Lead Generation Essentials: Understanding the Digital Customer Journey to Build a Successful Sales Funnel Strategy

Lead Generation Essentials: Understanding the Digital Customer Journey to Build a Successful Sales Funnel Strategy

by Aaron Loveland | Aug 7, 2024 | Analytics, Content, Lead Generation, Marketing

Turning prospects into loyal clients is crucial for sustained business growth, especially in this ever-increasingly competitive landscape. Every buyer navigates through a consumer path, and every business is unique, so how do you build a funnel for sales?

Whether you’re a marketing manager, sales professional, or business owner, you probably already have a rough idea of your sales funnel. Analyzing it, breaking it down into manageable steps, and improving it with strategic actions will help your business grow. Continuing with an unclear or disorganized lead path can stunt your growth, hurt your brand, and waste your sales team’s time.

We’ve helped dozens of businesses optimize their lead paths, from local mom-and-pop stores to national franchises. In this blog, we’ll offer valuable insights and practical tactics from our experience. Let’s dive in and master your sales funnel strategy. 

Table of Contents:

  1. How do you identify and attract quality prospects?
  2. What are effective lead-generation techniques?
  3. How do you nurture leads for maximum engagement?
  4. How do you convert leads into clients?
  5. How do you measure and optimize your lead path? 
  6. How can Loud & Clear Marketing help?

How do you identify and attract quality prospects into your inbound marketing funnel?

To build a sales funnel and achieve conversion rate optimization, start by identifying your target audience and creating buyer personas—detailed but fictional profiles of your ideal clients. Most small businesses look to their existing clients to build buyer personas. In the beginning, a branding and marketing agency might study a competitor’s target audience to identify new opportunities and ways to differentiate. 

For your consumer mapping, utilize available metrics— internal sales data, website analytics, and social media insights. You can also conduct customer interviews to gain deeper insights into their motivations, challenges, and preferences. 

The goal is to develop a professional, demographic, and potentially psychological profile to guide your sales funnel strategy. For example, one corporate photographer might identify and target event coordinators, while another corporate photographer specializes in headshots and targets a Chief Brand Officer. 

Buyer personas are not rigid boxes every prospect must neatly fit into. They are helpful comparisons to build a sales funnel around. Buyer personas help you understand how potential leads make decisions so you can draw them into your digital customer journey. Once you know what resonates with them, you can craft compelling content specifically around their interests and needs. 

The first stage of a digital marketing sales funnel is the awareness stage. At this point in the digital customer’s journey, you must build trust by establishing your business as an authority. You can do this several ways, including but not limited to:

  • Blog Posts: These informative articles educate your audience, answer common questions to get found on the web, and gradually build your domain authority and your SEO rankings. 
  • Whitepapers: These provide in-depth insights and research findings. They can generally be referred across an organization, helping them address a pain point.
  • eBooks: These offer comprehensive guides on relevant topics. If written well, they might be referenced for years to come. 

In general, you should focus on crafting supportive content that will strengthen your sales funnel strategy. However, that is only one half of the equation. You must engage with your target audience to start their digital customer journey and feed your inbound marketing funnel.

  • SEO Optimization: This goes hand-in-hand with blogs. Use your target audience’s common questions to generate keywords you can target in your blogs. 
  • Social Media Promotion: Use the consumer mapping research you did for the customer personas to find your target audience’s social media channels. 
  • Targeted Advertising: Use your consumer mapping research to pinpoint the best target for your advertising. Use Google and social media ads to attract the right prospects.

What are effective lead-generation techniques?

Effective lead generation comes down to understanding your audience. You know the English proverb, you attract more flies with honey? Spark lead generation by providing helpful resources to potential customers.

