Did you know that you can boost brand awareness by 80% by using digital ads? This is just one of many lead generation strategies out there that can significantly boost your chances of getting new clients.
Without any leads, your conversions drop to zero, and your business stops growing altogether. If you want a successful business, you need to focus on generating as many leads as possible every month.
There are a lot of different lead generation strategies out there, from traditional and safe to modern and risky.
That being said, lead generation strategies are in a constant state of change, especially since they are all tailored to the industry they are in.
Below we’ll go through 20 of the best lead generation strategies we’ve used and what makes them so good for companies all over the world.
Are you trying to create different lead generation strategies but don’t know where to start? Let us help.
Our Top 20 Lead Generation Strategies This Year
This list is in no particular order. You should take all these lead generation strategies into account and use them accordingly.
Remember that most, if not all, strategies require a certain amount of time before you see any real results from them.
So, make sure to apply these lead generation strategies with that in mind.
1. Content Marketing
Content Marketing is still one of the best lead generation strategies you can use.
Why? Because it builds trust and shows your knowledge before you even ask for the sale.
But there’s a catch. You have to make high-quality content that actually aims to teach or help visitors.
This means that you will need to work on your content consistently if you want to see any meaningful results. The best content marketing campaigns focus on SEO while targeting lead magnets or deal closers.
For example, a cybersecurity company might write a 3,000-word article about “cybersecurity threats in web development” and offer a free business audit to help potential customers know what their website might be missing.
Content marketing is a great lead generation strategy that can help you work not only on your lead generation but also on your SEO at the same time.
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is the cornerstone of most digital lead generation strategies out there.
Without an SEO strategy or best practices, your website is basically invisible to the world. Working on your SEO is not optional anymore; you need to work on your SEO if you want to see a consistent stream of leads going to your website.
So what does SEO need in order to bring organic traffic to your website? There are a couple of things:
- Technical SEO: Making sure your website loads as fast as possible, is mobile-friendly, and is crawlable.
- On-Page SEO: Optimizing your titles, headers, and metadata with researched keywords that target your industry.
- Content & Topical Authority: Publishing content that is relevant to your industry signals your expertise on the topic. Even more so if you publish consistently.
For example, if you have a SaaS company that focuses on accounting and want to optimize your SEO, you can target keywords such as SaaS accounting software.
Ranking for specific keywords that are relevant to your niche will ensure your visibility whenever decision-makers are in search of these solutions.
3. Paid Search Campaigns (PPC)
While SEO is your long-term lead generation strategy, paid search advertising aims to deliver quick and immediate results. By using Google Ads, you can bid on specific keywords and appear at the top of search results. Think of it like a VIP pass to the top.
The real power of PPC is in how precise you can be with your targeting.
If done correctly, you can ensure your ads only appear for your most qualified searches.
If you have a dental clinic, for example, you can target “emergency dentist near me” since these searches come from people nearby with an immediate need.
But remember, a good ad is only the first step; your landing page should be exceptional if you want high-conversion rates.
4. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is still a great way to gain leads despite how saturated it seems at times. Organic strategies like posting articles and success stories are a great way to build a following without having to spend a dime.
Paid campaigns, on the other hand, let you hyper-target leads by focusing on what they like.
Social media is one of the most used lead generation strategies out there, but it takes a good knowledge of each platform to get proper results from it.
5. Email Marketing
Despite being used for decades, email marketing is still one of the most profitable lead generation strategies. It lets businesses nurture and keep prospects up to date over time by sending personalized content their way.
Segmentation and automation are key parts of email marketing.
While it can all be done manually, we highly encourage automation to save you hours every week. When it comes to segmentation, creating emails for each buyer behavior is preferred for the best results.
When done well, email marketing nurtures potential customers by consistently providing them ongoing value.
6. Webinars and Virtual Events
Webinars combine education with lead capture, which makes them perfect for B2B marketing. By hosting live events on a relevant topic, businesses attract potential clients eager to learn more about the topic of the virtual event and ultimately become a lead.
For example, a marketing automation company could host a webinar that focuses on how AI is transforming local SEO campaigns.
People who attend will not only gain valuable insight into AI, but they’ll learn about what that marketing automation company offers and how they provide solutions.
7. Landing Pages & Lead Magnets
PPC campaigns and SEO work are useless without a good landing page to pair with them. Landing pages are specialized for conversion.
Unlike normal homepages that serve multiple purposes, landing pages specifically focus on a single offer with one or two CTAs at most.
When paired with lead magnets such as free resources that entice visitors, you transform a landing page into an efficient lead capture machine.
Landing pages are one of the most used lead generation strategies because of their sole purpose of converting potential clients into customers as quickly as possible.
For example, a fitness brand might offer a “push-and-pull training program” as a downloadable resource in exchange for email addresses.
Explore how we improved C.A.S.E’s direct traffic by 17% with SEO in our recent case study.
8. Chatbots and Conversational Marketing
Today’s buyers expect immediate answers. Chatbots and conversational marketing tools meet this demand while also capturing potential leads. Intercom and Drift are great for qualifying visitors in real time, routing prospects to sales teams, and even scheduling demos.
Having a chatbot with complete AI integration can help you answer simple questions that a potential customer might have when going through your website. A simple answer can be all a visitor needs to complete a purchase on your website.
9. Retargeting Campaigns
Most visitors going to your website won’t convert on their visit.
That’s why using retargeting campaigns is a necessity. It keeps your brand top of mind by displaying ads to people who have already interacted with your website.
By constantly reminding them of your value, you’ll increase the likelihood of conversion.
