Inbound Lead Generation: 7 Strategies for Your Online Store
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2024 5:59 am
If you run an online store, you are always on the lookout for more customers, so you need to know the best lead generation strategies to expand your customer base.
This blog will explain the seven best lead generation strategies and how to apply them to your business. The idea is to add value to your customers’ lives through a blog post, video, or podcast. In return, the prospect gives you their email address, which converts them into a lead. You can then use their email address to make direct sales or send marketing content.
1. Study online customer behavior
If you know how customers use the internet, you can look for potential customers in the right places.According to Qiigo89% of consumers use search engines to conduct product research, so your online store should optimize its SEO strategy to increase lead generation through product reviews and product pages.
Another statistic to note is that 72% of customers trust online reviews and personal recommendations equally, so adding reviews to your product pages is an excellent way to generate inbound leads.
Qiigo also found that 78% of consumer purchasing decisions are based on companies’ social media posts. Having a solid social media presence and equipping it with tools to collect contact information for lead generation is a must for your business.
Another requirement is to have a good online experience, which is important to 91% of customers, so make sure your online store gives value to the customer.
So how exactly do you study your customer's online behavior? You can useheatmap toolsto see which parts of your online store your customers visit most often, where they drop off, and where they take action.
Heatmaps are a great way to get a visual representation of where your best leads are on your online store, so be sure to use them in your lead generation strategy.
Founder of Farnam Fibers Flexible Suit
Source:Hotjar
This screenshot shows a heatmap of click frequency; the box is blue, indicating that part of the website is not ideal for lead generation.
Other valuable tools for studying online behavior include:A/B testing toolsand customer session replay tools. A/B testing tools allow you to test changes on your site by giving the test subject a choice between two lead generation strategies. Customer session replay allows you to see exactly how your customers are using your online store, giving you great lead generation insights.
2. Write quality blog posts
By Business 2 Community, writing high-quality blogs helps generate 97% more links to the website, and you can convert those links into leads. However, you can only convert links into leads if the blogs are engaging, informative, relevant, and rank high on Google SERPs, so make sure your blogs are high-quality and SEO-optimized. You also need a mechanism to collect contact information for potential leads, such as a contact form or a giveaway.
One tip for writing high-quality blogs that generate inbound leads is,CTAs. A good call to action will compel your potential customer to take action immediately. Placing the call to action towards the end of the blog is a good idea that will drive traffic to your store. However, you can also determine the location of the CTA according to your blog design. For example, in this CTA Every night's blog It is also placed in a high-converting sticky sidebar.
Another tip for generating leads using blogs is time-delayed pop-ups. If your blog is high-quality, the reader will likely engage with a time-delayed pop-up and become a lead. Make sure the delay is long enough for the reader to engage with the blog and find value.
But remember, your focus should remain on creating quality content that informs. If you are struggling with writing your blogs and need helpwrite better,Rest assured that there are many resources available to help you.
It’s also important to increase your blog’s followers as it has the potential to generate leads. A good blog will not only bring traffic to your site, it will also increase your credibility and establish your brand as a thought leader in the industry.
3. Create video content
If you want to generate leadscreating video content,It goes without saying that video needs to be relevant and high-quality. So what kind of video content should you create? Good ideas for videos include video testimonials of previous customer experiences with products, product overview videos, case studies of long-term benefits, and introductory videos with the business founder.
But no matter which style you choose, the video should have an in-video contact list of vietnam cell phone numbers form to gather specific information from viewers and convert them into leads. Depending on your needs, the form may ask for the user’s email address or multiple data points, but it should look clean and modern. Using a multi-step format to break down questions will also help prevent user fatigue and give your leads insight into their progress.
It’s also important to consider when the contact form is presented. For longer videos or premium content, it can be advantageous to present the contact form right away. However, for a shorter video, it may be better to have the form appear after the ‘hook’ in the content. Placing the contact form at the end is not ideal, as many users will abandon the watch before it’s finished.
It’s also important to optimize video content for the platform. An optimized video will play better, look better on the platform, and actually work . Don’t let all your hard work go to waste with suboptimal video content delivery.
4. Value user-generated content
User-generated content is content created by users, such as feedback, experiences, opinions, product reviews, and testimonials. Content created in this way is used to provide the brand withsocial proofthat their product or service is of high quality. If customers are reassured, they are more likely to participate in lead generation strategies. Valuing the content that leads create also makes users feel more valued. When users feel valued, they are more likely to engage.
However, user-generated content needs to be well integrated into your online store. Placing content on the homepage or product pages is usually the best way to do this, but it depends on your situation.
