How's your lead generation process? If you could use a little help finding more qualified leads, email marketing can provide a variety of solutions.
Email conversion rates are 40 times higher than social media conversion rates. Email marketing offers simple, cost-effective ways to identify leads and get them into your sales funnel – and research proves it.
Here are some impressive statistics that show just how effective email can be to your lead generation process (also see this article by Lusha with tips for a winning lead generation process).
1. Targeting Customers With Content Relevant To Their Buying Position Yields 73% Higher Conversion Rates
Aberdeen Group’s findings are a reflection of shift in marketing that took companies away from creating content based on their brand’s features and benefits, to listening to the consumer’s needs and creating content in response.
It doesn’t mean companies give up complete control. It simply means that your content should be dictated by the potential customer’s buying position.
How is this connected to lead generation? A company can create content that's directed at prospective customers. You might offer a white paper or video that’s of interest to prospects, but gate it so you can collect a person's name and email address before they gain access.
Personalized emails with relevant content and personalized send times increases click rates by 152% compared to non-optimized send times. AI powered software like Seventh Sense analyzes each individual’s email behavior and delivers email to when they are most likely to check their inbox and engage.
2. People Are 4 Times More Likely To Buy When Referred By A Friend. (Nielsen)
There’s a reason Heinz Marketing found that companies with formalized referral programs experienced 86% more revenue growth over two years compared to those that didn’t: referrals from trusted sources drive sales.
Brands looking to cut through the sludge of an oversaturated market of advertising and flooded inboxes can ask for referrals from satisfied customers. It’s worth experimenting with cash, bonus points and free or discounted products or services to see what incentivizes consumers.
If referrals aren’t already part of your lead generation process, creating a referral program should jump to the top of your to-do list.
If you're using an email service provider, many of them offers a refer-a-friend template or form that you can use to kickstart the process.
3. 62% Of Users Get More Conversion When They Embed Their Form On Their Website
Formstack’s Form Conversion Report shared some valuable information on the benefits of embedded forms.
Creating a short form to collect emails directly on your website is beneficial to your lead generation process, but not if it’s buried on an About Us page.
Consider embedding an email collection box on multiple pages in prominent locations and be clear what the information will and won’t be used for. Use tools that automatically share the information with your email client like popup tool, OptinMonster, and get them to your email lists to save time in the long run.
4. Companies See A 55% Increase In Leads When Increasing Their Number Of Landing Pages To 15
What’s the ideal number of landing pages? According to Hubspot, companies should have a minimum of 15 landing pages, but for many brands, more landing pages is even better for your lead generation process.
These web pages, which appear when a user clicks on a brand’s ad or a link in a search engine result, go beyond the standard homepage. They should serve a purpose, taking the site visitor to exactly what it is they’re searching for.
Clicking on an ad for blue sandals, for example, should escort the ready-to-buy customer to the equivalent of the sandal aisle in the store. Other than choosing a size and “Add to Cart,” there should be little standing in the way of the eager consumer.
Consider your landing pages to be lead generation tools, even if the site visitor isn’t ready to convert. Offer in-stock alerts if the item has just sold out, or use the opportunity to collect an email with the promise of 10% off their next purchase, for example.
Hubspot’s research found that although both B2B and B2C companies seeing a positive correlation with increased landing pages in their lead generation processing, there was an even greater benefit for B2Bs to have 40 or more landing pages.
Why the link?
Back to the blue sandals example. That same store may also sell men’s leather jackets, mattresses, tea kettles and hammers. Now imagine a pay-per-click ad for each of these items, with a specific landing page for each. The greater the variety, the greater the opportunity for targeting and therefore, conversions or, at the very least, more collection points for your lead generation process.
Wrap Up
Improving your lead generation process shouldn’t be a shot in the dark. Follow the breadcrumbs left by industry experts’ research and put it to work for your company. Your sales team will thank you.