  • Lead Magnets: This lead generation content takes the form of valuable resources like checklists, templates, and reports. The idea is to provide content your audience will use in their work. Valuable lead gen content gradually grows trust and keeps you at the top of your leads’ minds as an authority. 
  • Webinars: Live sessions are a great way to engage with prospects personally. A moderated Q&A can help you build a rapport. Engaging with your target audience at this point of their digital consumer journey grants insight into their consumer path. You might learn new challenges, pain points, and preferences you can address by talking with your prospect.
  • Landing Pages: Landing pages are web pages specially designed for conversion optimization. To achieve this conversion rate optimization, build yours with a specific call-to-action (CTA) in mind. In this sense, they become a mini funnel for sales. For something with a low buy-in, like an online course, you can address all of your target’s fears, uncertainty, and doubts (FUD) on one page. However, something with a higher buy-in, like B2B software, will require a more robust sales funnel strategy. 

The lead generation content above drives prospects from the awareness stage to the interest stage. These engagement tactics use that interest to promote a specific action, driving your prospects into the next phase: appraisal/consideration.

  • Call-to-action (CTA) Buttons: CTAs written with your consumer path in mind can provide conversion rate optimization. The optimal CTAs for each stage depend on your overall sales funnel strategy. Using the landing page example above, a software provider would enjoy a higher conversion rate with a product demonstration CTA than a buy-now CTA. Think of CTAs as stepping stones bridging the digital customer journey.
  • Gated Content: Premium content often requires an email address to access. If you have successfully proven yourself an expert and piqued your prospect’s interest, an email is a great price. 
  • Sign-Up Forms: Sign-up Forms are very similar to gated content. Sign-up forms work best and enjoy the greatest conversion rate optimization when they are simple. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for your prospect to sign up. 

How do you nurture leads through conversion optimization?

Even if your awareness content has attracted the highest-quality prospects and they’re interested in your branding, they might still not be ready to buy. These are called not-yet-ready (NYR) prospects and are still valuable to your sales funnel strategy. B2B services only have around a 2% conversion rate. In other words, only 2% of your target audience will need your services at any given time. 

Use this time along the digital customer journey to nurture leads. People want to do business with people and brands they know, like, and trust. This phase of the consumer path focuses on expressing your brand and providing content that’s about them.

  • Email Newsletters: Regular newsletters can serve as regular touchpoints with your leads. Newsletters keep you top-of-mind. Your brand name will be there when an NYR prospect resumes their digital customer journey. 
  • Personalized Content: Make your offer about them. Tailor content around a lead’s interests, behaviors, or needs. For example, an advertising & marketing agency that targets non-profits might provide content personalized to specific causes. If your sales team keeps detailed notes of leads through the consumer path, they can reference those details for a personalized touch.
  • Drip Campaigns: Drip campaigns automate sending timely, relevant emails. Most sales funnel CRMs can set up drip campaigns based on specific triggers or time intervals. Drip campaigns prevent dormant leads from falling through the cracks while ensuring leads receive the right information at the right time. 

The content above goes hand-in-hand with the engagement tactics below to effectively build a sales funnel.

  • Segmented Email list: Not every lead circling your inbound marketing funnel is the same. Divide your leads into smaller, more specific groups based on demographics, behavior, or purchase history. Catering to these segments will improve your conversion rate optimization and reduce the number of recipients who unsubscribe.
  • Personalized Follow-Ups: Treat your leads as individuals to show that you understand and care about them. Remember, a sales funnel strategy aims to build genuine connections. Personalized follow-ups foster loyalty and long-term relationships. 
  • Automated workflows: Automated workflows save you time and energy while providing your leads with the right information at the right time. A sales funnel CRM with automated workflows provides efficiency, consistency, and scalability in the long term. 

How does a strong digital marketing sales funnel help to convert leads into clients?

At this point, you’ve attracted quality leads and nurtured them to know, like, and trust you. To complete the sales funnel strategy and close the sale, you’ll have to convince your lead to pull the trigger. So far, they’ve taken small steps along their consumer path. In their eyes, the purchase is the biggest commitment, so you need to address their fears, uncertainty, and doubts.

