Taking the Lead in Lead Generation

Whether or not lead generation is the sole purpose of your website, the fact remains that it is important to answer your prospect’s questions and communicate the value of doing business with you. When you anticipate what your prospects look for and consider every visitor as a potential customer, then you are on target in generating potential customer interest not only on your website, but on the products and services you offer.

Online lead generation is the creation and generation of prospective customer interest or inquiry into a company’s products and services online. There are many possible purposes behind lead generation – list building, e-newsletter list acquisition, reward and loyalty programs, and other forms of member acquisition. Basically, a lead is a sign-up for a company’s particular offer that includes contact information and even demographic information in some forms. There are two types of leads: (a) sales leads which are generated based on demographic criteria and resold to multiple advertisers who are usually followed up through phone calls; and, (b) marketing leads which are more brand-specific and generated for a unique advertisement offer, and sold only once.

Lead generation is advantageous for both the buyer and the seller. A buyer is given the opportunity to request for more information from businesses regarding their desired product and the seller is given the chance to promote their products to those who authorize them to. In addition, lead generation enables a company to: (a) Determine pricing on a per lead basis; (b) Choose what products and services to promote to a prospect; (c) Choose the best geographical area to promote in; and, (d) Control the lead quantity of the company and aid in the budgeting process.

If your visitors are not converting into leads, then there’s something wrong in your website. The design and content of your website should be able to do the negotiating for you because unfortunately, you are not available every second of the day to guide every site visitor. People could be fickle creatures - if you do not succeed in holding their attention and show them the value of doing business with you, they will have no qualms in turning to your competition. Persuasion is a weapon you have to make the most out of because every business works around this characteristic. When working on your site, learn how to convert your visitors into profitable leads:

· Project your message loud and clear – It is important that your visitors know what they came for. A big part of this step is researching all the positive and negative points of the products and services you offer. Emphasize the good points and downplay the bad points while you work to solve them. The contents of your website should be enough to answer their questions and make them realize you could provide them what they want and need.

· Use the language your viewers would understand – As much as possible, minimize the use of jargon. Viewers are bound to get the impression that they are not the intended audience of a website that is overflowing with technical terms. Even though it is recommendable to have a target audience in mind, that still does not change the fact that every site visitor could be a prospect. It would be more strategic to use a language that everyone would understand. Of course, there are times that it is unavoidable to include technical terms. In those cases, be sure to define them in a clear and concise manner.

· Focus on their wants and needs instead of yours – While confidence and pride in your company is necessary, do not overlook your viewers’ side of things. The viewers should be the ones on the center stage. Do not focus on telling them how brilliant you are. You should show them, and what better way to do that than to understand, help identify, and provide their wants and needs?

· Do not ask for too much information – When asking your viewers to fill out a form, keep the questions on a ‘need to know’ level. If you ask for too many details, people are less likely to complete the form. Conversion rates tend to be proportional to the amount of information requested especially in lead conversion processes. Lead conversion is also a two-way street - the more customer information you request, the more value they expect from you. You should avoid including questions that they would deem unnecessary. If you truly want them to entrust you with more information, then you should be prepared to give them something that would earn that trust.

· Visual aids are a must – Design is worth a thousand words. Effective web design is also a big part of lead generation. If the design is not attractive, user-friendly, and goal-driven, then your viewers will not turn into leads. Would the website attract your viewers at first glance? Is your website easy to navigate? Would your viewers be able to spot the most relevant buttons easily? These are questions you should consider carefully in the lead generation process.

· Help your viewers figure out what they want – The moment they land on your homepage, help your visitors identify what they want and acquire it promptly. By doing this, you make them feel understood and strengthen the bond you have established with them. Many of your visitors are casual online browsers. Not all of them would have the intention to purchase. Some of them might be there to pass the time, find out more information, etc. However, just because they don’t intend to buy initially does not mean they never will. Let them know who you are, what you do, and what you have to offer in a highly effective manner. You could still persuade them to become leads.

· Analyze and test your methods – Two words that are critical in the world of lead generation are ‘web analytics’. You cannot neglect to evaluate your methods. Make sure your visitors would be able to give you feedback. Track the important details like the responses you get and the amount of time visitors spend on your site. Determine which parts of your site make visitors leave and which parts garner positive responses.

As the virtual front door to your business, your website does not exist for the sole purpose of attracting visitors. More importantly, your website should attract profit. In this day and age, more and more people conduct different businesses online – buyers and sellers alike –you’re your website is the primary tool that can convert visits into the leads that you need for your business.

Somni Creative, Inc., rich media marketing professionals from Los Angeles, California, specialize in providing online customer acquisition and lead generation services. Call us at (310) 6973199 or visit www.somnicreative.com.

