“Leads are the metric that, as marketers, we rely on. Because leads mean money.” - KIPP BODNAR, HubSpot
A successful lead generation engine keeps your sales funnel full of prospects Surprisingly, only 1 in 10 marketers
feel their lead generation campaigns are effective What gives?
In this guide, we will expose the 7 tips marketers should utilize to increase leads and revenue These
tactics have been tested over the past 7 years and have been used by our 8 000 customers to generate more than
9 8 million leads last year
So, what goes into a best of class lead generation engine? First, let’s investigate the mechanics of high performing
lead generation campaigns.
CREATING IRRESISTIBLE OFFERS
When an offer is exclusive , scarce , or in high demand , it becomes more desirable. Whether they are whitepapers,
sales promotions, or exclusive lots, these irresistible elements can overcome a lead’s typical friction, doubt, or
concern.
Why do these elements work? Because they trigger a physiological reaction that makes an offer more valuable.
People need to perceive the value of your offer to be greater than what you’re asking for in return. The higher the
perception of value, the more irresistible the offer. So, how do you create irresistible offers? Glad you asked.
Tip #1 - The Element of Scarcity
When supply is limited, demand goes up. Scarcity has a psychological influence on us, making us want something even more if there isn’t enough to go around. Scarcity is great because it creates a fear of shortage, and thus a sense of urgency.
Limited Time Offers
Think about your average home builder. Practically offering is a limited time deal. “Free basement development between October and November!”
Limited Quantity Offers
When something is of limited quantity, it suddenly becomes more unique or exclusive. It’s hard to tell when an offer of limited quantity will suddenly become unavailable, so it creates the urge to act quickly.
Limited Time & Limited Quantity
Groupon is the perfect example of using both tactics. All Groupon deals end within a certain time frame, and they limit the number of people who can buy it. That’s a powerful combination. The site also packages these scarcity tactics with discounting, which is another great value add, especially for ecommerce businesses.
Tip #2 - The Bandwagon Effect
It’s a natural tendency for humans to copy one another, even without realizing it
we like to be a part of tribes and social communities. So, when we notice our social circle is doing one thing, we tend to follow suit. One great way to make an offer more valuable is to show that other people are participating in that offer.
Proof in Numbers
When possible, a great way to indicate how awesome an offer
is to mention the number of people who have purchased.
Tip #3 - Newsjacking
After Prince William and Kate Middleton got married in April of 2011, no one could stop talking about Kate’s wedding
dress. Within hours after the wedding, vendors began making near identical copies or similar styles of the Stella
McCartney designed dress. Even vendors such as David’s Bridal now have a “Royal” category so you can dress “just
like Kate.”
When something is buzz worthy, it creates high demand. In situations like this, you can align
offers with “what’s hot.” Companies will often leverage newsjacking for this type of technique and it works very well for offers, too.
Tip #4 - Amazing Titles
People do indeed judge books by their covers. If your offer is a piece of content, put effort into creating an amazing
title.
An A/B test was run to see which of the following ebook titles would perform better. The original title “
Choosing the right community for you ”was tested against 10 questions to ask a home builder".
As you can see, the revised version outperformed the original by 776% at generating leads. If you’re struggling to come up with the perfect headline, try using this Headline Analyzer Tool
Tip #5 - Create Offers For Different Buying Stages
The most common offer I see on most websites is “Contact Us.” Sure, you want all your prospects to talk to sales, but
not everyone is ready. As you know, buyers are more likely to do their own research before even engaging with a sales
rep. And, every prospect is at a different stage of exploration. Some may need more education than others. That’s why
it’s important to develop different offers at different buying cycles.
Someone at the top of the buying cycle may be more interested in an informational piece like home designs or
community vision, whereas someone more committed at the bottom of the cycle might be more interested in a free
design consultation. You don’t need to pick and choose; create offers for each phase, and include a primary and
secondary CTA (Call to Action) to these offers on various pages throughout your site.
Tip #6 - Avoid Jargon and Gobbledygook
These are terms and phrases that have been over
used and abused rendering them meaningless (you’ll find them
mostly in the real estate industry, but everyone is an offender at one point or another). These words are meant to add more emphasis of a particular subject but instead they make your eyes roll.
Terms to Avoid:
- Timeless
- Unique
- Quality
- High end
- Dream kitchen
- The perfect home
- Up and coming
- Boasts
- Luxury
- Walking distance
When you write, write for your prospects, not for your peers.
To learn more, download The Gobbledygook Manifesto ebook by David Meerman Scott
Tip #7 - Use High Value Offer Formats
Not all offers are created equal. Some formats perform better than others at converting leads. For example, what’s
more valuable, a whitepaper or an ebook?
Below are the type of offers, in order of performance, that consistently generate the most leads:
- Ebooks or Guides
- Templates or Presentations
- Research & Reports
- Whitepapers
- Kits (multiple offers packaged together)
- Live Webinars
- On demand Videos
- Blog (including offers in the nav or sidebar)
- Blog posts (if there is a CTA in the post)
- Middleof the funnel offers: Demo Requests, Contact
- Sales, RFP, etc. (more sales ready offers)
It’s important to test different types of offers with your audience to determine what works for you.
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