  • Case studies: Case studies, or customer success stories, showcase your past success and results through storytelling. Define the problem, demonstrate how you solved it, and prove the results with data. Case studies are one of the most versatile assets for your entire sales funnel strategy.
  • Testimonials: Testimonials can be simple positive reviews on Google or bold block quotes invigorating your marketing materials. Similar to case studies, testimonials can enhance any step of the lead generation process. 
  • Product Demos: Have you ever taken a car for a test drive before purchasing it? Product demos solve uncertainty and empower your leads to try it out. So far, the digital customer journey has been hypothetical, but product demos make the solution tangible—real.  
  • One-on-one consultations: Personal consultations empower you to address your leads’ needs. View this as customer journey consulting, where you can turn your branding into a positive, hands-on experience. 
  • Free trials: Similar to product demos, free trials provide a risk-free way for leads to experience your offerings. 
  • Special offers: You cannot change a lead’s urgency— either they are ready to buy or not. However, limited-time discounts or packages can incentivize actions, leading to conversion rate optimization. 

We’ve divided the phases of a sales funnel strategy into content pieces and delivery methods/engagement techniques. We’ve separated them for easy reading. However, these tactics almost always interweave. 

You can leave case studies behind after a product demo, promote testimonials across social media channels, and share new case studies via your newsletter. When you view your sales funnel strategy like that, it sounds less like a funnel for sales and more like an elaborate dance. Partnering with a branding and marketing agency becomes especially advantageous. Like a dance partner, a marketing agency can launch you in the right direction.

How do you measure and optimize your lead path? 

There is always room for improvement in any sales funnel strategy. Before optimizing your consumer path, you must measure your current sales funnel. Analytics reports and multiple performance metrics allow you to view your lead path from several angles. For example, conversion rate measures the percentage of leads converting into customers, customer acquisition cost (CAC) calculates the total cost of acquiring a new customer, and funnel velocity measures how quickly leads move through each stage. 

Most sales funnel CRMs offer built-in reporting. Performance metrics are quantitative data; we can refine our sales funnel strategy with qualitative data— customer feedback. Asking for reviews is always helpful, but we must go deeper. Customer surveys allow you to collect more in-depth data from more clients. 

Use this data to update and refine your sales funnel strategy regularly. You can even do A/B testing to further your conversion rate optimization. A/B testing is when you use two versions of the same content (like a landing page or drip campaign) to see which performs better. It’s a cost-effective way to make data-driven decisions. 

Conclusion:

Mastering the lead path is essential for any business looking to grow and succeed. By understanding and optimizing each stage of the journey from prospect to client, you can increase your conversion rates and build a loyal customer base. Implement the strategies this guide discusses to enhance your marketing and sales efforts and watch your business thrive.

Ready to take your lead conversion process to the next level? 

Schedule a free consultation, and let’s discuss your lead path and how we can help you convert prospects into clients!

About Loud & Clear Marketing

LCM was founded in Leesburg, Virginia, by Sharon L. Wright in 2012. Joined by Deb Haynes Swider in 2019, Loud & Clear Marketing is a woman-owned, integrated marketing agency specializing in brand-led lead generation. From branding and public relations (PR) to digital and social media marketing to web development, our team of community builders helps businesses and nonprofits grow so our communities will prosper. You can find more information about Loud & Clear Marketing at www.LoudandClear.today.

The Evolution of Keyword Research: Navigating SEO Dynamics in 2024

The Evolution of Keyword Research: Navigating SEO Dynamics in 2024

by Aaron Loveland | Jul 1, 2024 | Analytics, Marketing

Search engine optimization (SEO) in digital marketing is constantly changing. Because of changes in algorithms and updates that seem to happen weekly – if not daily – we often get questions on the role of SEO in modern digital marketing. For now, remember: throughout marketing and SEO evolution, keywords remain the guiding stars.

