How to make your sales reps’ lives easier – and work lives more productive – using proven inbound marketing strategies for lead generation that put the focus on closing deals.
In this very NSFW clip from the 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross, Alec Baldwin rips into his unproductive real estate sales team for time wasted on fruitless prospects. Perhaps your sales reps are your best weapon, but they’re frustrated by the feeling that they don’t have quality leads to help them close the deal. If you have more faith in your team than Alec Baldwin does but know you’re not arming them with the best possible leads, it’s time to close the loop on your marketing plan and employ a no-nonsense lead generation strategy using proven inbound marketing techniques.
If you apply the following five methods for consistent, quality lead generation, you will see increases in your sales numbers without having to up your marketing budget. These strategies give you the tools you need to create a productive, automated marketing system that will lighten your sales reps’ loads by providing them with solid prospects that are ready to sign on the dotted line.
1. Increase and Optimize Landing Pages
Not using customized landing pages for each marketing message you put out is like throwing pasta at the wall, except in this case almost none of it sticks. Make sure each outbound marketing message employs a tried and tested inbound marketing tool: a customized landing page. Don’t take the see-what-sticks approach; segment your landing pages and see a significant increase in leads. Hubspot reports that companies with 30 or more landing pages get seven times more leadsthan companies running 10 or fewer. Get to it!
2. Customize Your Calls to Action
Calls to action (CTAs) are a vital part of your upgraded inbound marketing strategy and its potential to increase your quality leads. To give your sales reps the tools they need to close the deal, up your game by getting specific with your CTAs. While a general “Sign Up” or “Contact Us” might capture a small trickle, a customized CTA plan can open the tap on your lead generation. Put thought into the design, colour, placement, and messaging of each CTA button in order to deliver the maximum amount of quality leads.
3. Content, Content, Content
If closing the deal is the long-term goal, then make your short-term strategy all about increasing both the volume and quality of your published content. Not only does a solid blogging scheme allow you to capture new leads, but you simultaneously get to share your message in a way you can control. If blogs are interesting, humorous, topical, or especially useful, they may even take on a life of their own when shared through various social media channels. The facts are undeniable: Google reports that 93% of Canadians use the Internet to find product information. What are you waiting for?
4. Make Sense of Your Social Media
Social media isn’t just about blasting out a huge amount of general content. If you’re smart, you’ll use social media insights to capture valuable information about your followers (leads) and figure out how to get them to become believers (buyers). An intuitive social media management platform will help you filter out the leads who are ready to buy and segment your lists of followers and influencers so that you can nurture your potential leads. Get smarter with the right tools and get more quality leads for your team.
5. Know Your Target Audience
Do you know – really know – your target audience? If you’re bombarding your social media followers with content that isn’t relevant to their interests, you’re missing the opportunity to cull potential leads from the masses. Determine specifically what target market each message is aimed at and then tailor the content of the message to it directly. Maybe Facebook isn’t the right social media platform to target mid-level executives; perhaps LinkedIn would generate better leads for your team.
CONCLUSION
So, if you fancy yourself a bit of an Alec Baldwin type (with a slightly gentler temper) and want your sales team to “always be closing,” then it’s your responsibility to give them the tools they need to seal the deal. Those tools are quality leads. A smart inbound marketing strategy employing the five techniques explored above will help you play smarter, not harder with lead generation so your team can bring it home.
