How To Turn Your Website Into A Lead Generation Machine

Welcome to another video in our ‘Taking Care of Business’ series. In this video I’m going to look at how to turn your website into an automated lead generation machine.

Let me start by saying, in the digital and social age, your website could be the difference between doom, gloom and boom. While your website serves many purposes, its primary role is to generate leads and new customers. In fact, if it’s not delivering new business it could be time for a makeover or possibly a new website. 

 All too often we see websites that are nothing more than electronic brochures that list the who, what and where of the business. They lack the key ingredients to convert visitors into customers and in this video I’m going to identify some of the essential features your website needs to generate new business. 

Let’s start with a headline on your home page. It’s basically your pitch to your target market that spells out the end benefit they will receive if they choose to deal with you. It could be more sales, more revenue or more customers. It might be advice you can trust or the promise to save time or money.Either way, you need a headline with a clear message. 

Next, what do you want your prospects to do when they land on your website? … It could be get a free quote, download an e-book, subscribe to your newsletter or add a product to their shopping cart. Calls to Action guide your prospects to take the next step and you can have multiple calls to action on your key pages. Make the offers irresistible so they don’t leave your website without taking action. 

Next … you need a lead magnet which is something of value you offer your website visitors in exchange for their contact details. It could be an e-Book, a video, a how-to guide, a checklist, template or a free product sample. The more valuable and relevant your lead magnet is, the more likely your website visitors will hand over their contact details.The purpose of the free giveaway is to build a list of email contacts for your lead nurturing campaigns. Make sure the form you get your prospects to fill in is simple and just ask for their basic contact information.

Videos are a crucial part of your marketing arsenal and YouTube is now the second biggest search engine behind Google. Statistically speaking, over 500 million people watch videos on Facebook every day and one-third of online activity is spent watching video.

The millennials aged in their 20’s and 30’s watch the most videos online and while they can obviously help sell your products and services, they can also keep visitors on your website for longer which is a Google ranking factor. 

Social proof provides evidence to your website visitors that your products and services work. Satisfied customers can convince your prospects to buy from you and the most effective form of social proof is testimonials. These can be written or on video but make sure your customer has given you authority to use their testimonial. Ideally, include their name, location and business name with the testimonial.

Of course, positive comments on social media also serve as excellent social proof and 5 star Google Reviews are highly valuable because your Google review count and score are factored into the local search rankings.  If you still need convincing about the importance of Google reviews, 90% of customers say buying decisions are influenced by online reviews. 

Social Media is an important part of the marketing mix and research suggests that on average, Facebook users log in more than 7 times a day. This means you have to be on social media and you must have the links integrated into your website. Users can like your pages directly from your website and the channels you might want to consider are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google and YouTube.

You should have a blog on your website that lets you write commentary about new products or services, the latest trends in the market or provide an insight into the industry. Your blog can position you as the industry expert and build trust with your customers.

Let’s face it, today’s time-poor lifestyle means everyone has become impatient. Customers expect an instant response so consider including a live chat feature on your site to give your prospects a great service experience.

In summary, treat your website as an investment not a cost and these 8 features could turn your website into a lead generation machine and give you a serious competitive edge in your industry.