Four ideas that will help generate leads

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How to generate leads for a company is one of the main questions that business people ask every day. We all want to generate more leads for our businesses. But how do we intend to do it? For many companies, this is literally a million-dollar question. No matter what your business model is, content is still king. One research study a few years ago revealed that plenty of B2B marketers have documented plans to improve their lead generation budgets by up to 50% the following year. That investment is still on the rise overall.

Let’s start with defining a lead:
What is referred to as a Lead?

A lead is a person who has indicated interest in your company's product or service.

In other words, instead of getting a random call from someone who purchased your contact details, you'd hear from a company or business you've already opened communication with.

Check out how these FOUR types of unique content ideas can help you meet your lead generations:

1. SURVEY
We all like to share our ideas. As marketers, let’s absorb that human instinct and use it to drive leads. Rather than just stating the gains of your service, why not ask your prospects to rank their top three problems, or share their own idea for a new program?

Sixty questions in ten point font is not going to drive the leads home, but a quick two to three questions, with an awesome layout, might be just the opportunity your prospects have been looking for to share ideas and preferences. And, as a marketer, you can use the survey responses to suit your own marketing and continue the discussion.

MarketingProfs ran a popular “Day in the Life of a Marketer” survey that acquired a 42% click through rate (CTR). Another awesome example comes from Xyleme, who created a survey on measuring learning that has been helpful in driving leads (82% lead submission rate for those that began the survey).

2. CONTESTS
Like quizzes, contests are no more just for consumer brands. Contests come in all formats, but our favourites are based on user content: upload a selfie, video or art work: You provide the concept — your prospects provide the content. A contest/competition can come with an awesome prize or it might just be “bragging rights.” The key, from a lead generation outlook, is to make sure the contest is bringing in the right prospects for you. The questions and prize should suit the kind of people you are looking to have a sales conversation with.

Do you think your product is too expensive or your market will not be interested for a contest? Atmel, manufacturer of microcontrollers, ran a video contest targeted towards marketers, engineers, entertainers and hobbyists. With almost 500 entries, 218,000 votes, and 165,337 participants referred through social media channels, I’d call it a success!

3. INTERACTIVE INFOGRAPHICS AND WHITE PAPERS.
The engaging infographic and white paper take two of B2B marketing’s most important types of content and make them faster by putting in same type of “info exchange” that is made available in quizzes, calculators, and surveys. As opposed to simply texts and images on a page, there are awesome opportunities, questions and results, and a chance to tailor the experience by how the reader relates to these questions. The result is a truly personalized, useful piece of material that takes advantage of the power of digital literacy and provides both the marketers and consumers with targeted info. Endicia, which gives postage and shipping solutions, put together infographic based on package returns. Most importantly your job as a content marketer is to get your listener's attention, and then to harness and keep it. With average click through rates of 60% and lead conversion rates of 50%, interactive content might be just what you need to boost your lead generation in 2016.

4. QUIZZES
No more simply the area of ladies' magazines and Buzzfeed puff pieces, tests are presently genuine business for the B2B advertiser. Especially at the highest point of the pipe, advertisers are utilizing tests as an approach to attract prospects and begin a dialog.

Tests offer various advantages as lead generators.

• Because they are normally captivating and fast, requiring to a lesser extent a promise from the prospect than perusing a white paper, for instance, they are for the most part more powerful at the highest point of the channel than a white paper download.
• Quizzes have high begin and fulfillment rates. For instance, a basic trivia test has a normal snap rate of 41% and normal finishing rate of 43%. That last detail is essential: regardless of the possibility that your prospects download your white paper, how would you know whether they have perused it? 
• In expansion, tests offer two-way data stream: you as an advertiser can share data and by soliciting an arrangement from inquiries, you can pick up data about your prospect that can be caught for future effort and sustaining.
• Quizzes are likewise, as we as a whole know from our Facebook nourishes, very shareable. Overall, there is a 15% offer rate for intelligent substance such as tests — how can that contrast and your present offer rates?
• Finally, a well done test assembles trust: with some insightful inquiries and "results," you can show that your organization comprehends the issue, test, or individual they are focusing on, making it more probable that future correspondence from your organization will be considered. For instance, worldwide ability administration counseling firm DDI constructed a Typical Authority Styles test and has found that prospects who draw in with this intelligent substance are 5x more inclined to open subsequent messages from DDI.

Enjoy.

Alejandro Catalan
Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School