By Aashish Sharma

61% of marketers say that generating quality business leads is their biggest challenge. This shows that all businesses need to spend a lot of energy to attract prospects. To make things a bit easier, it’s important to be clear about some simple but proven marketing tactics — these 12 techniques are essential if you want to know how to attract customers more effectively.

This blog looks at ways to attract a group of prospects or customers potentially interested in your product or service. It is important to properly qualify your business leads good correspondence to your business, the potential for transformation into prospects or, in other words, the serious leads that are worthwhile to provide sales efforts.

Let’s dive into the techniques that will turn your business into a lead generation machine:

Direct Marketing: personally, contact your potential client

The Direct Marketing is a technique used to communicate directly with prospects, e.g. IM, during a call or e-mail, or in person. A direct marketing message almost always involves a specific call to action, intended to trigger a direct response from your target. These responses can range from clicking a link to subscribe to calling a phone number or visiting a website. A strong call for action might even prompt the target to buy a product directly. A direct marketing message can be the first point of contact that prospects have with your brand

A) Know that some people feel this form of marketing as intrusive and painful. As you often contact your prospects without having an appointment, adapt your communication and highlight what are the benefits for them.

A well-targeted direct marketing campaign always has great benefits, as it allows you to:

B) Ability to contact targets that are difficult to reach otherwise

Example: Older generations are not very engaged in digital, but they might be interested in your offer if you call them.

C) Test the attractiveness of your product or service because potential customers must respond immediately

Example: You have designed a new product, but you are not sure how people will react. Why not call a test audience and see how they react, before going ahead and throwing it out?

D) Achieve clear and measurable results

Example: You can very easily evaluate the impact of your direct marketing campaign. If you sent a direct email to 100 prospects inviting them to download your catalog for free, and 20 of them did, it gives you a 20% positive response rate. You can then qualify them and feed them to sign the deal later … knowing exactly how many leads have become customers. Very handy for easily measuring success and calculating the cost of acquiring new customers that results from this campaign.

1. Cold Solicitation: to convince your prospects in real-time conversations

Skip unsolicited calls to potential customers, or “ cold calling”, was one of the favorite techniques before, but its popularity declined. This is understandable because calling people can be tiring and tedious if they have never heard of your company before — and they might not be super interested.

This does not mean that this form of telemarketing is always a bad idea. Having real-time conversations with potential customers can play an important role in convincing them. And if you target your efforts on decision makers, you greatly increase your chances of convincing them.

Focus on clear, targeted audiences with a well-prepared script, and compare statistics about your business (number and duration of your calls), quality (how many decision makers did you reach, how many leads do you have) qualified?) and the conversion rate (how many demos or purchases have followed the call?) to find out if this is a technique in which you should invest. You can buy call lists for this, or build them yourself, for example via events or online searches.

2. Direct Mailing: Make sure your target audience sees your messages

Direct mailing, whether sent by e-mail or mail, can also be a valuable technique if you want to target a specific audience effectively. Make people aware of your brand or catch their attention with creative and interesting messages. For example, top executives may be important prospects for your business, but they do not have much time to browse the web for information. Make sure they do not miss out on your content and send them a direct email with information that you have compiled specifically for them.

Direct marketing: advantages and disadvantages

The reasons why direct marketing is a popular marketing tactic are clear: it allows for personal contact, helps you reach an audience that might be hard to reach otherwise, and provides you with exact figures about who you’ve called or contacted via your mailing.

However, calling or sending a mailing to all these prospects in a personalized way takes a lot of time. And sometimes your efforts are not even appreciated, because not everybody likes to be contacted unexpectedly, or finds that your messages are a little too urgent.

Do not worry: direct marketing is always a valuable tactic, especially when combined with other marketing techniques. And best of all, you can easily do it yourself without any outside help.

Inbound Marketing: distribute interesting content to attract the attention of your customers

We have already indicated that if you contact prospects through direct marketing, you should share valuable content with them … But the content is what, exactly?

The content is presenting information to an audience that can be shared in different formats. There are many possibilities: in addition to e-mails you can write blogs, ebooks or product catalogs, create videos and more.

Content plays a key role in inbound marketing. By broadcasting informative, educational or entertaining content, you create a real relationship with your audience. Providing content to your potential customers helps them find what they need and shows that your business is trustworthy. Without speaking to them directly, you help your prospects assess their situation, find a solution and make a decision.

With inbound marketing, you give potential customers the exact information they are looking for. Perfect for buyers who like to find out carefully before (or even without) a face-to-face conversation.

