No matter what the nature of your business is, leads will be the bread and butter of your marketing. Leads are your inbound flecks of gold in your rusty funnel as you build and grow your customer base. Everyone knows about the main strategies to get leads and potential new customers, but what about some of the lesser known tips and tricks? Here will look at some creative ways to optimize your lead generation using strategies you’ve probably never thought of.
Choose your button content carefully
Not many people think carefully and consider their button copy. However, your button’s copy is crucial in driving action and there are some proven formulas that will guarantee success. You want to make your button copy so good that’s its enticing to click it or, hard to click ‘no’. Like this example from Copy Hackers selling an E-book on ‘Stellar copy’, they’ve made it psychologically difficult to click ‘no’ because of the copy after it that says, ‘my copy is already stellar’. Phrases like this get the user to hesitate and reconsider their choice.
Using button copy like this makes it difficult to click the ‘no’ button!
Proven and tested formulas suggest that the best way to phrase your button copy is to start by thinking the sentence “I want _____” then fill in the blank. The blank becomes your main button copy. Instead of using words like “I want” you can use the word “Get”, for example, “Get a free E-book” as everyone wants to get something.
Optimize your landing page
Landing pages are one of the most important aspects of your inbound funnel and are a delicate balance of having enough information to create intrigue but at the same time, not giving away too much until the user completes the call to action. The key is to give the visitor all the information they need to decide to click the button. Then, make the button easy to click and make sure it links directly to what the user desires. Don’t make it over complicated. You can also incorporate copy on your landing page that creates a sense of urgency and generates a fear of missing out. Put a timer on the page for how long your offer is open for or use urgency statements like ‘get 50% off now’. With every piece of copy you write, there is a proven formula, so don’t start from scratch. Instead, research proven methods such as those found in this guide here and employ them in all your marketing copy.
Get quality testimonials from your best customers
Getting a good testimonial can be difficult. We’ve all seen the ones where customer’s say, “it was great” or “awesome!” but seldom do we get a well-written review that really speaks to other potential customers. A good testimonial should; highlight the problem the customer had, detail how your product or services alleviated the problem, and then speak truthfully about the results. See, the problem is, customers don’t often write like this.
So, another option is to reach out to some of your best customers and ask if they would be happy to do a quick phone interview. You can then ask the right questions to elicit the information you need and quote the customer in a testimonial. Referrals are the most powerful marketing strategy out there so don’t waste your testimonial section with shallow customer comments that don’t speak to potential customers in the right way.
An example of some simple testimonials that speak directly to customer pain points.
Conduct your own market research and use the intel in your copy
Market research used to be a painful and expensive business. However, now with technology and the internet, it’s super simple to do your own research. You simply need to read customer reviews about products or services you’re selling. Use sites like Amazon, eBay and Trip Advisor to read what customers are saying about their good and bad experiences. You then use that information in your copy to call out what you know customers love as well as handle objections about whatever customers may be complaining about.
For example, say you’re selling camping tents. You get on Amazon and see that people are complaining about similar models being ‘difficult to set up’ and ‘leaking in the rain’. Some things they say are good about the tens is they love it because it’s lightweight and has good ventilation. You then use all that in your advertising copy by selling your tent as ‘Super easy to set up, won’t leak on you, light weight with excellent ventilation’. By doing this, you’re already speaking in the customer’s words and your message will resonate with them, build confidence and drive sales. It also means you don’t have to write copy from scratch!
Reviews on sites like Amazon are full of incredibly useful intel to use in your advertising copy.
Leave spam for the can
Don’t use the word spam on your landing pages. Studies have shown that just by including the word ‘spam’, even in a positive context’ such as ‘we will never spam you’, still reminds users of spam and affects conversion rates. That’s right! There you are, trying to do the right thing and protect people from evil, annoying spam and instead, you’re actually damaging your leads.
Studies show that this is, in fact, the case so, you need to make sure you’re not even bringing the notion of spam into the user’s mind. Instead, use phrases such as “we protect your privacy”.
Don’t use the word ‘spam’ on your landing pages. It only negatively reminds people or receiving email spam.
Use emotion
We all know that emotion can drive sales… it’s no big secret. However, when people talk about B2B sales, they tend to believe that logic is more important. Any sales training you do, will tell you that all business owners or decision makers are logical/mathematical and respond to research and reason only so, avoid the ‘fluff’. This is not true. As humans, we’re emotional beings. Even if we say we’re not and we’re sure that we make all decisions based on logic and reasoning, it’s simply not the case. Of course, you need to include logic and numbers that sell, however, start with tapping into your prospects emotion and then back it up with reasoning. B2B buyers are human after all and have more at stake than consumers so start with an emotional hook!
As we can see, there are some hidden gems of marketing that are seldom considered when planning strategy. So, use these tips to your advantage. Don’t make life difficult by writing all your copy from scratch. Instead use researched, proven formulas combined with market research to speak the customer’s language. Keep it simple, appeal to emotion, leverage your referrals and watch the sales roll on in! Good luck!