Turning Web Pages into Lead Generation Tools
By Jonathan Kranz
Okay, so just about every company has a website, many of them quite elaborate. Now many businesses are asking me how they can generate more leads from them. Or thinking of the same issue from another angle, how to create web content that gets people to make that first call or e-mail contact. Here a few things you should consider:
Make offers
That’s the single biggest secret to generating leads. If you want people to call, write or raise their hands, you have to give them a reason why. Make an offer – a promise of something in exchange for their effort. It can be a report, white paper, article, webinar or seminar, but whatever it is, it has to be perceived as something of value – a promise of information or expertise worth their time and trouble.
A current client of mine, St. Jacques Franchise Marketing, has done this brilliantly. When you go to their website, you’re immediately invited to download a free and exclusive report on franchise marketing. They spun the report from research they had conducted among franchise executives who had insights of value for their peers and colleagues. This report has not only generated leads – it’s led to new client business and press exposure, too.
Dig up the goodies you already have
Many companies intrigued by this approach are afraid that they don’t have anything to offer. Yet when I poke around their websites, I find terrific material – but it’s buried where visitors will never find it: under pages labeled “Literature” or “Reports,” or “Case Studies.”
Don’t make your prospects do your marketing work for you. Instead of hiding your white papers and other goodies within a list of bullets, turn them into special offers on relevant pages. If you have a terrific customer service case study, for example, create a callout for it on your “Service” page. That white paper on data management? Present it as a download from your “CRM Solutions” page. Offer your great content, one piece at a time, from the pages that address the same issues as the content. That way, you’re demonstrating your expertise just when the reader is most interested in reading it.
Don’t ask for too much in return
It’s only natural to request contact information, via an online registration form, in return for the content download. But be careful – these requests may chase off loads of otherwise interested prospects.
Take a look at this great RainToday article by Brian Carroll, Why Most B2B Websites Fail to Convert Leads. He argues against making elaborate registration forms in favor of a strategy that gradually reinforces your desirability. In his words:
“You'll do better by thinking of lead generation as a process of micro-conversions that slowly build a prospect profile over time. Perhaps you request an email address after your first contact, then later ask for first and last name, and eventually request a phone number, and so on. Again, the statistics show that trying to get too much information too soon simply scares people away.”
I recommend a compromise approach in which the extent of the contact information you require is matched by the value of your offer, like this:
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Articles, case studies, press releases: Make no demands. Just let visitors download the material unobstructed, and trust that the credibility your content builds does the heavy lifting in your favor.
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Reports, white papers, how-to guides: These require a greater investment on your part and merit a greater investment on theirs. Consider just asking for a name or e-mail address.
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E-books, newsletters, webinars: With this next leap in value you can ask for more information, including title, company, phone number, etc.
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Printed books, printed magazine subscriptions: These are items of significant value (and expense on your part). Frankly, you only want to give these away to the most qualified, most interested prospects, so feel free to add qualifying questions (i.e., “Has your company budgeted for a major IT purchase this fiscal year?”) and other important information requests to your registration form.
Create something special
If you’re really serious about attracting leads, consider creating a report or e-book just for that purpose. One of my clients created a “Ten Ways To…” guide that pulled more than twice the number of anticipated leads. You can do the same – if you’re able to provide information of real value to your intended audience and you’re committed to promoting it visibly on the most popular pages of your website, such as your home and/or blog pages.
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Kranz Communications
(781) 620-1154
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