3. Content: the basic component of all your marketing actions

According to Forrester, for each content sent by a marketer or a salesperson, buyers read three others elsewhere. The buyers’ self-information is real, and our environment exposes us to a lot of content. It’s your job to be heard despite the noise, to find new ways for prospects to find you and to provide them with the information they are looking for.

Keep in mind that content is the core component of all your marketing campaigns, from e-mail to social networks. High-quality content can help you break into information overload on the Internet, and help you earn the trust of your prospects.

You already know that you can create content in a wide variety of formats … But where to post it once you’ve created it? Well, your website is one of the most important places to publish exclusive content. This might seem a bit controversial, but you should even do it for free.

Your content is the first step to attract visitors. Now it’s time to think about turning them into prospects. Your content may be free, but that does not mean you should not get something out of it: what if you asked them for their contact information?

Using web forms to upload your content offering is a great way to gather information about prospects. Why not offer them to subscribe to your blog? A blog can bring a lot of value to your website because it keeps your readers interested and, hopefully, will make them come back for more. Moreover, quality written content also plays an important role in improving your natural search engine ranking …

4. SEO: Attract prospects by sleeping

SEO (“SEO” for Search Engine Optimization) is the set of actions that improve your ranking on search engines. Suppose you sell office supplies — it would be great if people found your website by typing “buy office supplies” as search.

People use search engines all the time, especially Google. With SEO, you make sure that the content you create matches what people are looking for.

The more your website is optimized, the higher it will be ranked high on the search engine results page or “SERPs” (Search Engine Page Ranks). And that’s what you want because it will greatly increase the chances of finding you and clicking on a link pointing to your site.

If you’re looking to optimize your website, try to increase its relevance and authority, because Google values ​​informative content and benefits web pages that use the same vocabulary as your target customers and answer any questions they may have.

->To put it simply, relevance refers to the ability to answer your audience’s question. For example, the associated search terms at the bottom of a page might give you an indication of what your customers are looking for. Google will give your website a higher score if you can provide clear answers to searches.

->Authority is measured by the number and quality of links from other web pages — what you can do first by creating relevant content, or secondly by having guest experts contribute to your blog (“guest blogging “).

Imagine that you sell a wide range of pools. When people are considering this type of purchase, they may be looking for different alternatives. A blog about the differences between concrete, vinyl-clad and fiberglass pools could answer some of their questions and therefore increase your relevance.

Some of your suppliers also find your blog very useful, so they put a link to your website. When a landscaper notices it, he suggests that you work together. You write content that they will post on their website, which will put their visitors in touch with your business. These links to your website will increase your authority and help you reach a new audience.

Choose to invest in SEO if you want:

->Obtain consistent results. It takes a while to appear on the first page of the search engine, but once you are there, you will enjoy a significant increase in traffic.

->Create an authoritative website. This is a well-established resource or website to which one turns for a particular niche. An authoritative website will drive traffic to your page in a sustainable way, and help your business build its reputation until you’re popular enough to dominate the market — which is only possible with smart content and good SEO planning.

Increase the value of your website and get more search traffic because you appear higher in the search engine.

Inbound Marketing: Pros and Cons

The SEO efforts you provide have a long-term impact and they cost you almost nothing — as long as you do not account for the resources you spend to optimize and create your content. All of this might sound a little awesome at first, so it’s a good idea to contact an expert to guide you through the basic steps. Many external agencies and freelancers can optimize your website or create effective SEO content.

You cannot ignore the fact that everyone is online, so you have to be too. People are also actively looking for information, so you should provide it to them. Through inbound marketing and SEO, your business becomes a respected thought leader and source of information. It also makes your website easier to find. If your prospects are aware of your existence, they are no longer surprised when you contact them, so it’s a great idea to attract prospects online and then follow-up by contacting them personally.

Paid online advertising: to reach a more targeted audience faster

Online ads are a great way to reach more of your target audience and find leads. Let’s take a look at some of the most common techniques.

5. Online Advertising & Retargeting: Focus on Your Target Market

Online advertisements are ads on websites. They look like classic magazine ads, but with one important difference: you are fully aware of the results. It is possible to follow the ads online: who clicked on it? What were the demographic characteristics of those interested? The more you know about your target, the better you can customize your ads.

Online advertising is useful for targeting audiences with different demographics or behavioral characteristics. For example, if your business is active in different cities across the country, it might be interesting to target only people who live in these locations. You can also choose where you want to make your ads visible: choose an online publishing space where your prospects spend time. Imagine selling cars: you would like your banner to appear on a website that compares the price of cars.

