Lead Generation Tips and Tools: 9 Easy Ways to Grow Your Audience

Launch Your Online Business in Just 7 Days

For small businesses, it can be a struggle to grow their audience.


With roughly 53% of marketers allocating more than half of their budget to lead generation tools, it truly proves that the more leads you have, the merrier your business will be.


But investing a huge amount of money in lead generation tools is not enough. The key is to do your research and to do it wisely.


In this post, you’ll learn the best tools, strategies, and platforms to help you generate more leads.

Ready? Let’s dive right in.

1. What is lead generation?

Source: SearchEngineJournal.com

Lead generation is a marketing activity you use to gather information about your target audience and later use it to get them to take the desired action.


This desired action can be anything — from visiting your website to buying your product.


In any case, you need to know as much as possible about your prospective customers to keep them interested.


To generate leads you need to convince potential leads to give you their contact details so that you can add them to your email list.

1.1 Why is it important to generate leads for your business?

Lead generation is a key process that collects prospects that you can convert into fully-fledged customers of your sales pipeline.


The most important reason to generate leads is, of course, to increase your profits in the sales process.


If you’re running an online business, an email list is the one thing you fully own, and you can easily make money off of it.

Why is it important to generate leads for your business?

If you invest your time and money in lead generation, these are some of the benefits you’ll see:

  • Improve your brand awareness and visibility
  • Your customer base will constantly be on the rise
  • Your customers will trust you and lean on your services/products
  • Improve your conversion rate and sales
  • Save time spent on traditional cold calling and emailing

Generating a constant stream of leads requires a lot of time, effort, and strategizing. But, finding the right plan of action and lead gen tool will make things a lot easier.


The good news is that you’re in the right place. Below, you’ll find everything you need to improve your lead generation and set your business on fire!

2. 9 of the best lead generation strategies

9 of the best lead generation strategies

Before we get into which tool is the best, let’s take a look at the top 9 lead gen strategies used by online entrepreneurs.


After you decide which one of these marketing strategies suits you the best, you can properly choose which tool will be most helpful for your business.

2.1 Become one with your ideal buyer persona

The first and most important step of lead gen is to get to know your customers.


The ideal buyer persona is different from the notion of the target audience. It’s a representation of your ideal customer, and it gives you important information about your customers.

Source: Rockcontent.com

Rely on your sales teams and all the sales and marketing data you gather to get a deeper understanding of your customer’s profile.


Once you find out what your customers' main problems and needs are, you’ll be better equipped to help solve them.


You should tailor your blog and landing pages so they provide the proper content for your customers’ needs.


That way, your customers will trust the information you give them in the future.


You’ll also be generating high-quality leads, as you’ll know that those that opt-in are part of your perfect target audience.

2.2. Create opt-in opportunities for your target audience

Give your website visitors an offer they can’t refuse!


Your blog and landing page should always give relevant information to your visitors.


Still, save some of that information for the ones who are truly ready to engage.


Ask them to fill out a form so that they can get the extra information they need and offer these potential leads a lead magnet.


A lead magnet is a form of inbound marketing that lets you collect your lead's contact details in exchange for something valuable in return.

systeme.io’s lead magnet

systeme.io’s lead magnet

People are cautious to just give out their email addresses, so you need to provide something of value to make it worth their while.


Lead magnets can come in the form of:

  • PDFs
  • Reports
  • Webinars
  • Recipes
  • Guides
  • E-books
  • Courses

This lead generation strategy is 3x more likely to generate leads than any other traditional lead generation strategy, and it costs 62% less.


It is a win-win-win situation: You’re saving money and still generating leads rapidly, while your site visitors get the content they truly need, for free!


The best way to show your customers that they’re not just sales targets for you is to give them a variety of opt-in opportunities once they visit your website.


Systeme.io is one of the best lead generation software tools because we offer you a variety of different features, like building an online course or running an evergreen webinar, for easy, online lead generation.

Some of systeme.io’s opt-in form templates

Some of systeme.io’s opt-in form templates

Use that trust you’ve built with your customers and ask them to drop their email addresses so that you can give them what they need. Boom, contact details in the bag!

2.3. Optimize your website and landing pages

This is a must if you want to give your website visitors a good user experience.


If you don’t own a website or you want to upgrade yours, do it right now.


Remember, if your visitors have a good experience, they’ll be more likely to return.


If you want your targeted leads to fill out a form and leave contact information, make that call-to-action (CTA) button shine and find the right place on your landing page for it to pop up!


