Are you ready to start capturing internet marketing leads via your website?
As with any marketing program, results are what matters. Designing a beautiful, award winning ad campaign means nothing if it doesn’t garner leads that turn into sales. Since leads are the first and most important step to securing customers, lets focus on how to entice your website visitors into becoming leads, resulting in a successful Internet marketing campaign.
First, lets assume you already have a website and that you’re attracting a fair amount of visitors to your site through your various marketing channels — print ads, email blasts, pay-per-click programs, etc. The problem is, visitors don’t always translate into customers. The critical step in between is capturing the lead.
The old saying, “you’ll attract more flies with honey…” is appropriate when it comes to attracting leads through your Internet marketing program as well. You must offer “something” to get “something” in return. For example, perhaps your company sells software. Offer your visitors a free trial download of your latest application. In exchange, they must provide a little information about themselves. The key is to offer something that gets the attention of those who are already browsing your site.
For example, if your site features gourmet cookware, you might offer your visitors a free downloadable cookbook or a selection of a few recipes. Try to think of an offer that is related to your business and would be intriguing enough to cause your visitors to give up a little information in exchange. Avoid one time offers, such a giveaway. The offer should be something that doesn’t cost you an arm and leg and can be provided many times over without breaking the budget, such as white papers, ebooks, apps, etc.
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Okay, so you’ve come up with a great offer for your website visitors. Now what? Simply add a “button” or an image on your website (anything that will get attention) and link it to a “landing page.” Quite simply, a landing page is where you capture the visitor’s pertinent information. The landing page should feature a nice image — maybe the front cover of the cookbook visitors will be downloading — as well as some brief information about the offer itself. Usually a short paragraph followed by two or three bullet points, followed by a summary paragraph will suffice. Don’t get too wordy. Here’s an example:
Thanks for your interest in our gourmet cookbook. We’ve gathered the best recipes from the greatest chefs around the world and are pleased to provide this free download for your enjoyment.
Inside, you’ll discover…
• Tips and tricks for the perfect pie crust
• Crockpot meals for the busy family
• Desserts to die for
We hope you enjoy your free cookbook. Bon Appetite.
Your landing page must also include a form for the visitor to complete. Be careful not to ask for too much information on the form. You don’t want to get your visitors all the way to this point and then turn them off with a bunch of personal questions. Essentially all you need is an email address to begin collecting leads. However, I find it keeps things a little more organized if you at least ask for the visitor’s first and last names, their email address (required) and perhaps the state and country where they reside. This will help you distribute the leads to your sales team should you have different salespeople covering different regions throughout the world. You should also include a “comment” box so visitors can tell you how great you are or perhaps where you could improve. The rule of thumb for lead capture forms is: Keep it simple.
Once your visitor completes the form and clicks “submit” there are a couple of different avenues you can take. Visitors can be directed to a “thank you” page where you thank them for their interest and provide them with the download link for your offer. You can send them an email with the download link included. Or you can simply have the download start immediately upon clicking “submit.” Regardless of which direction you take, your form submission can be emailed directly to someone on your marketing team so they can begin compiling the leads into your database.
Capturing internet marketing leads through your website isn’t hard. It just takes a little creativity and a little technology savvy. Through the use of “landing pages” and compelling “offers” you’ll soon be turning visitors into leads and ultimately customers — which is the real goal of any marketing campaign.
Sound complicated? Never fear, there are many companies that can help you create “offer” buttons and set-up “landing pages” with forms. Do a Google search on “inbound marketing” or simply ask your company’s web master for advice.
