you to focus on how you could help him with his specific challenges. Too often we start by focusing on our own strengths and selling points, rather than coming at it from the perspective of what our clients need.

So how many personas do you need? Typically it’s recommended to create 3-5 different marketing personas, a number that should account for the majority of your clients but still provide enough points of difference between groups.

Priorities
What are the top three problems that chew up your clients’ time, energy and budget? For example, building a passive income stream, or scaling up their business.

Success
What does success look like to your client and how might they measure it? What tangible ($X revenue per month) or intangible (being able to sleep at night rather than worrying about finances) signals do they crave?

Pain points
What’s stopping them from achieving their goals? Things that might hold them back include lack of time or lack of another key resource.

Barriers
What objections are they likely to have to buying from you? That could be poor previous experiences with someone else in your industry, or believing they can do everything on their own. Are they concerned about committing to a long-term relationship with you and what that involves? And most importantly, how can you address these barriers to purchase?

When you know what your clients need, you can craft content that addresses their pain points!

Step 2 in the lead generation process: Creating content to generate traffic

Nurturing and converting leads isn’t necessarily a linear process. According to marketing guru John Jantsch, the lead generation process is about guiding people through a journey.

“Proper lead generation – or lead guiding – goes more like this – 1) Hey, here’s the real problem you need to address, 2) hey, here are a couple ways you might start to think about that problem, 3) hey, here’s one specific way to solve that problem and maybe, just maybe, 4) hey, here’s why we might be the right one to help you fix that problem.”

The best way to do that is with content. Not just any old content, but content that hooks people in – content that is unique, useful, digestible and actionable. This content is the engine in your lead generation process and will act as the entry point into your world for prospective clients. This is content that’s intended to drive traffic to your website. After all, without traffic you can’t generate leads!

Content for every stage of the funnel

Not everyone who comes across you is ready to convert. Someone at the beginning of their journey might be interested in learning about different productivity methods, while someone further along might be seeking a coach for accountability purposes and more intensive help.

Make sure you’re creating content that caters to every step that helps educate potential clients. All that research comes into play now; this is where those efforts really pay off! Use that deep understanding of your clients that you’ve built up in phase 1 to get started with creating content.

Another easy way to come up with ideas for new and truly helpful content is to go into your sent email folder and pull out some questions that you’ve answered for clients. Take those subjects and turn them into fodder for content – in fact, if you’ve got enough, line them up in your editorial calendar so that you’ve got the next few weeks or months covered.

Different content formats to experiment with

Content for effective marketing strategies can take many shapes and forms. Here are a few different types to play around with. You might find yourself gravitating towards short, value-packed, off-the-cuff videos straight to camera. Or you might be more comfortable crafting pithy LinkedIn posts, one useful tip at a time. Play to your strengths, but also keep tabs on the performance of your content, and double down on what’s working.

Blog posts – a must-have for any lead generation process

Videos – YouTube is the second largest search engine behind Google, while the Facebook algorithm prioritises video above all other content formats

Social media posts – to drive traffic to your website

Infographics – visuals stand out in any social media feed, and graphics are highly shareable – so if you’ve got a knack for design, let it fly

Podcasts – an increasingly popular format (podcast listening is up over 50% YOY) that’s highly engaging, as listeners tend to listen the whole way through

Why content is the cornerstone of the lead generation process

There’s no getting around the fact that it takes time to create this kind of valuable content that nurtures leads down the funnel. But investing in content creation upfront is well worth it. Doing so establishes your voice and sets you apart from the competition; it’s what helps build trust and a connection with your prospects. The more they can identify with and relate to you, the better. And if you aren’t catering for people at the start of their journey, why would they return, or think of you, when they are ready to buy?

“Focus on providing potential customers real value in the form of free tools or content before you ever ask them for anything,” says Andy Nelson of Moz, a company that famously invests a ton of time and resources into creating free content.

“When we ask customers what drew them to Moz, we often hear stories about how they learned the industry through our content and community and trust our expertise. The value we provide to potential customers increases their awareness of Moz and earns us consideration when it’s time to look for a tool. If our first interaction with someone was asking them to buy our product, it’s far more likely that we’d be treated like a commodity and judged solely based on our feature set and pricing.

“It’s amazing how far generosity can help you with your marketing success.”

Step 3 in the lead generation process: Hook in clients by going where they are

You’ve got a treasure trove of content, now how do you get eyeballs on it? There are both organic and paid techniques you can use. But your starting point should always be the question: where are my clients going for help? Where are they having conversations?

This step is about attracting new prospects on autopilot. Imagine that somebody comes across your business via one of the methods below, and then based on that decides to click or search to find out more about you – and that this happens over and over, for the months and years to come without you lifting a finger. That’s not a pipe dream, that’s a possibility and can become your own reality!

Use these channels to build solid relationships and you’ll start to generate quality leads without having to chase up clients.

LinkedIn
Groups have waxed and waned over the years, but LinkedIn has recently revamped this feature for the better. There are countless groups out there for everything under the sun, but what you should be looking for are groups where your prospects are actively posting and seeking advice. Join a few of these groups and start answering questions that fall into your area of expertise – but at this stage it’s about adding meaningfully to the conversation, not trying to sneak in a thinly disguised sales pitch.

On top of that, LinkedIn allows any user to publish content directly on its platform – a great way to get your name out there by writing about key matters in your field. Marketing expert Wendy Marx says thought leadership is one of the key ways to become a leading authority. “Look for a new take on the story. Look for ways to stand out as different from others in your industry.” And don’t be afraid to let your personality shine through or to discuss what you’ve learned from previous failures. “In this modern age, people want to follow leaders who are genuine and real – not larger than life.”

