8 min read
Lead targeting
Eloise Brink
March 16, 2022
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Have you ever wondered why some companies always seem to get their target audience spot on, while others miss the mark? Well, there's no secret sauce – it all comes down to targeting. And in today's article, we're going to delve into lead targeting. So read on to learn how to identify your target audience and how to convert them into paying customers through lead acceleration.
How do I target sales leads?
There are a few different ways to target sales leads. One way is to use targeted advertising, which allows you to focus your efforts on a specific group of people. You can also use lead lists, which are compiled of potential customers that meet certain criteria. Additionally, you can reach out to leads through social media or other online channels.
No matter how you go about it, it's important to understand your target audience and what they want. By understanding their needs and desires, you can create content and offers that appeal to them and increase your chances of conversion. Keep in mind that not everyone who visits your site will be interested in buying from you, so it's important to have a solid lead qualification and capture process in place.
Identify your target customer
Identifying your target customer is the first step in marketing and selling to them successfully. You need to gather data about who they are (demographics, interests, activities) as well as what motivates them and how they make decisions.
The best way to identify your target customer is to start by creating a buyer persona. This is a fictional representation of your ideal customer, based on real data from your customers and prospects. To create a buyer persona, you'll need to know:
- their demographics (age, sex, location, etc.)
- their interests and activities
- what motivates them
- how they make decisions
Now you can begin to tailor your marketing and sales efforts specifically to reach them.
Converting your audience into customers
Once you understand your target audience, use the tactics outlined below to convert them into customers:
- Do extensive market research to find out where they are and what they're interested in.
- Develop lead-focused content that is relevant and valuable.
- Find the right keywords and target them with content and ads.
- Create landing pages and forms that are easy to use and convert well.
- Experiment with different versions of your content and lead capture methods to see which ones work best.
- Follow up with leads quickly to increase the chances of converting them into customers.
- Use lead scoring to prioritize leads and focus your efforts on the ones most likely to convert.
Let’s take a deeper dive into each of these tactics.
1. Extensive market research
It's important to do extensive market research to find out where your target customer is and what they’re interested in. This research will help you understand your competition and how best to reach your target audience. Ideally, your research should include:
- a review of your competitor's products and marketing efforts,
- an analysis of your target audience's online behavior (where they hang out, what they search for, etc.),
- an evaluation of the media channels that reach them most effectively, and
- a study of the cultural trends that interest them.
Only by understanding all of this can you create marketing content and a strategy that effectively reaches and engages your target customer.
2. Developing lead-focused content
You already know who your target customer is. Now you need to develop lead-focused content that will attract them. Try to create content that is interesting and relevant, and that provides real value to them. Your content should focus on addressing their problems and needs.
Your target customer is likely inundated with marketing messages from all directions, so you'll need to stand out from the crowd. Creating valuable content is key – if your target customer sees that you're not just trying to sell them something, they'll be more likely to listen to what you have to say.
3. Keywords
Keywords research lets you see what your target audience is searching for. It helps you figure out what they care about. One such tool that can help you find keywords related to your business is Google Ads Keywords Planner.
To use the Keywords Planner, simply enter a keyword or phrase into the tool and it will generate a list of related keywords along with their search volume and competition. You can then use those keywords in your content, marketing and targeted ads. You can also use it to create ad campaigns around specific keywords.
4. Create landing pages and forms
Once you've developed lead-focused content, you'll need to promote your content and capture any leads that come through. One of the best ways to do this is by creating landing pages and web forms.
Landing pages
It's important to design your landing page for maximum conversion. Your landing page design should be visually appealing and easy to use. The layout should be simple and the copy clear and concise.
Tip: Make sure your landing page is mobile-friendly as most people now browse the web using their phones and tablets.
To create a landing page that converts, you'll need:
- an attention-grabbing headline
- a brief description of what the product is
- a graphic or video explaining the product
- a form for people to sign up or download
- social media buttons to help spread the word
- an opt-in button (a call to action that encourages people to sign up for your email list or download your product)
It's important to test different versions of your landing page to see which one converts the best.
Did you know? With ChatOnce, you can create a standalone bot as a landing page. Standalone chatbots are the easiest way to get started with ChatOnce. You can build one in a few minutes and then share it using a standalone link. They're a great way of creating campaign landing pages and there's no need to update your website!
