Recent statistics have shown that we are hit with over 3000 marketing messages a day and incredibly 5000 messages if you live in London. But how many of those do you actually remember after an hour, let alone the next day?
So how do you stand out from the crowd when attracting potential customers?
I’m sure that if you ask any member of your sales team they will tell you that sales are just a game of numbers. If you make more calls and get more meetings, you will make more sales.This method of lead generation is fine but very expensive, time consuming and really only generates cold leads. What if there was a method of lead generation that not only brings leads in, but also warm leads! Inbound Marketing does this!
Inbound marketing follows a similar philosophy, except that instead of making hundreds of calls to generate cold leads, inbound marketing generates website visits and page views that brings your sales team warm leads which have already been qualified, and in most cases are ready to buy.
The biggest reason why inbound marketing is so successful in generating more sales leads is the simple fact that people now hate being sold to, and bombarded with sales messages!
Consumers want to learn and have all the information available in front of them before contacting a business or making their buying decisions.
Inbound marketing helps businesses speak to potential leads by offering people free information, methods of solving their problems and supplying them with valuable information, by writing blog articles and providing solutions to problems.
"According to Google, buyers consume an average of 14 pieces of online content before making a buying decision” - says Kathleen Booth, owner and CEO, Quintain Marketing
Writing content and articles that are targeted to your specific customer’s interests, with valuable information which is helpful to your readers, will increase its potential for customers to want to read it and share it with others on social media.
“57% of companies with a blog have generated a lead from it”. @HubSpot
The key to successful lead generation using content, is to avoid selling. By offering prospects helpful information in the form of blogs, whitepapers, ebooks, webinars, case studies or demos, you can win their trust and then their business.
Linking your blogs and content to your website is the most successful way of ensuring that you keep the customers full attention. By having helpful information in the form of whitepapers, eBooks, webinars, case studies or demos on your website, you are able to make sure that the prospect feels that you are the solution to their problem.
When a website is designed to capture leads with Landing Pages and simple Forms that work with your content, it adds value. Unlike a brochure or sales website with no interaction. Developing trust with a potential customer creates more positive contact.
Landing pages and simple forms also provide you with valuable information on your customers. By providing something interesting and valuable for them, they will be much happier to part with their information which is vital for you and your sales team. What sales executive wouldn’t want to have a name, job title, business name, email and interests before they have even picked up the phone?
I’m sure that if your sales team had all of this information on a prospect they would be a lot more confident in closing the sale.
Current sales lead generation requires you to try to successfully interrupt people from what they are doing, and due to the big shift in technology used in business, getting people’s attention is becoming ever harder.
Inbound marketing is different. Instead of trying to interrupt people, an inbound marketing focused business becomes what people are interested in, and generates trust and positive sales leads.
Article by Dale Bonser