For example, men’s grooming brand Meridian displays star ratings for its products below the product name. Most customers simply look at the product images and star rating before clicking “add to cart,” but these ratings don’t just appear out of thin air. They’re generated using customer testimonials, which you can scroll down to read.
Meridian’s marketing team also responds directly to every comment, demonstrating the value they place on user-generated content as an engagement tool.
5. Be proactive in live chat
A way to capture potential customerslive chatis greeting customers with an automated message. A popular message is ‘Hello, how can I help you?’ A friendly greeting encourages the customer to interact with your store. When a customer interacts,live chatthe operator can take over and assist the customer. Once the customer is dealt with, their contact information can be requested and they can be converted into a lead.
Alternatively, you can add an email opt-in box to your pre-chat required information. Requesting an email immediately means more customers become leads, but the success rate is lower than higher quality strategies.
Acase studyResearch from an online store that sells printed plastic cards showed that the company saved thousands on lead generation using live chat. Since implementing live chat, the store has saved approximately $12,800 per month in lead generation and advertising costs. Live chat has been shown to increase customer engagement through automatic pop-up messages. Live chat is also much faster than traditional communication methods like email and phone calls.
6. Build a strong email list
Email is a great way to generate leads. With a dynamic newsletter or email promotion and distribution system, you can target the right prospects and deliver content directly to their inbox. Once the content is delivered to their inbox, the recipient can fill out the attached contact form and become a qualified lead.
But to do this, you need to build a strong email list. Offering an incentive in exchange for an email (known as a lead magnet) is a great way to do it.build a strong email list. The right incentive depends on your online store, so you need to know your customers. For example, B2B customers are more receptive to free informational content like case studies or e-books.
A well-designed landing page that adds value is a great way to attract email signups. A good landing page includes:
A specific title
A picture or video
Bullet points explaining the benefits
Call to action with email sign-up mechanism
Social proof of the benefit of your email list
Make sure your email content aligns with the content on the landing page.
7. Start a podcast
Podcasts are a great way to generate leads for your online store; we'll take a lookcase studyto see exactly how it's done. Mind Pump is a health and fitness company that sells online workout programs. They started a podcast called Mind Pump that entertains and gives advice on health and fitness.
After gaining a large fan base by releasing a large number of episodes and conclusions, they began directing podcast fans to their free online guide. The free guides can be downloaded by entering a name and email address, and fans can be converted into leads.
This blog will explain the seven best lead generation strategies and how to apply them to your business. The idea is to add value to your customers’ lives through a blog post, video, or podcast. In return, the prospect gives you their email address, which converts them into a lead. You can then use their email address to make direct sales or send marketing content.
1. Study online customer behavior
If you know how customers use the internet, you can look for potential customers in the right places.According to Qiigo89% of consumers use search engines to conduct product research, so your online store should optimize its SEO strategy to increase lead generation through product reviews and product pages.
Another statistic to note is that 72% of customers trust online reviews and personal recommendations equally, so adding reviews to your product pages is an excellent way to generate inbound leads.
Qiigo also found that 78% of consumer purchasing decisions are based on companies’ social media posts. Having a solid social media presence and equipping it with tools to collect contact information for lead generation is a must for your business.
Another requirement is to have a good online experience, which is important to 91% of customers, so make sure your online store gives value to the customer.
So how exactly do you study your customer's online behavior? You can useheatmap toolsto see which parts of your online store your customers visit most often, where they drop off, and where they take action.
Heatmaps are a great way to get a visual representation of where your best leads are on your online store, so be sure to use them in your lead generation strategy.
Founder of Farnam Fibers Flexible Suit
Source:Hotjar
This screenshot shows a heatmap of click frequency; the box is blue, indicating that part of the website is not ideal for lead generation.
Other valuable tools for studying online behavior include:A/B testing toolsand customer session replay tools. A/B testing tools allow you to test changes on your site by giving the test subject a choice between two lead generation strategies. Customer session replay allows you to see exactly how your customers are using your online store, giving you great lead generation insights.
2. Write quality blog posts
By Business 2 Community, writing high-quality blogs helps generate 97% more links to the website, and you can convert those links into leads. However, you can only convert links into leads if the blogs are engaging, informative, relevant, and rank high on Google SERPs, so make sure your blogs are high-quality and SEO-optimized. You also need a mechanism to collect contact information for potential leads, such as a contact form or a giveaway.
One tip for writing high-quality blogs that generate inbound leads is,CTAs. A good call to action will compel your potential customer to take action immediately. Placing the call to action towards the end of the blog is a good idea that will drive traffic to your store. However, you can also determine the location of the CTA according to your blog design. For example, in this CTA Every night's blog It is also placed in a high-converting sticky sidebar.