References:

Wikipedia - Online Lead Generation

7 Tips For Generating Leads Online

How the Web is Won - 4 Lead-Generating Tactics That Convert Online Prospects Into Customers

Telemarketing Lead Generation

Marketing Benefits of Using Lead Generation

Use Network Marketing Lea ds Generation Ideas For Your Profit

The Collaboration of Web Aesthetics and Usability

In designing a website, it is advantageous to think of your visitors as shoppers and the web as a huge mall with countless competitors. Shoppers who are caught up in the hustle and bustle do not have much time to spare. They might glance at items and scan the labels and descriptions that caught their attention, but they only linger when they start considering to purchase a product in a particular store. In this scenario, your website is one of those stores. As Rebecca Bloomwood said in the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie, “You know that thing when you see someone cute and he smiles and your heart kind of goes like a warm butter sliding down a hot toast? Well, that’s what is like when I see a store. Only it’s better.” Does your website have the power to do that to a customer? As your visual representation, your website’s initial role is to attract the visitor and convince him to stay.

An important characteristic of an effective website is having the perfect balance between functionality and design. You cannot afford to sacrifice one for the other. Your website might have great features but if the user doesn’t know how to use them, those features would be useless; or your website might rate high at usability but if it does not stand out, then you would be beaten by much more attractive websites that are user-friendly. Steve Krug’s first law of usability clearly states that you must not force people to think unnecessarily when they’re using your site. Everything in your website must be palpable and self-explanatory:

· Remember the “HOME” in Homepage. It is called homepage for a reason. It is the place where you lay out the groundwork for your customers – the products and services you offer, their online options with regards to trial and/or purchase, etc. No matter which area the user is in, the link to the homepage should always be visible. The link could be in the form of the company logo, business name, or simply “back to home”.

· Visibility Adds Weight to Credibility. Show your viewers that you are the real deal. The best way to do this is by giving them many options on how to interact with you. Aside from publishing your contact details i.e. address, phone numbers, and e-mail address, you can include a feedback/survey form in your website for them to fill out and submit. By providing your customers various means to contact you, you are showing them that you value their convenience and that makes them trust you more. People are more likely to purchase from sellers they trust.

· Provide Your Viewers with Clear Navigation. Assume that not everyone who browses online is an expert. Your viewers should not feel lost in your website. There are useful tools like site maps, services index, and search features that would make navigating easier.

· The Relevant Factors Should Load Within a Few Seconds. Graphics and flash presentations are impressive and striking to behold but they also add to the weight of your website. A long loading time would easily result to frustration to the impatient viewer giving him enough reason to leave your site before you could promote your product.

· Test Your Website for Compatibility. Before you launch your website, make sure that it would load properly in different popular internet browsers, screen resolutions, internet connection speeds, etc. Accessibility is one of the most significant factors of a website’s success.

Being mindful of the latest web design trends will help you get ahead. Many people might prioritize usability but as human beings, we do tend to be more drawn to attractive things. Users might say that stunning websites always load slower - some even say that graphics-heavy websites give them eye strain. Do not be discouraged by comments of that nature. Keep in mind that those websites they were commenting on probably did not achieve the balance between aesthetics and usability. Take the risk and give both elements equal attention. It is possible to construct a beautifully designed website that users would find easy to peruse. It is otherwise known as strategic design:

· Take Note of Your Target Users. Keep in mind that you are designing the website for target users. Take note of the target users’ general preferences, age group, social backgrounds, etc. All these factors should be taken into consideration during the actual design process.

· The Website Design Should Complement Your Company. It is important to determine the look and feel that suit the nature of your business. You have colors, font designs, graphics, and other elements at your disposal. Put all these together and by using different web design techniques, have them convey the right emotion for your viewers. You have to be able to manipulate them into projecting the company in the best possible light.

· Be Mindful of Your Goal. After considering the nature of your company in your web design, determine your goals because these same goals should reflect in your design. If your main goal is to inform, then it would be recommendable to opt for a clean and minimalist look in order for viewers to focus on the text. On the other hand, if you want the focus to be on the portfolio of a particular company, it would be advisable to be bolder in the design process.

· Lead Viewers to the Right Action. After establishing your web goal, work on driving your viewers to action. Sync your design with your strategy. For instance, if you want the user to download a free trial, then use an appropriate call-to-action button. Do you want to highlight a snippet of information in your article? You could use a different color and/or bold the text.

· Always Integrate Useful and Persuasive Content. Choose stunning images to capture the viewers’ attention. As long as it wouldn’t take too long to load, a flash presentation would be ideal for certain themes. As for textual content, write concise yet entertaining articles to inform and convince viewers that you are an expert in your field. People may not have ample time to read but that does not necessarily mean that they do not scan. This is the reason why it is also important to consider the formatting of your text.

There are many steps to take towards building an effective website. The collaboration process of design and usability requires a massive amount of effort from you but in the end, all the hard work will be worth it. It all boils down to designing a website that is not only aesthetic, but a website that works.

Somni Creative, Inc., rich media marketing professionals from Los Angeles, California, specialize in providing web design and development, and online customer acquisition services. Call us at (310) 6973199 or visit www.somnicreative.com.

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References:

Website Design Fundamentals - Creating Effective Websites

Developing a Website

The Process of Developing a Website

Developing Effective Website Content

Developing a Website Strategy for Success

Developing and Managing Website Content

Developing Websites

Developing a website? First You Need a Contract

Designing and Developing Your Website

Smashing Magazine - 10 Principles of Effective Web Design

Smashing Magazine - Strategic Design: 6 Steps for Building Successful Websites