Index Of The Blog
Proven Marketing Techniques
61% of marketers say generating good leads is their biggest challenge. This means that all companies put a lot of effort into attracting leads. To make it easier, get to grips with a few Proven Marketing Techniques – these 12 Proven Marketing Techniques are essential if you want to learn how to get customers more efficiently.
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Let’s dive into the world of Proven Marketing Techniques – this is how your business becomes a lead magnet:
Direct marketing: personal contact with potential customers
Direct marketing is a Proven Marketing Techniques used to communicate directly with leads, for example through soliciting customers direct marketing text messages, by calling or even in person. A direct message almost always implies a specific call-to-action, intended to prompt your target group to respond directly. These responses can range from clicking a signup link, calling a number, or visiting a website. A bold call-to-action could even encourage your target audience to buy a product right away.
A direct marketing message can be the first point of contact that leads have with your brand. Be aware that some people find this form of marketing intrusive and annoying. If you frequently contact leads without an appointment, adjust your communication method and emphasize the benefits for them.
A well-targeted direct marketing campaign also has a number of major benefits:
- You come into contact with a target group that is otherwise difficult to reach.
- Example: Older generations are less digitally active, but they may be interested in your offer when you call them.
- You can test whether your product or service is popular, because potential customers respond immediately.
- Example: Suppose you have designed a new product, but do not know how people will react to it. Why not call test audiences and see how they react before going ahead and launching the product?
- It delivers clear and traceable results.
- Example: You can determine the impact of your direct marketing campaign fairly easily. If you send a direct mail to 100 leads inviting them to download a free catalog and 20 of them actually do so, that means you have a 20% response rate. You can qualify and nurture this group of prospects to eventually close the deal… then you know exactly how many leads have been converted into customers. Very useful to measure the success and calculate the customer acquisition cost of this campaign.
1. Proven Marketing Techniques: Cold calling: Convincing leads in real-time conversations
Cold calling to potential customers, or cold calling, was a Proven Marketing Techniques, but not so popular these days. Understandable, because calling people can be quite tiring and time-consuming. Especially if they’ve never heard of your company – and therefore don’t seem interested.
That doesn’t mean that this form of telemarketing is always a bad idea. Real, real-time conversations with potential customers can play an important role in convincing them. If you focus on the entitled decision maker, you can significantly increase the chance of conviction.
Focus on a specific target group with a well-prepared script and compare statistics regarding your activity (number and duration of your calls), quality (how many decision makers have you approached? how many leads have you qualified?) and conversations (in how many demos or purchases resulted in the conversation?) to determine if this is a technique you should invest in. You can buy call lists for this, or make your own list based on events or online searches.
2. Direct mail: make sure your message reaches your target audience
Direct mail, via email or post, can be a valuable technique if you want to target a particular group efficiently. Make people aware of your brand and grab their attention with creative and interesting reporting. For example: C-level professionals may be important prospects for your company, but they don’t have that much time to search for information online. To make sure they don’t miss out on your content, you can send them a direct mail with some information you’ve put together just for them.
Direct marketing: the advantages and limitations
It’s clear why direct marketing is a Proven Marketing Techniques: it enables personal contact, helps you reach an otherwise hard-to-reach audience, and provides you with the exact numbers of whom you’ve called or emailed.
However, calling or emailing all leads personally takes a lot of time. Sometimes your effort is not even appreciated, because not everyone likes to be approached unexpectedly or experiences your reporting as too commercial.
Don’t worry, direct marketing is a valuable tactic, especially when combined with other marketing techniques. The best thing is: you can easily do it yourself, without the help of outsiders.
Inbound marketing: attention of your customers with interesting content
If you approach leads through direct marketing, you will have to share valuable content… but what exactly is content? Acquiring customers inbound marketing?
Content is the presentation of information to an audience, which can be shared in different formats. There are dozens of possibilities: in addition to emails, you can create blogs, e-books or product catalogs, create videos and much more.
Content plays an essential role in inbound marketing. By distributing informational, educational or entertaining content, you establish a meaningful relationship with your audience. Providing potential customers with content helps them find what they need and proves that your company is trustworthy. Without talking to them, you help leads identify their situation, find a solution, and make the decision.
