These are strange, challenging times for businesses. The past few months have put a financial strain on them – from the loss of clients and revenues to furloughing staff – which further resulted in halting expansion plans, investments, and even marketing spends.
Digital agencies have also been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to a recent study by Uplers, 66% of agencies experienced a decrease in overall revenue, while 47% experienced a decline in marketing leads.
Lead Generation Hacks
But rather than focusing on the adverse effects, it is crucial to think creatively and identify ways to generate more leads for the business. Here are five lead generation strategies that agencies must implement pronto:
1. Referral program
Referrals are a useful asset for any brand. They not only pique people’s interest but also get them talking. Since you have clients who love your services, get them to recommend your agency to others.
Ninety-two percent of customers trust recommendations from a reliable source. And B2B referrals, specifically, boast of a conversion rate of 70%!
Introduce a referral program for lead generation at your agency. Any platform works – email or social media – as long as you can identify an incentive (e.g., free access to an otherwise paid program or course, or discounts on a service) that nudges your clients to refer you to their network.
Pro tip: Use tools such as ReferralCandy to reward clients for successful referrals and track results of your referral programs easily.
2. Exit-intent pop-ups
Pop-ups are often seen as a nuisance that interrupts visitors while browsing through the website or as soon as they land on the website. But did you know an exit-intent pop-up on the site can recover 53% of abandoning visitors?
An exit pop-up only triggers when the visitors mouse up to close a tab in their browser, which means they are less intrusive.
Moreover, there’s no shortage of ideas for the pop-up copy. Offer a content upgrade, get them to subscribe to your newsletter, offer a free trial, or nudge them to sign up for a consultation with your agency. Pop-ups can be used in many ways!
3. Website forms
Times are tough, and everyone wants to work with a business they can trust! Website forms can be the ultimate lead-gen arsenal for you if you keep in mind three things:
- a. Keep the form short. Don’t make your potential customers spend too much time sharing their details with you. In many cases, only an email and email address may suffice. But if it’s a long-form, provide optional and mandatory fields.
- b. Place the form properly. If you place it at the bottom of a landing page, most website visitors won’t even see it. Therefore, ensure the form is placed conspicuously.
- c. Incorporate elements of social proof at the bottom of the form. For example: “95% of first-time users report high satisfaction with our PPC service.” Keep it short since there is limited space on the form.
Pro tip: Typeform is an excellent tool for turning a list of questions into a conversation starter. Keep testing your website form copy to see which ones fetch you the highest number of leads.
4. Guest blogging and press coverage
Guest blogging is the lifeblood of any digital agency. You must consistently pitch trending stories and gain traction by showcasing your authority on top business and marketing publications. Avoid mass emailing editors with run-of-the-mill article ideas.
Every site has its guidelines and requirements, so research thoroughly so that you can come up with a proper article outline and personalize the pitch to increase your chances of getting approved.
Alternatively, use free online services such as HARO and SourceBottle to identify press opportunities for your agency and even send tips to journalists searching for sources/bytes on the platforms. “Staying in the news” can lead to increased qualified leads!
5. Lead magnets
Lead magnets are well-crafted pieces of content – such as an eBook, a how-to guide, or a set of templates or cheat sheets – that potential customers in your industry space will find useful. Topics could be topical (e.g., COVID-19 and remote working) to general.
Therefore, be sure to create something they will be willing to give away their contact information. Once you have their email addresses, continue sharing valuable resources from time-to-time, or use their data for remarketing them.
Pro tip: CoSchedule has an excellent resource library and newsletter that keeps the customers hooked to their brand even if they are not currently purchasing. Lead magnets offer a way to justify why you are the best agency in the market. Leverage that to attract customers.
End Notes
Now is the time for agencies to adapt to the current market scenario to keep doing what they love doing, i.e., serving as many clients as possible. Therefore, update/expand your lead generation initiatives and provide value to your prospects so that they see you as a thought leader in the market and eventually buy from you.
Image: Depositphotos.com
This article, "The Only 5 Lead Generation Hacks Digital Agencies Need to Get Qualified Leads" was first published on Small Business Trends
July 22, 2020 at 01:31PM
via https//www.brucedayne.com/
Pratik Dholakiya, Khareem Sudlow
