As the first step in the sales funnel, lead generation plays a critical role in every brand’s success. However, it can be hard to grasp with so many different options available. In this article, we cover the best marketing trends to integrate in your lead generation tactics this year. You’ll definitely benefit because they have proven both their profitability and credibility.
Content Marketing
Content marketing, particularly post-pandemic, includes creating and distributing relevant information with the purpose to augment brand awareness and improve lead generation prospects. Content is an exceptional opportunity to appeal to and pull leads through the sales funnel.
Content marketing includes, but is not limited to blog posts, podcasts, e-books, case studies, infographics, and videos. Content optimization for search engines will result in improved brand visibility and quicker lead generation.
Key Points
Among the strategies that remain relevant to increasing referral traffic and brand awareness is link building content.
It’s reasonable to expect the pandemic to remain relevant as a subject throughout 2020, so if your industry isn’t directly related to it, see if there are any related subjects you can create content around. Even remotely related ones have potential, such as psychotherapy and psychological help, working from home, time management, and the economy.
Increasing Engagement
Consumers are becoming more and more discerning when it comes to brand authenticity, so that’s something to consider in the process of promoting your brand or company. Successful brands lead the way by delivering customized and personalized content.
Empathy is a vital part of the process because very few don’t experience any anxiety whatsoever in our day and age. If you ignore your current and potential customers’ needs and concerns, you risk alienating them. Use words like “online”, “remote,” “in-home,” “contact-free,” “downloadable,” and “delivery” in your content; they create and reinforce a sense of safety.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing not only isn’t going anywhere; it’s becoming a crucial lead generation trend. More and more brands are finding and cooperating with influencers in their niche. This trend has proven its effectiveness and reliability. An influencer can reasonably be expected to attract tens of thousands of followers, who trust what this person says and are loyal to him or her. Followers are exposed to a brand because the influencer enjoys their trust. This can lead to any number of advantages, such as good return on investment, quick lead generation, and growing conversion rates.
Email Marketing
Email marketing will remain highly effective and popular in uncertain times. According to data of Marketing Sherpa, 72% of customers prefer email as their main channel of communication. Its potential as a lucrative strategy for lead generation is indisputable. Not only does email marketing help you establish trust; it also helps build brand credibility. What is more, making use of email marketing will develop relationships between current and potential clients. Email marketing makes it possible to deliver newsletters, reach out to cold and warm leads, educate leads about your product, and segment and customize to be more reliable as a brand than ever before. Include key takeaways in the body of an email if you’re planning an email pitch.
Video Marketing
In 2019, the popularity of videos skyrocketed and what’s more, experts anticipate it to account for 82% of the total web traffic by 2022. Almost two-thirds of people would rather watch a video than read or watch TV. The potential of video marketing to boost reach and engagement and drive sales is undeniable. It is a priceless lead generation tactic in terms of increasing authority and trust.
In 2019, we wrote that “video content dominates internet traffic.” This trend is simply not going anywhere. YouTube had 2 billion unique viewers a month in 2019, which was just under half of all the internet users on the planet! Moreover, viewers are not limiting their viewing habits to their personal devices. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki informs that YouTube users watched about 250 million hours on their TVs daily last year.
Users are scouring the internet for video content en masse and marketers are rushing to fulfill their demands accordingly. This is hardly a surprise to anyone. Please be warned that you’ll be missing out on a huge market if you don’t include videos in your content marketing strategy. No brand should lose the opportunity to tap this market.
Video Marketing Tips
You could start a YouTube channel for your brand or company and create content that highlights your services, products, or brand identity. If your budget allows it, hire a professional to do this for you. It is an investment that tends to pay off. More likely than not, your video content will attract more people to your brand than you expect.
Apart from YouTube, you can embed videos in social media posts. You can find lots of leads there because people spend more than 2 hours on social media every day. This comes to 15 hours a week and a whopping 60 a month – at a bare minimum! What is more, video posts on social media get 48% more views according to HubSpot. As a result, more people will come to recognize your brand, which is a key step in creating and maintaining loyalty.
Last but not least, you can include video in the emails you send out to clients. You can both create and convert leads via email. When it comes to email marketing strategies, educational videos work best.
Interactive Content
In 2020, interactive content will impact businesses in a colossal way. The click rate on interactive emails is 73% higher than on non-interactive ones. This is far from the only statistic testifying to the excellent response to interactive elements. Interactive content increases engagement with content by capturing the reader’s attention.
You shouldn’t hesitate to implement these types of content in your marketing strategy starting in 2020. Among the ways to do that is to include polls, surveys, or quizzes. These will help get more data on clients and leads. Calculators and interactive infographics will attract leads and maintain engagement. E-books, white papers, and interactive email will help readers grasp and comprehend data more easily.