3 Steps To Capturing And Converting Leads + Free Downloads
Over the past 22 years, we’ve worked with thousands of small business owners, helping them craft the perfect free offer! And while having a fantastic free offer is the first step in capturing and converting leads, it’s only one small piece of the puzzle.
Lead conversion isn’t just about getting eyes on your website; it’s about grabbing their attention (and email address!), nurturing them, and converting them into paying customers. It’s about creating an incredible customer journey and user experience that’s so compelling that leads can’t help but come back for more!
Before you can get into converting a visitor into a lead, you have to build a robust lead conversion funnel.
Overview
- What Is A Lead Conversion Funnel
- How To Get Leads Into Your Funnel
- How To Nurture Leads Once in the Funnel
- How To Convert Nurtured Leads
What Is A Lead Conversion Funnel?
A Lead Conversion Funnel (sales funnel) is a term used to describe the different stages of your customer’s buying journey as they go through particular desired action (i.e., conversion). You guide people from a free offer at the TOFU (top of the funnel) and nurture them throughout the MOFU (middle of the funnel) and BOFU (bottom of the funnel) to convert them from leads into paying customers.
All your leads will start at the top of the funnel. As they learn more about you, they warm up, like, and trust you, move down the funnel, and get closer to purchasing your service or product.
Understanding how people move through the funnel is essential because it helps you engage with them by answering their questions and addressing their concerns. You want to provide such a fantastic customer journey that they can’t help but convert.
#1: How to Get Leads Into Your Funnel?
Getting leads into your conversion funnel is the first step toward capturing and converting them into paying customers. Here are 10 actionable steps you can take to attract leads and guide them into your funnel:
Define your target audience:
Identify your ideal customer persona based on demographics, interests, and pain points. Tailor your messaging and offers to attract suitable leads.
Create compelling content:
Develop high-quality, valuable content that resonates with your target audience. This could include blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, or social media posts. Focus on providing solutions to their problems and addressing their needs.
Optimize your website for lead capture:
Place primary and visually appealing opt-in forms to encourage visitors to subscribe to your email list. Offer incentives such as free ebooks, templates, or exclusive content in exchange for their email address.
Leverage social media:
Build a strong presence on social media platforms where your target audience is active. Share engaging content, participate in relevant conversations, and use social media advertising to drive traffic to your website and capture leads.
Implement landing pages:
Create dedicated landing pages for specific offers or campaigns. Optimize these pages with persuasive copy, clear call-to-action buttons, and lead capture forms. A well-designed landing page can significantly increase your lead conversion rates.
Use lead magnets:
Develop valuable lead magnets, such as free guides, checklists, or webinars, that provide in-depth information or training related to your products or services. Promote these lead magnets across your marketing channels to entice leads to provide their contact information.
Run targeted advertising campaigns:
Utilize online advertising platforms like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, or LinkedIn Ads to reach your target audience directly. Craft compelling ad copy and use precise targeting options to drive qualified traffic to your landing pages and capture leads.
Engage in guest blogging and partnerships:
Collaborate with industry influencers or complementary businesses to contribute guest posts on their websites or co-create content. This can help you tap into their existing audience and capture leads already interested in your niche.
Offer live webinars or events:
Host webinars or virtual events to showcase your expertise and provide valuable insights to your audience. Collect lead information during registration and follow up with attendees afterward to nurture the relationship.
Optimize for search engines:
Implement search engine optimization (SEO) techniques to improve your website’s visibility in organic search results. By ranking higher for relevant keywords, you can attract more targeted traffic and capture leads actively searching for solutions.
Remember, the key to capturing leads effectively is to provide value and establish trust from the moment they interact with your brand. Once you have leads in your funnel, nurturing them and guiding them through the different stages of the customer journey is crucial.
How to Identify Your Core Lead Magnet – Are you having trouble building your email list? The best way to get people to opt-in is by offering them free and valuable content! By creating a fantastic lead magnet that aligns with your core offer, you will not only be proving the quality of your products and services but also building a following that will help cement your future success!
#2: How to Nurture Leads Once in the Funnel?
Segment your leads:
Divide your leads into different segments based on their interests, behavior, or demographics. This allows you to deliver personalized content and offers that resonate with each segment, increasing the chances of conversion.