If you do not know which websites visit the prospects you are targeting, or if you want to distribute your paid shares, taking advantage of retargeting ads can be a good idea. These ads follow visitors to your website via a cookie and then reappear on other sites they visit. These reminders about your business help bring prospects to your website once they are ready to make a decision.

6. Search Engine Advertising (“SEA”): pay per click to get high quality leads right away

You may have already noticed that when you have something, the first hits on Google are ads. Pay-Per-Click advertising (PPC) is a form of Search Engine Advertising (SEA) that shows ads in the search engine. Advertisers bid on keyword their keyword list. For example, if you were a plumber, you’d try to use keywords like ‘plumbing’, ‘boiler repair’ or ‘repining’. The advertiser only country when someone clicks on the displayed ad.

Paid Online Advertising: Pros and Cons

Use the PPC technique to attract prospects if you want to:

->Get immediate results and speed up traffic in a short period of time, such as product launches or seasonal promotions.

->Generate highly targeted traffic. The PPC also allows you to reduce the number of your prospects based on their demographic characteristics. This means that you define which prospects have an interest in seeing your ads, which leads to high-quality leads.

->Try new things. Spend the field with new products or new offers and learn more about how people respond by spending a reduced budget. If you notice that your idea works, go further and create a campaign on your different marketing channels.

When we talk about search engine advertising, everything revolves around Google. Use their video tutorials to set up a campaign yourself, or consult an expert. If paid advertising is one of the main marketing tactics you use, it can cost you a lot. Instead, it’s best to use it for small-scale testing, or as a complement to your other marketing tactics.

Social Networks: combine community animation and lead generation

66% of marketers notice a positive evolution of their lead generation by spending only 6 hours a week on social networks. It’s time to create an account, be visible and active by regularly posting content, and respond to questions and expressions of interest. Even putting a “like” on someone’s post or commenting on their photos helps users remember your brand.

7. LinkedIn: Do you make new relationships to sell more

Finding a prospect through LinkedIn can be very simple, but also take time. Examine the connection suggestions made to you and evaluate whether they match your offer. LinkedIn also offers a large number of groups. Join a group of professionals who might be interested in your business and send them a login request.

Talk to them once they have accepted the connection and use the right sales techniques to close a deal. It’s easy — if you take the time to follow up and keep track of your connection requests and messages.

If you are willing to pay to get some new prospects, you could also use LinkedIn ads. The optional Lead Collection feature redirects members who click on your ads to your landing page, where they can fill out a contact request. It’s very easy for the user, and it helps you build a list of prospects very quickly.

8. Facebook: reach people close to your target audience

Facebook also helps you to generate more leads on social networks. For example, use the ability to get a direct link to your website. The platform also allows you to subscribe to a newsletter directly on the network, so you can quickly get contact details of visitors interested in your newsletter.

When it comes to advertising, Facebook offers simple ways to reach your target audiences.

->Custom Audiences: The first method is to download a list of emails and match the emails to users. You have now created a custom audience for your ads. Custom audiences are made up of people who have taken an action that you have specified, such as going to your website or downloading your app. They are often used to track current users

->Similar audiences: You can also create a similar audience from a list of customer emails, which creates an audience of people similar to your current customer database. There are many ways you can build your database, like hiring someone for B2B data service, having opt-in forms, collect data from sales department. In other words, you use the demographics of your customers to reach a wider group of people who might be interested in your services. A similar audience is useful if you want to size your ads and find a lot of new leads.

Social networks: advantages and disadvantages

The wider your reach on social media, the more prospects you will attract without spending anything. Rome was not built in a day, nor your LinkedIn and Facebook account. Be active and post attractive content to collect more likes and comments. This will increase your chances that new audiences will see your content in their newsfeed.

When it comes to attracting a large number of potential customers, paid options such as “LinkedIn Lead Collection” or “Facebook Ads” will generate more leads. It is wise to use them as a tactic that complements your other marketing actions. Of course, you should be present on social networks, because they are not only valuable to attract or convince a prospect, but also to please your customers and keep them informed.

Email Marketing: so, your potential customers keep your brand in mind

E-mail should be one of your main forms of communication because it helps you stay in touch with your audience. Create targeted messages to send relevant content to your potential customers and keep them in mind. And why not segment your different types of audiences and send them custom content?