Generative Artificial Intelligence, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Google’s search engine updates are revolutionizing search optimization marketing. Can your search engine optimization strategy adapt to stay ahead of your competition?

You don’t have to do it alone. In this blog, we’ll examine the past to gain insight into the future. You’ll learn how SEO and keyword research can elevate you above your competition. Let’s delve into the best SEO practices for 2024. 

An Overview of the Last 30 Years

Experts have written entire books on the evolution of SEO, so this will be an overview. From a broad perspective, keywords lead users toward the right content and quality businesses. From the searcher’s perspective, we don’t use keywords— we just naturally search for things online. It’s the search engines that have to match your search terms to the right content. 

Search engines want to provide users with the best experience, so users find that search engine useful and keep using their site. Users want to find the right content with minimum time and effort. Keywords evolved as a way to connect the dots. 

Once people figured out that the right keywords could attract more visitors to their website, they exploited optimizing SEO. Pre-Google search engines worked by matching search terms to keywords. Some exploited these pre-Google search engines by stuffing as many keywords into their sites as possible. That made for unhelpful, clunky content.

Google rolled out in the late 90s and became dominant in the 2000s. Instead of keyword density, they prioritized relevance and authority. Relevance can refer to good, up-to-date sources, but Google is more interested in matching content to a searcher’s intentions. We’ll get to that in a minute. Google measures authority based on social signals and backlinks.

The 2010s saw a variety of innovations that essentially made people more comfortable using search engines. Smartphones made it easy to search websites while on the go. Voice assistants like Siri and Alexa turned search terms into conversational questions. People also wanted location-based results. 

Answers to a simple search for “pizza” became more complex: “authentic Italian pizzerias near me” vs. “how to make pizza dough from scratch.” These conversational and highly specific search terms are called long-tail keywords. They have a clearer intent than basic keywords.

Today, Google, search engines, and AI developers use NLP to better understand human semantics. Semantic refers to the meaning behind words, but search engines use it to understand synonyms and context. For example, sneakers, running shoes, athletic shoes, shoes for runners, tennis shoes, and gym shoes all refer to the same topic. Thanks to Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI), search engines can better match keywords to their underlying topics. 

Google’s search engine and competitors will most likely continue innovating to get to the heart of our queries. Google is also currently experimenting with Generative AI (Search Generative Experience or SGE), but that’s a future article. 

What Are Keywords and Why Do We Do Keyword Research: Foundations of SEO Optimization

Keywords started as stepping stones for pre-Google search engines. They are words and phrases that connect searchers to the right content. Today, they are part of a larger, more nuanced search engine optimization strategy. Keyword research helps us understand searcher intent so we can genuinely address their needs, build trust, and create an engaging presence. 

There are four kinds of search intents. The keywords searchers use reveal their intentions and place in the buyer’s journey. Let’s look at wineries, specifically Harvest Haven winery as an example.

  1. Informational (I want to know): This begins the buyer’s journey, where they learn what’s out there. SEO content that targets these searchers focuses on raising awareness. If someone is visiting Northern Virginia, they might search for, “Tourist attractions,” “Fun things to do in Northern Virginia,” or “Agritourism places in Northern Virginia.” 
  2. Navigational (I want to go): These searchers want to get in touch or go to a location. These search terms often end with “near me.” They signal a progression in the buyer’s journey. Our example above might go from “Agritourism places in Northern Virginia” to “Harvest Haven Winery address” or “Harvest Haven Winery hours?” 
  3. Commercial Investigation (I want to do): These searchers might study ultimate guides, watch how-to videos, or customer reviews. They want a human perspective that will tell them what to expect or how to. The best way to catch these searches is by including soft influence and user-generated content in a marketing and SEO strategy. 
  4. Transactional (I want to buy): address this search intent with a user-friendly, easy-to-navigate sales page. For example, Harvest Haven would satisfy these searchers with a quick and intuitive booking page. 

