5 Ways to Improve Your Website’s Lead Generation Process

Generating leads or sales is the single most important thing your website can do. If you’re in ecommerce you want more sales, if not then you probably want more leads. Either way, job #1 is to entice your visitors through your call-to-action to your lead capture-point to then have that capture-point execute. Once designed properly, your 24/7 salesperson (your website) should be able process your leads at an expected rate. Luckily, we’re here to help improve your website’s lead generation process.

If you currently use a lead-capture system use these tips for fine tuning. If you don’t have a system, use these guidelines to create one.

Here are 5 Ways to Improve Your Website’s Lead Generation Process.

1. Ensure your messages are clear and targeted –  Targeting your client in a language they expect is key. Is your connection formal, casual technical, humorous…? Whatever it is, adopt that voice in your website content. Also, ensure your landing page messages display the continuation of the message your visitor clicked to bring them there. There’s nothing worse than a disjointed message to confuse visitors and disrupt your Lead Generation flow. If a person clicked on a special sales offer don’t welcome them with an unrelated page, or worse, your Home page. It’ll mean building individual landing pages for every campaign but it’ll also mean better close rates.
2. Define your ‘Personas’ and only speak to them – Knowing who your business speaks to begins with demographics. For example, “25 to 35 year old women in the technology management field who earns over 100K per year.” Defining a persona colors that demographic into much more personal detail; “the 30 year old soccer mom who dines out twice a week and likes to read in her after-work time in her own home.” Painting a ‘persona’ of your target customer allows you to better compose your communications based on your customers’ values.
   
3. Create ‘Funnels’ – A ‘funnel’ is a strategic pathway in your website’s design that directs your visitor along your generation process.  For example, Amazing Sheds builds custom sheds for residents within a 50 mile radius of its home office. The company relies heavily on an educated customer to make an informed purchase decision typically in the $5k range. Here is their sales funnel:
   1. • Funnel step 1 – Amazing Sheds knows their customer’s pre-sale concerns and has designed their website (amazingsheds.com, not a real site) to strategically ask and answer each one of them using its “Built in Your Backyard” blog. Every blog post is a sales pitch in disguise. Funnel step #1: get the visitor to read a blog post.
      • Funnel step 2 – View the “Yard Size Calculator”. Amazing Sheds knows that sizing can be difficult for customers to visualize so they place a Call-to-Action link in each post that reads “Check the size shed that fits your yard”. Funnel step #2: get the visitor to use the ‘check yard-to-shed measurement’ page.
      • Funnel step 3 – Contact a ‘Shed Specialist’ (they’re not referred to as ‘sales people’ because ‘Shed Specialist’ is far more inviting). The visitor now has their concerns addressed, measurements looked at and the final funnel step is personal contact. Funnel step #3: get the visitor to provide their phone number (via the website form) for a sales call.

   Amazing Sheds’ three-step funnel process ensures that with ample traffic, they’ll have a steady flow of sales leads they can rely on.

4. Perfect your ‘Calls-to-Action’ – Does your website specifically ASK visitors for what you want or does it display information and HOPE they’ll “get it”? Being clear and direct can work wonders in raising close rates. Also, speaking in the proper ‘voice’ can personalize your request and put you over the top! Would you address a customer in-person the way your website does? If not, consider changing your website communication immediately. It could be casual, formal, technical… You already know what’s successful in person, extend it to your website.
5. Make an Offer – You’re ASKING for something (their email address or phone number), why not GIVE something in return. This fundamentally changes the relationship from CHARITY (asking) to TRADE (exchanging). Presenting an offer for trade not only increases your chances of closing the deal but it actually increases the attractiveness to the inbound call-to-action in the first place. Your offer may seem trivial to you but may not be to the visitor. Identify what valuable item you have to offer; a download, a discount, an opportunity… and change the relationship from Charity to Trade.
6. BONUS! Design a clean contact form – Is your final lead generation step cluttered or clean? Your visitors are interested, now seize the opportunity! Make sure your form has a clean design, a clear call-to-action and only asks for the minimum amount of information necessary to begin the conversation. Don’t complicate the final step by asking for too much information. You can always get more on the followup call. The less friction in the process the better.

THE TAKEAWAY

The takeaway is that Lead Generation is an often overlooked process. It should be part of every good website lead capture strategy and can be refined over time with simple steps to produce more leads at peak performance.

Whether you’re looking to improve your website’s lead generation or if you have something else in mind let the premier web developer in Maryland help. Let’s talk about how we can put that website of yours to better use!