An automated and generic e-mail is another easy way to find out who’s interested in your business or who does not, simply by asking your prospects. Give them the opportunity to respond easily to your message (for example by clicking on a call-to-action button or subscription form) and use this opportunity to compile a list of prospects you should call a day. To know more see this article– how to build a targeted email list

Want to know more about email marketing? We have listed a whole set of techniques to turn your prospects into customers — check them out here.

Marketing by e-mail: advantages and disadvantages

Email marketing is inexpensive. You do not need expensive software or hardware and you do not have to waste time sending emails to all your customers separately. Instead, you can standardize your communication for segmented groups of prospects.

It is also very easy to follow the results. With minimal tracking, you know which emails have been received, which people have unsubscribed, the open rate (people who opened your email) and the clickthrough rate (people who opened your email and click on the link that is included).

Remember that people see a lot of content every day. If your prospects receive a lot of emails, how are you going to stand out? Think about what you want to send and who you will send it to. Using original object titles could already help increase your open rate. Adapt each campaign to a specific target audience and send people content that interests them if you want e-mail marketing to work for you.

Affiliate Marketing: Let Other Businesses Help You Sell

In affiliate marketing, someone recommends your product. Whenever a purchase is made on the basis of this recommendation, the ambassador receives a reward. In its most traditional forms, affiliate marketing is established through partnerships. Every time your partner sends you a new client, he receives a commission. The most modern affiliate marketing is placing banners and URLs on partner sites.

By using a tracking URL, you can keep a perfect overview of all the traffic and sales you generate through different promotional techniques. Affiliate marketing is similar to Google’s online advertising (Display Network), but the difference is that you build the partnerships yourself, instead of having to choose from Google’s criteria.

Affiliate Marketing: Pros and Cons

It takes time and energy to establish reliable affiliate partnerships with third parties, especially if you take into account the discussions to agree on the commission amounts and set-up fees. In addition, the commissions come naturally nibble a piece of your profit margin.

But if you do it right, affiliate marketing increases the visibility of your products and services and is a good way to get additional sources of income.

11. Referral Programs: Use Word of Mouth to Acquire New Clients

Testimonials and shared experiences from satisfied customers are a great way to attract potential customers in a cost-effective way. People like to have social proof and concrete results. Word of mouth is also inexpensive: satisfied customers are often more than willing to promote your business for free.

Consider who you are targeting and what similar customers you have. Approach these clients and ask them directly for a recommendation or think of incentives that would encourage them to do so. Ask them for a recommendation when they have just had a really positive experience with your customer support or give a high score to your business … or simply approach your most loyal customers. Make it easy for them to give you a recommendation: do not make them write long letters but a short and pleasant message that they can share.

Referral marketing is a bit similar to affiliate marketing, where partner sites and magazines look after your ads and promote your business. The important difference is that a referral program invests in ambassadors who can recommend your brand to friends and family — Word of mouth may be the oldest marketing channel in the world, but it is still valuable.

Recommendation programs: advantages and disadvantages

Recommendation marketing helps you reduce the length of your sales cycle. People you contact through a referral program will rarely be interested, as cold prospects might be, and calling hot leads helps you save money.

But do not be too urgent. Let people decide if they want to recommend your business. Even a satisfied customer might not want to, because recommending a brand is a big problem for some people because it affects their reputation.

Just set up a referral program, and let people come to you. Do not try to make as many transactions as possible, but appreciate the recommendations you receive.

12. Event Marketing: to convince your potential customers face to face

Since there is no better form of advertising than sharing the experience of a satisfied customer, why not try to please them at an event? This is the perfect opportunity to promote what your brand represents, to show some of the solutions you provide and to build personal relationships with participants. With personal contact, it’s easier to turn potential customers into serious prospects, while conveying the key ideas of your business and increasing brand awareness.

Event marketing: advantages and disadvantages

Events require a lot of time and energy. They are hard work and often come back to sacrifice evenings and weekends. You need to make a lot of effort, but it can pay: have the opportunity to have serious conversations, to meet people who otherwise might never have heard of your company … The good one’s Events are worth it as you invest time — to get out!

Are you ready to attract your potential customers?

None of these techniques represent a guaranteed entry card to an infinite flow of prospects but, if you combine them, they can significantly improve the number of your prospects. Try to find a balance between online and offline actions, personal contact and digital messaging, optimization and creation. Test different things, integrate and apply marketing techniques that will help you attract many quality prospects.

By Aashish Sharma

Sourced from Hackernoon