How Do We Use Keywords In Marketing and SEO? 

If Harvest Haven Winery wants a content marketing and SEO strategy to support its future, it first has to step back. It needs to put itself in its clients’ shoes with buyer personas (there’s a reason we start with questions about audience). Then, it can develop seed keywords: generic, core words or phrases potential clients use to discover its offerings. 

Harvest Haven Winery finds eight seed keywords. They’ll serve as topic buckets to fill with relevant content. 

  1. Agritourism experiences
  2. Wine tasting
  3. Vineyard tour
  4. Local winery
  5. Winery events
  6. Wine and dine
  7. Vineyard stay
  8. Vineyard weddings

Next, Harvest Haven will have to use a keyword research tool to develop head terms. Head terms are shorter, generic keywords that have a high volume of monthly searches. These search terms reflect someone early in their buyer’s journey. Stick around, and we’ll share some recommendations on keyword research tools. Examples of head terms might be: 

  1. Wine Festival
  2. Winery dining
  3. Farm-to-table winery
  4. Winemaking classes
  5. Seasonal wine events
  6. Winery vacation
  7. Family-friendly winery
  8. Wine and food pairing
  9. Local winery
  10.  Wine Country
  11.  Wine tasting

These head terms might become core keywords for future blog posts or advertorials. However, Harvest Haven should also examine some long-tail keywords. These are longer, more specific keywords that reflect a closer point-of-purchase. They might be “family-friendly vineyard tours near me” or “local wine events coming in July.” 

Harvest Haven combines their seed keywords with head terms and long-tail keywords to develop a long list of potential keywords. SEO and keyword search tools share two key insights on keywords: volume and competition. Volume is how often the keyword is searched for. Competition is how often the keyword is used by various sites. Everyone wants keywords that are high in volume and low in competition, but search engine optimization in digital marketing is a balancing game. 

Again, this is an overview, there are entire college courses on search optimization marketing. This example search engine optimization strategy for Harvest Haven Winery would guide them in developing a plethora of content that satisfies search intentions. They could satisfy informational search with information on agritourism, why it’s important, and what they offer. They could catch navigational searches by collaborating with local publications and news outlines. They could answer commercial investigations by showcasing some offerings like their wine-making class or their wedding venue. They could invite influencers to tour to encourage user-generated content.

It’s important to note that a successful search engine optimization strategy takes time, sometimes years. You need to continuously publish content so Google learns you’re an authority on your seed keywords. It’ll take time, but if you earn audience trust and engagement by routinely publishing helpful content, you’ll get noticed. 

Current Trends and Best Practices in Keyword Research: Navigating the Digital Marketing Landscape

AI is on everyone’s minds, and every business is experimenting with it. However, search engine optimization in digital marketing has always been sensitive to innovation and industry trends. 

In 2023, the rise of generative AI made it easier than ever to create large amounts of content. Most businesses asking ChatGPT to write blogs had a rudimentary understanding of marketing and SEO. They flooded the web with poorly optimized content that had no strategy. That content did not rank partly because it read like a robot. 

The best practice for search engine optimization in digital marketing is seeing it as a long-term strategy. Remember the ultimate goal is to build trust, authority, and engagement by satisfying your target audience’s needs and questions. AI— like those embedded in the recommended tools below— can help with research. Yet, keyword research and those AIs tools are part of a holistic strategy. 

Small to mid-size businesses are often expected to do more with less. AI tools exacerbate this. It’s not realistic for employees to stay up to date with all marketing and SEO innovations. Google is changing and will always change. Instead of struggling to adapt to the constantly changing SEO landscape, you should partner with experts – experts who are surveying the horizon and adapting before your competitors even realize there’s a change. 

Ready to supercharge your SEO strategy and harness the power of keyword research for your business? Loud & Clear Marketing can help!

