The 3 essentials of online lead generation

It's normal for our clients to hit lead targets but we've seen some big jumps in performance in recent weeks.

One campaign recorded more web leads in June than the business got in the whole of 2021. Another is consistently getting 2x last years results.

When we work with clients we address the same 3 elements to get leads flowing.

It's quite straightforward so I'll share the formula for you here.

#1 - Strategy

A business shouldn't generally be investing in marketing before the strategy is built.

Some things included in a good digital strategy are:

• Deep understanding of the customer
• Deep understand of the product or service
• A detailed value proposition
• Evidence-based key messages
• Data on which channels are most profitable
• Clarity on what activity is not valuable
• A monthly goal for leads (that will give a good ROI) 

By way of example, we typically develop understanding on these over a series of workshops with clients, and once we have clear understanding we go ahead and invest in websites and campaigns based on the strategy.

But often we see businesses investing without a clear strategy, which by definition means the business has less effective websites and campaigns than it could have.

Building a proper strategy always comes first.

#2 - Websites

Often a business has only had a handful of websites in its lifetime, typically replacing with a new one around every 3-years.

But as an agency we've designed and built more than 250 B2B websites, so continually see what works well and what doesn't, so have a far broader perspective.

A business often imagines performance of the website as relatively fixed. In other words, the website has always performed at a certain level and the business imagines that's how it will always perform.

But we know some websites convert 1 in 50 visitors to leads, and others 1 in 500.

Simply putting a performance website in place can completely change the flow of leads. We're used to replacing a website and seeing an immediate uplift in leads.

So the 2nd essential component is a performance website, designed based on data and evidence, and fully aligned with the digital marketing strategy.

#3 - Campaigns

Finally, for a good flow of leads we'll also always be running a series of engaging campaigns, laser-targeted so we're only paying for ideal prospects to see them.

We often see less engaging content being published to social channels or blogs fairly repetitively, and sometimes without too much thought.

But in the 2020s marketing is data-driven - ads should be appearing directly in front the very best prospects and generally not in front of anybody else.

By way of example, with some of Bespoke's most successful campaigns the intended audience sees ads frequently over a period of weeks or months.

But competitors wouldn't even know the campaigns are running, because the ads are so targeted. They're highly focused, with very little wasted budget.

So the 3rd essential is a series of highly engaging, laser-targeted campaigns, based on the strategy, to generate leads both directly and via the website.

How do you score on the 3 essentials?

If you haven't already, you're welcome to have a Digital Strategy Audit on the 3 essentials using our online tool for B2B marketers. It takes a few minutes and you'll get a PDF report in your inbox with recommendations specifically for you on how to improve in each area.