Develop a lead-nurturing email sequence:
Create a series of automated emails that are triggered when a lead enters your funnel. Design these emails to provide value, address pain points, and build trust. Gradually introduce your products or services while nurturing the relationship.
Provide valuable content consistently:
Continue to deliver valuable content through blog posts, newsletters, or social media updates. Position yourself as an industry expert and an invaluable resource for your leads. This keeps them engaged and increases the likelihood of conversion.
Use lead scoring:
Implement a system to identify the most engaged and qualified leads. Assign points based on their interactions with your content, such as opening emails, visiting specific pages, or downloading resources.
#3: How To Convert Nurtured Leads
Now you have a healthy list of leads in your list, and you’ve been nurturing those leads by providing them with content that is giving them quick, actionable wins and helping to move them closer to their desired results. Now what? It’s time to start converting those leads into paying customers. Here are some tips to get you started.
Personalize Your Approach:
Use your collected data to personalize your messaging and offers for each lead. Customize your content to their interests, behavior, and preferences. You can do this by segmenting your email list. For example, suppose someone visits my website because they are interested in having their website Storybranded or want to have a complete redesign done on their website. They will likely download one of my free website workbooks in that case. Once they do, they will get added and segmented in my email marketing system as someone interested in web development. Once that happens, they will start to receive consistent, personalized content that helps them begin to work on their web presence, all the while getting to know me, my team, how we work, how we can help them get from where they are today, to have a website that is a conversion powerhouse!
Offer A Free Trial or Demo:
If you have a service that someone can experience on a free trial or demo of how it works, you can provide a risk-free way for leads to share your product or service. By offering a free trial or demo that showcases the benefits and value of what you submit, you can get people into using your product or service, wow the heck out of them, and then convert them into paying customers who will stay with you forever! You can also do this if you offer a product with a money-back guarantee.
Use Social Proof:
People LOVE to see how others like a product or service; that is why reviews are so popular on sites like Amazon. When someone knows that they need a product or service, they will look to see what experiences others have had before them. It’s a good idea to highlight positive customer reviews, case studies, or testimonials that demonstrate the success and satisfaction of your existing customers. I like to sprinkle social proof into all of my content so my potential customers can see how my current and previous customers have grown their businesses using our services.
For example, I recently worked with a client to create a full-cycle lead conversion funnel. When the project was completed, we started marketing the funnel via paid social media ads. We immediately saw leads coming into the funnel, and she’s already had some leads convert into paying customers. She left me a very excited voicemail after the first conversion! Now, that is something I will be sharing on my website, so anytime someone is looking for help with their funnel, they’ll see her incredible feedback. Social proof can be a powerful motivator for leads to convert.
Provide Clear Pricing and Packages:
This one can be tricky for many people (I know many clients need coaching around “asking for the sale.” When someone does reach out to you or schedule a free consultation, you want to ensure that your pricing and packages are transparent and easy to understand. I like to break down pricing options for my clients so they can easily pick something that works for where they are right now. I avoid any confusion or ambiguity that may deter leads from purchasing. Make buying as easy as possible, and you’ll see more immediate conversion.
Create Urgency:
It’s so important to “strike while the iron is hot”! When a lead comes into your ecosystem, acting on it immediately is essential. One way to get leads to take immediate action is by using scarcity or time-limited offers to create a sense of urgency for your leads. You can highlight limited availability or discounts that expire soon to encourage them to take action.
Use Retargeting Ads:
This one is one of my favorites! If a lead has visited your website but has yet to convert, you can use retargeting ads to re-engage them. You can craft a compelling retargeting ad that will remind them of your value proposition and encourage them to take the next step. It’s a great way to grab the attention of those leads again immediately and convert them while they are still hot!
Provide Exceptional Customer Service:
When you interact with any lead, you want to ensure that your customer service is responsive, helpful, and empathetic. You want to address any concerns or questions a lead might have and go above and beyond to provide a positive experience. If you can provide more free value (without going overboard), you will further show them they are the right person for them to work with.
Follow Up Consistently:
This is the step that 99% of people don’t do; you have to follow up. If a lead has yet to convert after the initial contact, following up consistently with them, providing additional value propositions or offers, and showing them you are a go-getter will close more sales. You want to be persistent without being pushy and continue to provide value throughout the process. That’s the key to closing the deal.
Remember, the key to converting leads is understanding their needs, addressing their pain points, and consistently providing value. By building a solid relationship and trust with your leads, you can convert them into loyal customers who will continue to do business with you in the long run.