With inbound marketing you give potential customers exactly the information they are looking for. Perfect for buyers who want to inform themselves before (or even without) a face-to-face conversation.
3. Content: the fuel for all your marketing efforts
According to Forrester, for every piece they receive from a marketer or salesperson, buyers read an additional three pieces. You could argue that self-education among buyers is a ‘thing’, and there is a lot of content available. It’s up to you to be heard and invent new ways to reach leads and provide them with the information they need.
Think of content as the fuel for all your marketing campaigns, from email to social. High-quality content helps you break the information overload on the internet and gain the trust of your leads.
You already know that you can create content in different forms… but where do you put it next? Your website is one of the most important places to publish the content. It may sound controversial, but you should actually do this for free.
Your content is the first step to attracting visitors. Then it’s time to convert them into leads. Your content may be free, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have to be worth anything: what if you ask for their contact details in return?
Using web forms to download content is a great way to collect information about leads. Why not let them subscribe to your blog? A blog can really add a lot of value to your website because it keeps your readers interested – and hopefully motivated to come back. Moreover, quality written content plays a major role in improving the organic ranking in search engines.
4 Proven Marketing Techniques_SEO: attracting leads while you sleep
Search engine optimization (SEO) consists of the combination of tactics to improve your search engine ranking. For example: You sell office supplies – it would be great if people found your website through the search “buy office supplies”.
People often use search engines, especially Google. With SEO you can be sure that the content you create matches what people are looking for.
The more optimized your website is, the higher it will rank in the search engines or SERPS (Search Engine Page Ranks). And that’s what you want, because you want to increase your chances of being found and clicked.
When you want to optimize your website, try to increase the relevancy and authority of your website. Google values informative content and rewards websites that use the same vocabulary as your target audience and answer their questions.
Relevancy is, simply put, the ability to answer the questions of your target audience. Related search terms at the bottom of the page can give you insight into what customers are looking for. Google will rate your website higher if you can provide clear answers to their searches.
Authority is measured by analyzing the number and quality of links from other websites. You can achieve this in the first place by creating relevant content yourself, but you can also profile yourself as a guest blogger on other websites.
Let’s say you sell a variety of pools. If people consider such a purchase, they will also look at the alternatives. A blog about the differences between concrete, vinyl clad and fiberglass pools will answer some of their questions and therefore increase your relevance.
Some of your suppliers also find your blog useful, so they link to it on their website. When a landscaper sees the blog, he suggests working together. You can write content that he publishes on his website that connects his visitors with your company. The links pointing to your website will increase authority and help you reach new audiences.
Choose to invest in SEO if you:
- Want to achieve consistent results. It takes a while to get a spot on the first page of a search engine, but once you’re there, you can enjoy a steady stream of traffic.
- Want to build an authority website. This is an established resource or ‘go to’ website for a particular niche. An authority website generates sustainable traffic to your page and helps your business build a reputation until you are popular enough to dominate the market – which is only possible with smart content and SEO planning.
- Want to increase the value of your website and get more search traffic because you appear higher in the search results.
Proven Marketing Techniques_Inbound marketing: the advantages and limitations
SEO efforts have a long-term effect and are almost free – if you don’t factor in the costs of creating and optimizing your content. It may sound overwhelming at first, so it’s a good idea to hire an expert to walk you through the basics. There are plenty of agencies and freelancers that can optimize your website or create effective SEO content for you.
You can’t ignore the fact that people are online, so you should be online too. They are actively looking for information, so you should provide it to them. Inbound marketing and SEO help establish your business as a thought leader and a trusted, valuable source of information. It also makes your website easier to find. Leads who know you exist will be less surprised if you reach out to them. It is therefore a good idea to track down leads digitally and follow up on them through personal contact.
Paid online advertising: reaching a specific target group faster
Online advertising is a great way to reach a larger part of your target audience and generate leads. Let’s take a look at the most commonly used Proven Marketing Techniques.
5. Proven Marketing Techniques_Display ads & retargeting: focus on your target audience
Display ads are advertisements on websites. They are similar to regular magazine ads, but with an important difference: you are fully aware of the result. Display ads are traceable: who clicked on them? What are the demographics of the people who were interested? The more you know about your audience, the better you can adjust your ads accordingly.
