B2C lead generation ideas and techniques that work

Consumers are bombarded with messaging. To earn the attention of likely prospects for your products and offerings, you must creatively apply tried and true techniques to keep your lead pipeline full.

Leads are the lifeblood of business. Generating a steady supply of good leads starts with the people who have demonstrated interest in your offering. They are your future customers. B2C lead generation is the cornerstone of successful B2C marketing, but it’s no walk in the park: 61 percent of companies list generating leads and traffic as their top marketing challenges.

Success begins with persuading customers to share their contact information so you can keep them engaged and on the path to purchase. Use your imagination when applying these three methods for generating the leads you need.

Video: B2C prospects prefer watching video to reading text

Sure, video killed the radio star a long time ago, but it’s recently breathed new life into B2C lead generation campaigns. Video has become the dominant medium brands use to communicate with their customers, who overwhelmingly prefer video that entertains while providing the information they seek.

Jotform, the premier online form builder, makes it easy for viewers who enjoyed your video to sign up for your email list. All you need to do is create a form and give viewers a little nudge. Embed a call to action in the video via text, links, or images encouraging viewers to visit a landing page where they can sign up. Alternatively, you can “gate” the video by requiring users to provide an email address before viewing.

Customers who value your content will follow your YouTube channel and your other social media profiles, so concentrate on quality. 

Search engine optimization: Make it easy to find you online

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the foundation of cost-effective B2C lead generation. Effective SEO guides potential customers to your content about the products and information they seek online.

The core of successful SEO is creating content that’s both relevant to your business and that aligns with your target audience’s interests. How do you know what their interests are? Check out the search terms they type into Google. For example, an SEO strategy for an almond farmer who finds that there are lots of online searches about cooking and baking with almonds would be to post almond recipes and cooking-with-almond videos. Successful SEO drives your content higher up on the search engine results pages where lots of potential visitors will notice it.

When a new visitor arrives, give them a reason to give you their contact information. Offer a newsletter tailored to their interests, invite them to join an online community by following you on social media, or offer a premium gift like an e-book in exchange for their contact information.

Use social media to build relationships with your future customers

According to the Pew Research Center, 73 percent of Americans watch YouTube and 69 percent visit Facebook. All of the various social media platforms report large and loyal audiences. Social media is the most powerful and cost-effective tool for introducing your brand and building relationships that convert leads into customers.

Building an audience and keeping their attention is a constant process. Try running contests with prizes that actually interest your target audience. Have entrants sign up through a form on a landing page (Jotform’s online form builder makes creating a form quick and easy), or follow you on the social channel of your choice. Hashtags make it easy for people who are looking for what you offer to find you.

Jotform’s online Form Builder makes capturing leads fast and easy

Once you’ve succeeded in attracting prospects to your website, you’ll need a way to capture the contact information critical to future marketing efforts.

With Jotform, you can easily create and embed custom forms on your site in just a few minutes. No coding is needed, and best of all, you can do it for free. Try it now!