Also, test and optimize absolutely everything:

  • Your fonts
  • Colors
  • Contact info
  • Website loading speed
  • Your CTAs
  • Your ‘About-us’ page

And rewrite every old and outdated blog post.


You’d be amazed how much one small change on a website could boost your lead gen and increase your website traffic.

2.4. Ask your prospective customers for referrals

Source: Hareerdeals.com

Word-of-mouth marketing, also known as affiliate marketing, is probably the oldest and the most organic marketing strategy ever.


It takes brand awareness to a whole new level and could help you attract more leads!


In fact, B2B marketers report that 62% of their leads come from referrals.


The best thing about affiliate marketing is that it will get you qualified leads because your paying customers are sending them your way, which means they are already interested in what you have to offer.


Before you ask for referrals, build a strong value that your customers can promote.


You can ask your paying customers for referrals through newsletters, but don’t be too pushy! One of the best referral strategies would be to create an affiliate marketing program.


With systeme.io’s Freemium plan you can do this easily and make your earning potential unlimited.


For example, if you run an online business, our marketing tool can help with your affiliate IDs automatically assigned to your trusted customers. Once they get you a new lead and customer, they’ll get a discount.


That way you’ll have loyal customers who will feel more like partners to your business, and a new strategy to bring in new ones!

2.5. Get creative with your Google Ads

Google Ads logo

Google Ads logo

Let’s be honest — Google Ads can be so boring.


Take advantage of that, and make an ad that’ll stand out!


Using Google Ads is extremely useful since it gets you sales-qualified leads because people will click-through if they’re interested in buying.


The best way to do that is to think like your potential customers. Write a creative and emotional ad that will meet your prospects’ needs.


The feature that makes your brand stand out should also be emphasized in the ad. Be sure to name every discount or deal you offer with an appealing CTA.


Don’t forget to do keyword research and to use SEO (Search Engine Optimization) while writing an ad, since it is a tool that will help your ad rank higher in the search results and therefore improve the sales process.


There are a lot of marketing tools on the market that can help you track your sales and marketing data.


Probably the best known is Google Analytics, and we’ll get into other marketing tools later.


Once you find a way for prospects to click on your ad and visit your website, it’s time to generate some sales leads.

2.6. Provide plenty of free trials, deals, and offers

The price is the most important thing for a customer to choose your product or service over other ones in the market.


Your prospects could be interested, but still not ready to buy.


This is when a great deal kicks in!


Free trials, free consultation, great discounts, and deals — no matter what kind of online business you own, do it and do it now.


With 47% of buyers claiming they’re ready to sacrifice their privacy for a great deal, it’s easy to see why this lead generation strategy can give you great results.


Your deals and offers might be good, but it means little if nobody knows about them. So put those deals all over the internet.


You can use various coupon platforms, social media, email marketing, and of course ads — every channel that you think your prospects would use.

Source: GIPHY.com

Source: GIPHY.com

By showing them an offer they can’t refuse, you will build trust with your prospects and give your brand a good reputation, which makes it more likely for your prospects to come back.

2.7. Maximize your remarketing

Another great way to pass that gap between an interested visitor and a lead is with a remarketing strategy.


When someone visits your website but doesn’t engage, you can use remarketing as a last attempt to win them over.


Usually, an ad with your service/product will pop up everywhere the visitor goes on the internet — YouTube, Facebook, Google, or even via email.


When you’re remarketing, you’ll want to give them something different and fresh.


For example, you can notify them of any new deals that you’ve made since they visited your website.


Example:

Source: Twitter.com

Source: Twitter.com

Make your offer more personalized from the data you’ve collected on your visitors to make custom landing pages and CTAs for your visitors.


Also, use urgency in your remarketing ad — tell them that the opportunity they saw but didn’t engage with is almost gone.


Remarketing is your second chance to reconnect with your prospects and to build that strong trusting relationship with them.

2.8. Interact with your audience on social media

 Interact with your audience on social media

Social media platforms are where private lives and businesses meet — the perfect place for you to build trust with your prospects.


Get out there and meet your audience. Answer every question they ask, react to every review, and give practical advice to every problem they have.


The key to good social media marketing is interaction and posting regularly.


Ask questions, take quizzes, host a giveaway, ask for an opinion and use live chat tools.


Make posts about every offer and deal you have, and link them directly to your website with an appealing CTA button.


The good thing about social media platforms is that they offer single opt-in features, so your users can easily submit their information with just the click of a button.


