The internet has become a powerful tool for generating online leads. The national average conversion rate for online leads is 2-3%. That means if you worked 100 online leads and met the national average, over time you would see 2-3 closings from those 100 leads. We consider “conversion rate” as one of those important numbers you need to track in online marketing.

So, how do you create a steady stream of website visitors who convert to online leads?

We are going to look at 3 key steps here.

Step 1. Create interesting, relevant content that will attract online leads to your website.

People are looking to be entertained, informed, and/or provided solutions when they are online. This applies to their search activity and their social media engagement. If you are not doing one of those three things, you will probably not going to get the attention of your audience.

This means that you need to understand what your ‘audience persona’ thinks and feels — what keeps them up at night, what do they do during the day, etc. When you better understand their motivations, you will have a better idea of what they will notice when they are online and what they are looking for in their online searches.

Your content will need to be written for search engine optimization (SEO) to help your prospects find it during search. You will also want to promote it organically through your Business social media.

If your service is a local business, you will want to make sure that your content and website are also optimized for local search.

Here are a couple of ways to create relevant content.

1. Create content on your website that helps them solve a ‘problem’. Make it as transparent as you can, as they will not read for long if they think that they can not gain some knowledge from it.
2. Publish case studies of people/businesses like them so they can see how others solved the problem.
3. Post about this content on your social media to invite them to read more on your website.
4. Minimize ‘asking for the business’ at this point, as they will probably just be learning who you are.

Step 2. Build Trust with Great Client Feedback.

Then you need to focus on building trust with your customers. In order to do so, you must provide excellent customer service to your current clients. This is a tough hurdle for a brand new business, but hopefully some past owner(s) reputation can be promoted to indicate the company’s stance and commitment.

Here are a couple of ways to build trust with a new lead.

1. If possible, build up a ‘5 Star’ rating on your Google Business account.
2. Ask your past clients to review you on Google to build that up.
3. If you are a retail business, do the same with Yelp and other review sites.
4. If you are a service provider, like a lawyer or digital marketer, look for sites that provide rankings. If not too expensive, try to get your services listed.
5. Along with case studies by past clients, client testimonials on your own website can help to give your lead an opportunity to see what others think of you.

Step 3. Create a Lead Magnet.

A lead magnet is a piece of content that entices people to take some kind of action. It’s often used as part of a lead nurturing campaign. This type of content includes e-books, whitepapers, webinars, etc.

When people search for products and services online, they often find themselves at a website where there is a form asking them to enter their contact information. These forms are called lead magnets.

There is normally a single offer — the lead gets something that they want; and you get some contact information. The lead needs to feel that the ‘value’ of what they get is greater than than privacy.

This is why shoppers are always asked for a phone number or an email address when they are checking out.

The difference here is that your online lead has not yet purchased from you yet. So they can remain somewhat private.

There are new technologies that can be added to your website that can possibly capture a household address from your IP info. But, the most upfront way to begin a ‘dialogue’ with a new lead is by asking for permission.

Here are a few examples of what a lead magnet might look like.

• A free report or guide
• A free calculator
• A free review or consultation
• A discount on a future purchase

Make this journey to More Online Leads One Step at a Time

In this article, we have defined 3 key steps for building a more productive ‘pipeline’ of online leads. But, for most business owners, this can be too intimidating for them to consider. It may feel that it would be too distracting for the business. But, new business is generally the lifeblood of a business. So, creating new business opportunities is critical.

With the right plan, a process of creating content, promoting it, and converting online leads can be set up for most business budgets. The work can be completely outsourced, handled internally, or a combination of the two. This form of approach helps most businesses find a program that fits their business budget.

Contact us to discuss your business challenges. If the project budget doesn’t allow for you to outsource the entire process, we can help you find the right balance of work that can make it possible for you to find more business leads online.