Another tip for generating leads using blogs is time-delayed pop-ups. If your blog is high-quality, the reader will likely engage with a time-delayed pop-up and become a lead. Make sure the delay is long enough for the reader to engage with the blog and find value.
But remember, your focus should remain on creating quality content that informs. If you are struggling with writing your blogs and need helpwrite better,Rest assured that there are many resources available to help you.
It’s also important to increase your blog’s followers as it has the potential to generate leads. A good blog will not only bring traffic to your site, it will also increase your credibility and establish your brand as a thought leader in the industry.
3. Create video content
If you want to generate leadscreating video content,It goes without saying that video needs to be relevant and high-quality. So what kind of video content should you create? Good ideas for videos include video testimonials of previous customer experiences with products, product overview videos, case studies of long-term benefits, and introductory videos with the business founder.
But no matter which style you choose, the video should have an in-video contact list of vietnam cell phone numbers form to gather specific information from viewers and convert them into leads. Depending on your needs, the form may ask for the user’s email address or multiple data points, but it should look clean and modern. Using a multi-step format to break down questions will also help prevent user fatigue and give your leads insight into their progress.
It’s also important to consider when the contact form is presented. For longer videos or premium content, it can be advantageous to present the contact form right away. However, for a shorter video, it may be better to have the form appear after the ‘hook’ in the content. Placing the contact form at the end is not ideal, as many users will abandon the watch before it’s finished.
It’s also important to optimize video content for the platform. An optimized video will play better, look better on the platform, and actually work . Don’t let all your hard work go to waste with suboptimal video content delivery.
4. Value user-generated content
User-generated content is content created by users, such as feedback, experiences, opinions, product reviews, and testimonials. Content created in this way is used to provide the brand withsocial proofthat their product or service is of high quality. If customers are reassured, they are more likely to participate in lead generation strategies. Valuing the content that leads create also makes users feel more valued. When users feel valued, they are more likely to engage.
However, user-generated content needs to be well integrated into your online store. Placing content on the homepage or product pages is usually the best way to do this, but it depends on your situation.
For example, men’s grooming brand Meridian displays star ratings for its products below the product name. Most customers simply look at the product images and star rating before clicking “add to cart,” but these ratings don’t just appear out of thin air. They’re generated using customer testimonials, which you can scroll down to read.
Meridian’s marketing team also responds directly to every comment, demonstrating the value they place on user-generated content as an engagement tool.
5. Be proactive in live chat
A way to capture potential customerslive chatis greeting customers with an automated message. A popular message is ‘Hello, how can I help you?’ A friendly greeting encourages the customer to interact with your store. When a customer interacts,live chatthe operator can take over and assist the customer. Once the customer is dealt with, their contact information can be requested and they can be converted into a lead.
Alternatively, you can add an email opt-in box to your pre-chat required information. Requesting an email immediately means more customers become leads, but the success rate is lower than higher quality strategies.
Acase studyResearch from an online store that sells printed plastic cards showed that the company saved thousands on lead generation using live chat. Since implementing live chat, the store has saved approximately $12,800 per month in lead generation and advertising costs. Live chat has been shown to increase customer engagement through automatic pop-up messages. Live chat is also much faster than traditional communication methods like email and phone calls.
6. Build a strong email list
Email is a great way to generate leads. With a dynamic newsletter or email promotion and distribution system, you can target the right prospects and deliver content directly to their inbox. Once the content is delivered to their inbox, the recipient can fill out the attached contact form and become a qualified lead.
But to do this, you need to build a strong email list. Offering an incentive in exchange for an email (known as a lead magnet) is a great way to do it.build a strong email list. The right incentive depends on your online store, so you need to know your customers. For example, B2B customers are more receptive to free informational content like case studies or e-books.
A well-designed landing page that adds value is a great way to attract email signups. A good landing page includes:
A specific title
A picture or video
Bullet points explaining the benefits
Call to action with email sign-up mechanism
Social proof of the benefit of your email list
Make sure your email content aligns with the content on the landing page.
7. Start a podcast
Podcasts are a great way to generate leads for your online store; we'll take a lookcase studyto see exactly how it's done. Mind Pump is a health and fitness company that sells online workout programs. They started a podcast called Mind Pump that entertains and gives advice on health and fitness.
After gaining a large fan base by releasing a large number of episodes and conclusions, they began directing podcast fans to their free online guide. The free guides can be downloaded by entering a name and email address, and fans can be converted into leads.