In order for lead generation to be truly effective for both B2B and B2C companies, there has to be a strong focus on buyer personas (ideal customer profiles) and how they move through the buyer’s journey (sales cycle). It’s crucial to get prospects into your sales funnel early, so you can engage and nurture your leads as they transition through the phases of your company’s buyer’s journey.
However, these efforts can only be successful if you can reliably and consistently add members of your target audience to your lead database. To help accomplish that, here are five lead generation tips for your building materials company to maximize its marketing success.
1. Focus On High-Converting Tactics
The most important part of a successful lead generation campaign is to prioritize it as your marketing goal. So-called vanity metrics like the total reach of your marketing efforts or clicks to your website only matter if they actually result in lead conversions. If they don't, you need to focus on tactics with a better chance of conversion.
For example, you may advertise your building materials digitally on both Facebook and LinkedIn to prospective buyers. LinkedIn may give you the bigger reach, but if Facebook offers higher conversion rates, it makes sense to prioritize your efforts there. Tools like Google Analytics allow you to track the conversion success of your individual marketing tactics in conjunction with the metrics available on social channels.
2. Offer Relevant, Gated Content
If a potential client gets to your website, what do they see? If you don't offer clear roads toward becoming a lead, you need to adjust your website. And the most important part of that road is content your audience wants to see or read.
Ideally, this content should consist of long-form white papers or ebooks that are relevant to your audience's industry. For example, you may want to create an informational sheet comparing the various materials that interior designers can use when drawing up spatial concepts. If it's good enough, gating this content behind a signup form allows you to encourage any interior designer interested in the topic to enter your database as a lead.
3. Clearly Explain Benefits Of Becoming A Lead
Speaking of which: to become a lead, your potential clients need to know what's in it for them. Online users act according to the Rule of Reciprocity, and will only be willing to give you their contact information if they get something valuable in return. As mentioned earlier, gated content can be part of that value proposition, but only if they know what they get before signing up.
For you, that means explaining the content (and any other reason your audience may want to become a lead, such as receiving a monthly newsletter) clearly on your landing pages. Let them know what's in it for them, and if they are interested, they will return the favor by giving you their contact information.
4. Take Advantage Of Social Proof
Even if you clearly outline the benefits of becoming a lead, your audience likely knows that you have a self-serving agenda. To strengthen your message, add social proof in the form of client testimonials, expert opinions, and case studies to your landing pages.
Sticking with the example above, you may offer a variety of materials to interior designers. A quote from a designer client who has worked with multiple materials in the past about their experience can go a long way toward convincing others like them to take the first step toward becoming a customer. Social proof works, and taking advantage of the concept can significantly impact your lead conversions.
5. Evaluate And Adjust
Finally, never assume that you have developed the perfect lead generation strategy. Audiences and behaviors change constantly, and incremental adjustments to your marketing efforts can ultimately drive up your conversion rates. Consistent A/B testing, along with a continuous evaluation of the conversion power of your individual marketing efforts, will help improve and optimize your lead generation efforts.
Using these five tactics, your building materials company can generate a steady supply of leads ready to be nurtured. Of course, lead generation is only the first step toward growing your business. But getting leads in your database is crucial for any subsequent marketing efforts, and the above steps can help you get there. To learn more about lead generation, and how it can benefit your building materials company and brand, contact us.