Here’s a summary of the key takeaways on how to build a robust lead conversion funnel:
- Understand the customer journey stages and guide leads from the top to the bottom of the funnel.
- Engage with leads by providing valuable content, answering their questions, and addressing their concerns.
- Nurturing Leads Once in the Funnel:
- Segment your leads based on interests, behavior, or demographics to deliver personalized content.
- Develop a lead nurturing email sequence that provides value, addresses pain points, and builds trust.
- Consistently offer valuable content through various channels to keep leads engaged.
- Converting Nurtured Leads:
- Personalize your messaging and offers based on lead data and segmentation.
- Offer free trials or demos to showcase the value of your product or service.
- Utilize social proof by highlighting positive customer reviews, case studies, and testimonials.
- Provide transparent pricing and packages to remove any confusion or ambiguity.
- Create a sense of urgency through time-limited offers or scarcity.
- Use retargeting ads to re-engage leads who have visited your website but have yet to convert, provide exceptional customer service, and follow up consistently to close the deal.
Understanding your ideal client avatar, having a compelling lead magnet, and testing your lead conversion funnel are essential components of successful lead capturing and converting. By effectively implementing these strategies and marketing your funnel, you can start generating conversions and growing your business.
Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA) – Are you struggling to know your ICA inside and out? Do you have an exact vision of who your ICA is? This template is going to help you dig into those important details you need! Remember, you NEED to know your ICA before you can begin to market to them. Because if you are marketing to everyone, you are marketing to no one!
Today’s Challenge:
Do you know who your ICA (ideal client avatar) is?
If yes, fantastic! Check #1 off your to-do list. If not, or if unsure, jump over to jennielyon.com/ica to grab our free ICA Worksheet! It will help you narrow down who your ICA is, so you can have this person in mind when you create content for them.
Do you have a free core lead magnet?
If yes, you are terrific – move on to #3! If not, or I have one, but it’s not converting, hop over to jennielyon.com/leadmagnet to download one of our most popular workbooks on creating a core lead magnet that will convert. And if you have a lead magnet that isn’t transforming and you still need to figure out why, please schedule a free consultation at jennielyon.com/chat, and we can chat about it!
Do you have a series of at least 7 nurturing emails each lead will receive once they opt into your freebie?
If yes, you are on fire! If no, or again if they aren’t converting! Pull them out and take a look at them with fresh eyes. Does each email provide actionable, valuable information that your audience can put into play today? Do these small, actionable steps produce a small result? Remember to ensure that each of your nurturing emails is all about your audience (not about you or the product or service you provide.)
Have you tested your lead conversion funnel lately?
If yes, wow – why are you here? If not, this is something I see happen all of the time. Recently, a new client came to us to run Facebook ads to their funnel. As part of our Facebook ad package, we always recommend that our customers include a full-funnel audit. The reason? We want to ensure that they have an iron-clad funnel that will convert because we hook an ad up to it and start spending money! 9 out of 10 times, there is some problem with the funnel. Whether it’s been writing for the wrong ICA, the messaging isn’t on point; the free offer isn’t solid enough, the nurturing emails don’t provide enough value, or even worse….
We recently audited a funnel that directed to a landing page, and NONE of the links worked! The client was mortified! She had been sending leads there for months and couldn’t figure out why all these people were landing on the page and not converting. Well, they couldn’t convert, and the links didn’t work. The point, test every step of your funnel! Or have an experienced digital marketing team or virtual assistant test the funnel for you!
Market the Heck Out of It!
Now that you have a solid lead conversion machine, it’s time to market it. Get it out everywhere you can! And if you want to see leads immediately, add a social media ad (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.) to the beginning of your funnel. Ads are the gasoline that will kick your lead generation into high gear, and you could see conversions as quickly as a week or two.
In conclusion, capturing and converting leads requires a strategic approach and a well-designed lead conversion funnel. Following the three steps outlined in this blog and utilizing the free downloads provided, you can attract leads, nurture them, and convert them into paying customers.
Links for this episode:
Rate, Review, & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts
If you like what you hear on the podcast, please consider rating and reviewing my show! Woo Hoo! Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” I would love to hear what episodes you enjoy the most!
If you haven’t done so already, please subscribe to the podcast. I’ll be adding new content weekly, if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out. Subscribe now!