For example, an eCommerce store could retarget visitors who abandoned their cart with ads that show the exact items they left behind. All while offering a discount code for the whole cart.
10. Use Sticky Bars and Popups
Making use of your pop-ups and sticky bars by adding persuasive copy increases the chance of converting visitors into leads no matter what page they’re on.
A sitewide sticky bar is a common lead generation strategy used by big companies such as Amazon. Pop-ups are also a fantastic option to generate leads, but beware; using pop-ups too much can annoy visitors and make them leave.
We recommend a maximum of 2 pop-ups per visitor session.
11. Referral Marketing
Referral marketing is a classic lead generation strategy that incentivizes happy customers to share your company with friends and family for discounts and special offers.
There are different things you can do with referral marketing rewards, though.
You can make it so both people get discounts or rewards. This makes it likely for both to end up buying a product to take advantage of the offer you provided them with.
You could also provide a metered tier system where each successful referral unlocks a new tier with different bonuses or prizes.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with your referral marketing campaigns.
12. Video Marketing
Video marketing is one of the go-to lead generation strategies due to how engaging video content is overall. Product demos, customer testimonials, and explainer videos can all generate leads while also educating prospects in a highly digestible format.
YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn offer massive lead generation if a video goes viral or finds the right audience.
Make sure to add a CTA in both your video and its description to make it as easy as possible for potential customers to click on it.
13. Podcasting
Podcasts can be an amazing source of lead generation if you or your company have something to say that you feel your ideal audience would want to hear about.
For example, a FinTech company’s CEO could appear on a business podcast to talk about cash flow management. They could also offer free resources or trials during the episode so listeners feel enticed to learn more about the company itself.
14. Free Trials and Freemium Modes
For SaaS companies that want more leads, free trials and freemium modes are a perfect way to get them. They allow prospects to experience the product before fully committing to it.
This is perfect since it lets a potential customer who isn’t completely sold on the product try it and see if it solves the problem they have.
Zoom is a perfect example of this lead generation strategy. Millions of users use the free version before upgrading to gain access to all the features.
15. Generate Leads on LinkedIn
While we did talk about social media marketing on this list, we think LinkedIn should get its own mention due to how intricate and effective it is for B2B lead generation. Both its paid ads as well as its filtering systems for manual search are fantastic due to how in-depth they can be.
You can find and reach potential clients by searching for specific keywords and the needs that your clients have.
16. AI and Automation
AI is slowly reshaping lead generation strategies. From predictive analytics that score leads based on behavior to chatbots that personalize conversations. It has never been easier to create a good lead generation strategy than right now.
Forward-thinking companies could also consider using different AI tools to identify intent signals through multiple channels, which ensures that sales teams prioritize the right prospects.
17. Maintain Reviews
This is an often-overlooked lead generation strategy for businesses of all sizes. By being on different platforms such as Yelp, Glassdoor, Trustpilot, and others, people can discover your company and read what others say about it.
Make sure that your company is listed on every single one of those review platforms and that you take your time creating each profile. Adding as much important information about your company is vital.
Ask existing customers to leave a review a few days after their purchase. You can make this more likely to happen by adding some sort of incentive for doing it like a gift card or a discount on their next purchase.
By having good reviews on several platforms, you build credibility and a sense of trust that will make it easier for potential customers to give your product or service a shot.
18. Behavioral Targeting
Personalizing to target a specific persona is a key part of good lead generation strategies.
With behavioral targeting, you NEED to understand your audience to produce personalized content for them.
An easy behavioral habit you can target first is their browsing habits while on your website.
What products are they looking at? Do they linger on specific products? Is there any correlation between the products they are looking at?
This is information you can use to recommend products or services that are similar to what they’ve been looking at recently. This doesn’t have to be only on your website either. You can gather the information and send them an email with recommended products or services based on what they added to their cart for example.
Behavioral targeting makes visitors feel listened to and makes it much more likely for them to turn into loyal customers after their first purchase.
19. Reuse Old Content
Have you been creating content for years now?
Perfect, then it might be time to go back to your old blog posts and social media content to reuse and revamp. This includes everything from eBooks to blog posts.
Change headlines, adjust content that might be outdated, and use high-quality images for your social media posts. If a trend completely changed that you were talking about years ago in a blog post, rewrite the article and change the title to (Updated for X year).
Old content is a goldmine of content that you can repurpose as long as you change it a bit.
20. Write Guest Posts
Writing guest posts on big websites related to your industry is one of the most impactful lead generation strategies for B2B websites out there. By creating content for other websites, you reach a broader audience by writing not only on your blog.
This lead generation strategy takes extra time and effort since you are writing a blog post and waiting for approval from the website’s editors.
That being said, when you find the perfect website to guest post on, you will see an influx of visitors coming from your guest post link alone. Most of them are already interested in what your company has to offer.
Improve Your Website’s Lead Generation With Blacksmith
After going through this list of lead generation strategies, you’re ready to put most, if not all, of these strategies into action.
But, we’ll be honest with you. Working on all these lead generation strategies takes a lot of time and effort. From setting them up to consistently working on them on a weekly basis.
This is time you could use on other aspects of your business that also need your immediate attention.
So what now?
That’s where we come in. Here at Blacksmith, we are lead generation experts with dozens of different lead generation campaigns under our belts.
As a full-service branding agency, we have a group of branding experts ready to create the perfect lead generation strategies for your company. From Google Ads campaigns to web design changes, we’ll ensure your company improves its conversion rate in no time.
Still unsure if investing in lead generation strategies is a good idea for your business? Don’t worry, click here to schedule a call with us and we’ll provide you with a free audit. This way we can show where you’re missing out on potential leads and what we can do to fix it.