Besides one-click email submission, these platforms also offer double opt-in features. To find out which one suits you the most, check out this link.

2.9. Be consistent and don’t give up!

Implementing each of these strategies might be challenging in the beginning.


Until your prospects get something in return, they are unlikely to give you their contact information.


Focus on the strategy that fits you the most.


Do your research and define your prospects — who they are, and what they need.


Take your time to create content that will appeal to them.


If your strategy fails, don’t give up. Try another lead gen strategy. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for every business. Just be creative and persistent.


If your strategy succeeds, you’re not done yet. A successful lead gen strategy is one that never stops.


If you manage to generate some leads who are engaging, why not generate some more?


Consistent lead generation is the most successful one.


To make managing all of these strategies a lot easier, let’s explore different types of lead generation tools that can help!

3. Different types of lead generation tools

Lead generation tools can be very helpful when collecting information about the people interested in your business because they automate a lot of the tedious, manual work you should be doing.


And that, as great as it sounds, can also be tricky.


Because there are so many lead generation tools out there, you should first define what kind of leads you need, so that you can choose your perfect tool.


There are a variety of marketing management tools that you can use to land more leads:

  • On-page lead generation — Lead magnets that will capture leads from your website by offering potential customers opt-in forms and campaigns
  • Email marketing — A tool that lets you nurture your leads and turn them into recurring customers
  • Customer relationship manager — A tool that lets you build relationships with your clients by analyzing their interaction and data throughout the sales funnel
  • Sales tools — Software that will increase sales by turning new leads into customers
  • Communication tools — Different apps that help you generate leads by improving online interaction with your audience on social media or via email marketing
  • Advertising tools — Marketing tools that will drive traffic to your website through paid ads. Some of those are well-known social media tools, website tools, and SEO tools

These are some of the main types of lead generation tools. Now let’s discuss the 2023’s best lead generation platforms.

4. 7 of the best lead generation platforms

7 of the best lead generation platforms

Now that you have the low-down on which lead gen tactics to use and learned what types of lead gen tools are out there, the next step is deciding which platform will help bolster your lead generation strategy.


There are thousands of them on the market but luckily, you’ve found this article, where you’ll be introduced to the cream of the best lead generation tools.

4.1. Systeme.io: The best all-in-one tool

systeme.io logo

systeme.io logo

Systeme.io’s online platform is making huge waves in the SaaS (Software as a Service) industry thanks to its affordable and easy-to-use interface.


It’s the perfect tool for small businesses looking for an all-in-one solution —Lead generation doesn’t get any better than this!


With systeme.io, you can send unlimited emails, regardless of which plan you're on. And yes, even with our free version.


We also offer the following email marketing tools:

  • Automated email sequences, newsletters, and campaigns
  • In-depth email statistics to track leads and campaigns
  • Customer segmentation so you can send tailored emails to different target groups
  • Automatic integration with your website and funnels

In terms of reach, that’s a huge benefit. But, as an all-in-one solution, we also offer other features that will boost your marketing efforts.


Plug-and-play sales funnels provide you with dozens of “thank you” and squeeze page templates to use as you please. It’s the best way to turn your leads into customers!


Besides email marketing, sales funnels, lead forensic and website building, you’ll also be able to generate leads with our other inbound marketing features:

  • Build evergreen webinars
  • Build an army of affiliates
  • Create online courses and manage your students
  • Promote physical or digital products on the marketplace

Any online entrepreneur worth their salt will agree that if you’re not navigating prospective clients through a deliberate series of steps, (a sales funnel) you’re missing out on conversion opportunitiesbig time!

systeme.io’s pricing

systeme.io’s pricing

At absolutely no cost, entrepreneurs (especially those on a shoestring budget) can use systeme.io's Freemium plan to finally make headway into the world of online commerce and do business more affordable than ever before.


This is why systeme.io is the powerhouse of marketing management tools.


It’s an affordable, all-in-one solution that lets you scale your business easily with those leads dropping in your email list.


Once you use systeme.io, you don’t need to pay for multiple platforms because you have everything you need to build a business and boost your marketing efforts.


Plus, you don’t need to be a tech guru to use it!

4.2. LinkedIn Sales Navigator

LinkedIn logo

LinkedIn logo

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a social selling platform that offers a lot of features to help you build an ideal customer base and increase your chances of conversion.


It's a really good social selling option for B2B businesses and, therefore, it’s perfect for B2B lead generation.