In the advertising space, LinkedIn understands the importance of lead generation for effective marketing strategies. Its Lead Gen Forms auto-populate with profile data when a user clicks on a sponsored post – that’s extra information captured for you with no extra effort.

Quora
This platform is built around questions and answers. Not surprisingly, many an expert has been discovered via the Quora website! You’ll find some questions already have multiple answers, while some have none at all. If you do chime in on a popular question ensure you have a different perspective to add, rather than repeating what everyone else has already said. On Quora, it’s a bit more acceptable to link back to your website when writing an answer.

Facebook
Facebook Groups have been growing and growing – much like LinkedIn, this represents an opportunity to join groups that your prospects belong to and build a positive reputation by getting involved and responding to queries. Some groups have regular promo threads that you can use to actively self-promote as well.

Make sure you’re using the most appropriate call-to-action button on your Facebook business page to whisk people back to your website (eg Contact Us, Sign Up or Book Now).

Facebook Ads offers a specific Lead Ad format to capture lead information, and this can be a simple way to collect potential leads at a low cost. In exchange, all you need to do is send each person who signs up something valuable, like an e-book or newsletter.

SEO and SEM

 
Maximising search traffic is a key part of the lead generation process

We can’t forget about the role that search engine optimisation and search engine marketing play in the lead generation process! People rarely look beyond the first page of search results, so the idea is to get to the number one spot so that you show up when prospects are searching for relevant keywords.

Anyone can set up an Adwords campaign and get started with paid search ads right away to drive traffic to their website. While this can be extremely cost-effective in some niches, in other industries the average cost per click is sky-high; in most cases it’s well worth hiring a specialist agency to take care of your SEM campaigns on your behalf.

SEO is a long game and results don’t come overnight, but it pays off in the long term. There are three key elements:

• Onsite SEO is about using key phrases in the content on your website to rank on Google
• Offsite SEO refers to the quantity and quality of links back to your website from elsewhere – these are an indicator of your site’s credibility on your area of expertise
• Technical SEO relates to factors like whether your site is secure, mobile-friendly and loads fast

Step 4 in the lead generation process: Captivate them and capture their details

Once a visitor lands on your website, the final step is to capitalise on their attention and obtain their contact details. And the way to do that is with another type of content – this time to generate true leads rather than merely traffic!

Effective marketing strategies typically hinge on the lead magnet: an offer which could take the form of a white paper, e-book, online course, template or tutorial. Whatever it is, it should be so insanely useful that a reader won’t hesitate to hand over a few personal details in order to gain access. You may be able to do this but a marketing consultant can maximise your efforts so try to consider consulting a marketing consultant

Optimising your website to capture leads
 
Your website needs to work hard on your behalf as part of the lead generation process!

Who doesn’t search out reviews before buying? A little social proof can go a long way. Integrate some customer testimonials into your website to build trust; it can make all the difference and tip the scales in your favour.

Keep in mind that half of your website traffic is likely to be visiting on a mobile device. Make it easy for them to navigate around – that buttons or links are easy to tap, that pop-ups are mobile-friendly and your layout is responsive across different screen sizes.

But most importantly, you’ll need to add opt-in forms for your lead magnet. A common starting point is a sign-up form in your sidebar that’s visible on every page of your website. It’s also worth embedding an opt-in form into the body of relevant posts on your blog, and potentially setting up an exit-intent form that appears when a user is about to leave your website.

Lead magnets – free digital resources that convert

Make your lead magnet irresistible and watch the leads come flowing in!

The carrot for opting in is your lead magnet – a hero piece of gated content. There’s an exchange for value that must take place. Once you’ve captured someone’s attention with your offer, they give you their email address in order to receive the freebie.

Here are some of the best content types to use as a lead magnet:

• A list or roundup of useful resources
• Checklists or templates
• Training video series
• Webinars or recordings
• E-books
• Free challenge
• Short email course
• Quizzes (with results only delivered to their email)

Regardless of format, your lead magnet should deliver a quick win for the receiver. It should solve a real and specific pain point. It should be succinct and easily digestible. And they should receive it instantly, before they forget what they originally signed up for!

And voila – a fresh lead to sink your teeth into! Now that they’ve signaled interest, you have permission to follow up with them.

Conclusion

Any professional service provider can use this lead generation process to attract new clients online. Developing solid buyer avatars enables you to create high converting content to address their pain points, which in turn drives qualified leads your way. As effective marketing strategies go, this approach will eventually build a pipeline of clients like a well-oiled machine!

Finally, don’t forget to encourage happy clients to spread the word about you; word of mouth is the best endorsement and referrals are a fantastic bonus final step in the lead generation process.

Boosting sales can be easy and you don’t have to work any harder than you do now…You don’t have to think for other creative things on how to increase your sales channel and do all sorts of marketing which in the end may not really give you sales. In fact, its more costly to attract new customers than retaining one. Studies show that,  Acquiring one new customer costs around 6-7X’s more than retaining an existing one. As such, we will be sharing with you below, discover ways on how you can boost sales without working harder!

Many small to medium size business owners are under the impression that once a sale is made, that it is the last time that they will hear from their customer.

This couldn’t be further from the truth.

At the point of sale, your job is only 50% complete.

By going the full-distance in the client lifecycle, you generate more money through repeat sales and referrals for your business.

You see, if you follow up after the sale, you are engaging with a customer who knows about your business and offerings.

They have already purchased from you, so they already like and trust you…

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