Web forms
A web form is a simple way to collect information from website visitors. It lets you capture information such as name, email address, company, and phone number. You can then build a database of leads that you can contact later on.
You can also use web forms to ask potential customers about their interests. This will allow you to better understand your target audience and create content and ads that appeal to them.
When creating a web form, it's important to keep it as short and simple as possible. The more information you ask for, the less likely people are to fill out the form. It's also important to make sure the form is easy to fill out and that the input fields are labeled clearly.
Did you know? With FormOnce, you can qualify leads and connect them instantly with the right people in your team. FormOnce forms capture more leads than traditional forms by making the experience conversational. They also capture better leads by targeting the right website visitors with the right questions. See here how FormOnce can help you capture, qualify and connect with leads.
5. Testing
It's important to test your content and lead capture methods. You can use a tool such as A/B testing to test different versions of your content and landing page to see which one performs better.
To conduct an A/B test, you'll need:
- a control version – the version you want to keep unchanged
- a variation – the version you want to test
You can then send traffic to both versions of the page and measure how many people convert from each page. The version that converts better is the one you 'll want to use in the future.
Also, make sure you have a good dashboard reporting tool that can help you understand what's working and what needs to be improved.
6. Follow up with leads
Follow up with leads quickly to increase the chances of converting them into customers. In fact, 78% of customers buy from the company that responds first.
The sooner you can follow up with a lead, the better. This forms part of lead acceleration. You can do this by sending them an email, calling them, or meeting with them in person. But ideally, you want to engage with them instantly. This is where chatbots, web forms and live chat come in.
Chatbots
You can use chatbots to communicate with potential customers on your website or on social media. Chatbots are a great way of following up with leads quickly and they can help you increase the chances of converting them into customers.
There are several ways you can use chatbots to follow up with leads:
- As a lead capture tool – You can use chatbots to ask potential customers for their name, email address, company, and phone number. This information can be used to build a database of leads.
- As a sales tool – You can use chatbots to provide potential customers with product information and to answer their questions. You can also use chatbots to close deals with potential customers.
ChatOnce allows you to not only reach out to your leads, but allows you to convert your bot conversation into a live conversation. That way you can connect with potential customers in real-time through live chat and answer any questions they may have.
Web forms
As mentioned, web forms allow you to capture lead data which enables you to follow up with these leads later on. But what if your form could qualify your website visitor and allow you to instantly engage with qualified leads? Watch this space! Soon FormOnce will have an instant lead engagement option (live chat) allowing you to connect with your leads there and then.
Live chat
Another way of following up with leads quickly is by using live chat. Live chat allows you to communicate with potential customers in real-time. You can use live chat to provide potential customers with product information and to answer their questions. You can also use live chat to close deals with potential customers.
There are several benefits of using live chat:
- It's instant – You can communicate with potential customers in real-time.
- It's personal – You can communicate with potential customers one-on-one.
- It's convenient – Potential customers can communicate with you from anywhere.
- It's affordable – Live chat is a cost effective way to communicate with potential customers.
Live chat is already available in ChatOnce and it's coming soon to FormOnce.
7. Lead scoring
Lead scoring is the process of assigning a value (or score) to a lead, typically based on their behavior or interests. Use lead scoring to prioritize leads and focus your efforts on the ones most likely to convert. This score can be based on factors such as:
- how interested they are in your product,
- how much authority they have, and
- how likely they are to buy.
You can then prioritize these leads and assign them to the sales team.
Conclusion
Identifying and targeting your audience is essential to a successful marketing campaign. But it’s not enough just to identify them, you also need to convert them into paying customers as quickly as possible. Lead acceleration is a great way of pushing customers through the sales funnel. Have you tried using lead acceleration in your own marketing?Why not start with OnceHub free today.
How do I get started with OnceHub?
If you're new to OnceHub, you can get started with a free Starter account. It's completely free for 25 users and includes access to ChatOnce, FormOnce and ScheduleOnce.
If you're an existing OnceHub user, you don't need to pay extra to start using any of our products! Your existing user licenses for live chat, instant meetings, or scheduled meetings will work across all our products. Why not get started with one of our ready-to-go templates?