Here are some of the features on offer with this platform:

  • Find and recommend leads
  • Real-time sales updates
  • Advanced search with Lead Builder
  • Account and contact importing
  • Extended network approach

Depending on your needs, and the size of the team, there are 3 plans to choose from:

  • Core — $99/month
  • Advanced — $159.99/month
  • Advanced Plus — Contact sales team for pricing

If you decide to pay annually, those prices drop by 25%.

4.3. Sendinblue

Sendinblue logo

Sendinblue logo

Sendinblue is a marketing automation platform to make it easier for you to generate leads while still focusing on other business concerns.


It’s built for small and medium-sized businesses, and users mostly use it to automate their email marketing campaigns.


Positioned as a complete marketing automation platform, it has marketing features that will help you generate leads and turn them into paying customers:

  • Email marketing campaigns and broadcasts
  • Email marketing automation
  • Transactional email and SMS
  • Lead capture forms
  • Social media marketing

Sendinblue has 4 different plans:

  • Free — Limited email sending per day (up to 300 emails/day)
  • Lite — Starts from $25/month for 10,000 emails
  • Premium — Starts from $65/month for 20,000 emails
  • Enterprise — Request a quote

Although this is a great lead generation tool, it’s expensive for what's on offer, and their free version is very limited compared to other platforms like systeme.io.

4.4. Quora

Quora logo

Quora logo

Remember how getting to know your ideal buyer persona’s needs is necessary for lead generation?


Quora is the perfect place to find those needs and to answer them.


If you found yourself to be an expert in your niche, it’s time to create a profile of authority and answer all the questions your followers have.


It’s a great way to investigate what your audience’s main problems are.


This also lets you increase your brand awareness and generate new leads by personally engaging with your prospects.


But, this isn’t a direct lead generation tool, so although it’s helpful for lead capture, it may not be enough to generate more leads.


Quora has a free version for site navigation and account creation, and one paid version which costs $5/month or $50/year.

4.5. Datanyze

Datanyze logo

Datanyze logo

Datanyze is a hardy sales intelligence and lead management software aimed at web technology companies. It’s also great with B2B lead generation.


It continuously evaluates millions of websites to find what technology your leads are currently using.


You can get insights into where your website visitors are going after they leave your website, and which of your customers are currently using technology that you are integrated with.


Pricing:


When it comes to pricing plans, Datanyze offers 3 of them:

  • Nyze Lite — 90-day free trial
  • Nyze Pro 1 — $29/monthly
  • Nyze Pro 2 — $55/monthly

4.6. SlideShare

SlideShare logo

SlideShare logo

SlideShare is a hosting service where you can find an endless amount of professional content to implement in your inbound marketing, such as:

  • Presentations
  • Infographics
  • Documents
  • Videos

This is a great content marketing opportunity for you to make an authoritative presence and show expertise in your niche.


What’s also great is that you can upload content that will serve as a lead magnet to your prospects.


It’s an easy-to-use platform, with lead capture forms that you can simply put within the content you’re sharing or when the users download it.


Make sure you include links on those slides so your prospects can easily navigate to your website — it would be best to put it in your description, so the SEO gods can see it.


With all those graphics available, you can go nuts with your CTA button creation and make it stand out. Or, use it for creative email marketing campaigns.


Although SlideShare is a free and extremely handy tool, it’s not a direct, all-in-one lead generation tool, so it may not solve all of your lead generation struggles.

4.7. Hootsuite

Hootsuite logo

Hootsuite logo

If, while reading lead generation strategies, you thought going on social media is the best way for you to go, then this is the perfect tool for you.


Hootsuite finds, nurtures, and measures your leads on a variety of social media platforms, including the most current ones — Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.


It also helps you manage multiple lead generation campaigns on social media.


Of course, the types of campaigns available depend on the pricing plan you choose.


These are the 4 plans on offer:

  • Professional — $49/monthly, 1 user
  • Team — $129/monthly, 3 users
  • Business — $739/monthly, 5 users
  • Enterprise — Request a quote, 5+ users

Ouch! Although Hootsuite is a good lead generation tool, it sure does come at a price.

5. Comparison table of lead generation software

Comparison table of lead generation software

6. Conclusion

Source: GIPHY.com

Source: GIPHY.com

Long story short, there are loads of ways to get more leads and signups, and there are platforms to help you with it.


And it probably won’t be smart nor profitable to use all of them at once.


So, if there has to be only one — systeme.io is the best lead generation tool since we have everything you need at the lowest price.


Try out our Freemium plan and find it out by yourself!

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