Did you realize that 70-80% of consumers conduct online research before making a purchase? To attract new customers for your business, capitalizing on the opportunities presented by the internet is essential. But how? Internet lead generation is the key. In this article, we’ll define lead generation in digital marketing and explore some of the most effective online lead generation strategies. Continue reading to learn about these online lead generation tactics. For more insights on internet lead generation and other digital marketing topics, subscribe to our Revenue Weekly newsletter.Before diving into the concept of lead generation in digital marketing, let’s first clarify what a lead is.A lead is an individual who shows interest in your brand, products, or services. Typically, leads reach out to your company before you reach out to them.Leads can express interest through various means. In digital marketing, this could include completing an online form or subscribing to an email list.Becoming a lead is the initial step in the marketing funnel, a framework for visualizing how a prospect transitions from unfamiliarity with your brand to becoming a loyal customer. Once a lead is acquired, you can focus on guiding them through the rest of the funnel.In digital marketing, lead generation refers to the process of attracting leads to your business using internet-based methods, such as SEO, social media advertising, and content marketing.Lead generation in digital marketing is also known as internet lead generation, online lead generation, or digital lead generation. The specifics of the lead generation process can vary based on the method used, but the overall process generally consists of three main steps:1. DiscoveryFirst, the user discovers your company through one of multiple channels. This could be through a social media post, a Google search, or a YouTube recommendation. Creating discoverable content is vital for the internet lead generation process.In addition, making your content easily accessible through SEO and building an engaged social media audience is crucial.2. Taking actionThe lead then demonstrates interest by engaging with your call to action (CTA) — a message designed to prompt a user to take a specific action. For instance, you might include a CTA at the end of a blog post encouraging users to sign up for your email newsletter.3. Providing informationYour CTA directs the user to a landing page where they provide information to access the offer.For example, to subscribe to your email list, they might provide their email address, name, and other basic information. If you’re offering a free ebook, they might need to provide their name, contact information, and details about their interests.Next steps: Lead nurturingOnce the user provides their information, they become a lead.Then, you initiate the lead nurturing or lead management process, which aims to convert them into a customer. This may involve sending tailored emails based on their position in the marketing funnel or serving ads related to the services they’ve expressed interest in.Digital marketing encompasses numerous lead generation tactics to help grow your business.Let’s explore how these various internet lead generation strategies function.1. SEOApproximately 93% of online sessions start with a search engine. Ensuring your website ranks well for relevant keywords is crucial for the discovery phase of lead generation. SEO achieves this by employing a variety of tactics, including using specific keywords in your content and earning links from reputable sites.WebFX can assist you in creating and executing an SEO strategy to drive leads to your website through search.2. Content marketingContent marketing can support various stages of the lead generation process. This digital marketing strategy involves creating valuable content for potential customers, which can take the form of blog posts, videos, infographics, ebooks, and more.High-value content creates opportunities for leads to discover your company, whether through search engines, social media, or recommendations from friends. Content marketing can also assist with later stages of the lead generation process.For example, you could offer a whitepaper, ebook, or online course to users who complete a form with their information. The WebFX team can craft a lead-generating content marketing strategy and produce top-tier content for your business, leveraging our expertise in over 100 specialized content writers and industry experience.3. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertisingPPC advertising is a valuable internet lead generation strategy, where you pay only when someone clicks on your ad. PPC ads can take various forms, including search engine ads, website display ads, and social media ads, and can be targeted to specific user groups.For example, a grocery delivery business could target ads to users within their delivery radius who search for terms like “grocery delivery near me” on Google. PPC ads tend to reach users who are close to making a purchase decision.In fact, 65% of high-intent searches result in an ad click. At WebFX, we can develop and manage a PPC campaign that targets the right leads and drives business growth, drawing from our experience managing over 650 PPC campaigns for clients.4. Social media marketingSocial media offers numerous lead generation opportunities. You can increase brand awareness and drive traffic to your website, where users may provide their information to access exclusive content. You can also host contests on social media that require users to provide information to enter.Social media ads provide another excellent lead generation opportunity, allowing you to reach a wider audience.Users who click on ads may be more likely to make a purchase. For example, a medical equipment business could run social media ads targeting medical practices and clinics, their core customers.At WebFX, we offer industry-leading social media management and advertising services to increase brand awareness and engagement, contributing to your lead generation efforts.5. Conversion rate optimization (CRO)CRO involves improving your website to increase its conversion rate — the percentage of visitors who complete a targeted action, such as making a purchase, filling out a form, or subscribing to an email list. This strategy focuses on the later stages of the lead generation process, aiming to generate more leads from existing site traffic.CRO helps increase the likelihood of site visitors taking a targeted action that indicates interest in your company, leading to new leads, by testing different website features. CRO services, like those offered by WebFX, may include usability analysis, conversion analysis, funnel analysis, copy analysis, and aesthetic analysis.Google Optimize is an excellent free tool for improving CRO, enabling you to easily create and run tests and understand the results, even without a development background.WebFX is a leading lead generation agency committed to helping businesses grow, both through partnership and knowledge sharing. We offer a range of lead generation strategies, including SEO, content marketing, PPC management, social media marketing, CRO, and more.In the last five years, we’ve generated over 24 million leads and $10 billion in revenue for our clients. Our team of over 500 digital marketing experts is ready to help your business achieve results. Contact us or visit our website to learn more about our lead generation services.