Display ads are useful for reaching audiences of different demographics or amounts. For example: If your company is active in different cities, it may be interesting to only approach people in those regions. You can also select where the ads can be seen: choose an online publishing space where your leads spend their time. Imagine you sell cars: you would like to see your banners on a website comparing car prices.
If you don’t know which websites your target audience visits or if you want to spread your paid efforts, it’s a good idea to use retargeting ads. These advertisements give your website visitor a cookie and then appear on other websites that they visit. By being reminded of your business, leads will come to your website as soon as they are ready to make a decision.
6. Proven Marketing Techniques_Search Engine Ads: Pay Per Click for High Quality Instant Leads
You may have noticed that when you google something, the first results are always ads. Pay-per-click ads (PPC) are a form of Search Engine Advertising (SEA) that show ads as a sponsored result in search engines, above and next to organic search results. Advertisers bid on keywords that are relevant to their target audience and ads appear when a keyword query matches the keyword list. For example: If you are a plumber, you would try the keywords ‘plumber’, ‘boiler repair’ and ‘new pipes’. The advertiser only pays when someone clicks on the ad.
Paid Online Advertising: The Benefits and Limitations
Use PPC as a lead generation Proven Marketing Techniques if you: Acquire customers Paid online advertising
- Want immediate results and an increase in traffic in a short time, for example during a product launch or seasonal offers.
- Want to generate highly targeted traffic. PPC allows you to narrow down your prospects based on demographics. This means that you can define which leads are suitable to see your ads, which produces very high quality leads.
- Want to try new things. With a small budget you run a practice round with new products or offers to discover how people react. If you can conclude that your idea works, you can create a campaign for different marketing channels
When it comes to search engine marketing, it is often just about Google. Use their how-to videos to set up your own campaign, or ask an expert for help. Using paid advertising as one of your main Proven Marketing Techniques tactics can get expensive. Instead, it’s better to use it for small tests or to use it alongside your other marketing tactics.
7. LinkedIn: make new contacts to sell more
Generating a lead via LinkedIn can be very easy, but time consuming.
Recruit customers via social media LinkedIn Take a look at the suggestions for your network and see if they match your offer. LinkedIn also offers a large number of groups.
Join a group of professionals who might be interested in your company and invite them to connect.
Chat with them after the connection is made and use the right sales Proven Marketing Techniques to close the deal. It’s that easy – if you make time to follow up and keep track of connection requests and messages.
If you’re willing to pay for new prospects, you could use LinkedIn Ads. The optional Lead Collection feature directs members who click on your ad to your landing page, where they can complete a contact request. This is incredibly easy for the user and helps you build a list of prospects in a short time.
8. Facebook: Reach People Similar to Your Audience
Facebook also helps you generate more leads on social media. For example, use the option to get a direct link to your website. The medium also makes it possible to register for newsletters via the channel, so you quickly get the contact details of visitors who are interested in your newsletter.
When it comes to advertising, Facebook offers multiple ways to reach your target audience.
Custom audiences: the first method consists of uploading an email list and matching the email addresses with users. Now you have created a custom audience for your ads. Custom audiences consist of people who have taken an action specified by you, such as visiting your website or downloading your app. It is also used to track current users.
Lookalike audiences: you can also create a lookalike audience based on a customer email list. An audience is then created that consists of people who are similar to your current customer database. In other words, you use demographic information from your customers to reach an even larger group of people who might be interested in your products or services. A lookalike audience is useful if you want to scale up the number of ads and find new prospects.
Social media: the benefits and limitations
The greater your reach on social media, the more leads you will attract without having to spend money. Aachen and Cologne were not built in a day, the same goes for your LinkedIn and Facebook account. Be active and create attractive posts to collect more likes and comments. This will increase your chances of new audiences seeing your content in their newsfeed.
When it comes to attracting a large group of potential customers, you can use paid options like LinkedIn Lead Collection or Facebook Ads to generate more leads. It is wise to use this in addition to other marketing tactics. Of course you have to be present on social media, because you are not only of value to attract or convince a lead, but also to stay in touch with your customers.
9. Email Marketing: Keep Your Brand Top of Mind
Research reveals that email marketing is the most popular lead generation Proven Marketing Techniques, with 81% of respondents saying it is the most effective channel.
Email should be one of your main communication channels as it helps you stay in touch with your audience. Create a targeted message to send relevant content and keep your brand top of mind for potential customers. And why not segment the different audiences to send them custom content?
An automated, generic email is also a simple way to find out who is and isn’t interested in your business – simply by asking your leads. Give them the chance to easily answer your message (for example with a call-to-action button) and use this opportunity to build a list of leads you should call.
Email Marketing: The Advantages and Limitations
Email marketing is cheap. You don’t need expensive software and you don’t waste time emailing each customer individually. Instead, you can standardize your communication for segmented lead groups.
It is also very easy to keep track of the results. With a few basic stats, you’ll know which emails were received, who unsubscribed, open rates (people who opened your email) and click-through rates (people who opened your email and clicked a link in your email). clicked the email).
Remember that people see a lot of content every day. If your leads receive dozens of emails, how do you stand out? Think about what you want to send and who you are sending it to. Original subject lines will already increase your open rate. Email marketing works if you tailor each campaign to a specific target audience and send people content that they are interested in.
10. Affiliate Marketing: Let Other Companies Help You Sell
With affiliate marketing, someone else recommends your products. When a purchase is made following the recommendation, the affiliate will receive a reward. In its most traditional form, affiliate marketing is confirmed through partnerships. When your partner brings in a new customer, he receives a commission. More modern affiliate marketing often consists of placing banners and URLs on the partner’s website.
With a traceable url (a link with UTM code) you keep a perfect overview of all the traffic and sales that you generate via different Proven Marketing Techniques. Affiliate marketing is similar to Google Display Advertising. The difference lies in the fact that with the first you set up the partnerships yourself, instead of having to choose from Google’s criteria.
Affiliate Marketing: The Benefits and Limitations
It takes time and effort to build affiliate partnerships with trusted parties, especially when you factor in commission costs and set-up fees. Also, don’t forget that the commission is deducted from your profit margin.
But when done right, affiliate marketing can significantly increase the visibility of your products and services and is a great way to generate additional revenue streams.
11. Referral Programs: New Customers Through Word of Mouth
Testimonials and shared experiences from happy customers are a great way to attract new potential customers cheaply. People like to see social proof and real results. Word of mouth is also cheap: happy customers are often more than willing to promote your business for free.
Consider who you’re targeting and what similar customers you have. Approach these customers and ask them for a recommendation, or offer a fee that would encourage them to recommend you. Ask them right after a positive customer service experience or after they gave your company a high score… or ask your most loyal customers. Make it easy for them to give a recommendation: don’t let them write long letters, but offer small and fun messages that they can share.
Referral marketing is similar to affiliate marketing, where partner websites and magazines place your ads and promote your business. The key difference is that a referral program invests in ambassadors who are most likely to recommend your brand to family and friends – and studies have shown that this is one of the best ways to attract new customers. Word of mouth may be the oldest marketing channel, but it still has value.
Referral Programs: The Benefits and Limitations
Referral marketing helps you shorten the length of your sales cycle. People you approach through a referral program are rarely not interested, this will save you a lot of money if you call them.
Do not increase the pressure too much. Let people decide for themselves whether they want to recommend your company. Even a happy customer may not feel like recommending a brand is a big deal for some as it affects their reputation as well.
Set up a referral program and let people come to you. Try not to be partial as much as possible, but cherish the recommendations you receive.
12 Event marketing: convince potential customers face-to-face
There is no better form of advertising than sharing the experience of a satisfied customer. Why not put them in the spotlight during an event? This is a great opportunity to showcase what your brand stands for, showcase some of the solutions you offer, and make personal connections with attendees. The face-to-face connection makes it easier to convert potential customers into strong leads, while at the same time conveying your company’s thought leadership and increasing brand awareness.
Ready to attract potential customers?
None of these techniques are the golden ticket to an endless stream of leads, but when you combine them, they can significantly increase the number of leads. Try to find the balance between online and offline, personal contact and digital reporting, optimization and creation. Test different things, adjust based on the results and create a balanced Proven Marketing Techniques that will help you generate dozens of quality leads.