Recommended Tools and Platforms for Keyword Research in 2024: Enhancing Your SEO Strategy

  1. Ahrefs Keywords Explorer is a free SEO and keyword search tool. It allows you to research keywords and the search questions associated with them. Although it is a little basic on its own, Ahrefs Webmaster Tools can expand on backlinks and domain authority.
  2. SEMrush is a very comprehensive SEO tool. It can compare your SEO with your competitors, generate topic ideas, and enhance your writing with generative AI. While it can help at every stage of your search engine optimization strategy, its subscription tiers are expensive. 
  3. ChatGPT can certainly help with brainstorming and topic generation, but its content writing reads like a robot. ChatGPT-4 is more advanced and more reliable than its free counterpart but costs a monthly subscription. 
  4. Google Keyword Planner is great for generating keyword ideas; however, it is limited to that. 
  5. Ubersuggest can perform a reverse search on your site to see what it is already ranking for. That is certainly helpful for businesses who just started optimizing SEO. However, it limits you to three free searches a day. 
  6. Good old Google Search Engine. You could type a seed keyword or a head term in the search bar and let autofill reveal what else people are searching. For example, “wine making classes” autofills with “for beginners.” Now we know, searchers want an easy, beginner-friendly experience. 

Conclusion:

Search engine optimization in digital marketing has undergone significant transformations over the past three decades—and it’s only bound for more! From humble beginnings to sophisticated strategies, keyword research is the cornerstone of search optimization marketing. To stay ahead, you’ll need more than current trends, best practices, and recommended tools. You’ll need marketing experts to help you navigate the ever-changing digital marketing landscape.

Loud & Clear Marketing does not take a one-size-fits-all approach. Our team of digital marketing experts will work with you to develop a custom action plan around lead generation, SEO, content, digital advertising, and public relations to support you in reaching your revenue and brand awareness goals. Schedule a free consultation today and let’s discuss your company’s future!

Schedule A FREE Consultation

About Loudoun Clear Marketing

LCM was founded in Leesburg, Virginia, by Sharon L. Wright in 2012. Joined by Deb Haynes Swider in 2019, today Loud & Clear Marketing is a woman-owned, integrated marketing firm specializing in brand-led lead generation. From public relations to digital and social media marketing to web development our team of community builders help businesses and nonprofits grow, so our communities will prosper.  More about Loudoun Clear Marketing is at loudandclear.today.

Metrics & Measurables: How You Know Your Marketing Is Effective

Metrics & Measurables: How You Know Your Marketing Is Effective

by Loud and Clear | Mar 10, 2020 | Analytics, Content, Marketing, Non-profits, Public Relations

When marketing a business or doing public relations for a non-profit, the one thing that matters most when the rubber meets the road is the answer to the question: Are your key messages actually getting across…and actually compelling people to act?

Granted, maybe that’s two things, but those are the most essential points of effective business communications. You need to know, to the maximum degree possible, that your marketing is effective, and why.

Today, because marketing and public relations 1) are becoming more interconnected, and 2) are becoming increasingly omni-channel, the fifth major trend Loudoun Clear Marketing is seeing this year is the universal usage of metrics and measurables to determine marketing and public/media relations efficacy.

Whether your target market is Leesburg, Virginia, the USA or the Internet, it pays to be able to know people are getting the message and being converted into your customers (or, for non-profits, contributors.)

The result is today there exists an embarrassment of analytical riches, a sea of numbers simply not calculable a decade or so ago. We PR, social media and marketing professionals have fingertip access to rich troves of measurables, analytics, and deep-dive data tools useful for pinpointing your market and then determining what messages to deliver and how.

A few of the more common, popular and useful analytic stacks employed by marketers to improve message reach and increase customer traffic:

Google Analytics – the essential platform for website traffic analysis. Google provides data on unique visitors, visit duration, page popularity, screen views, bounce rate and conversion percentage. Moreover, there’s a bevy of audience data (e.g., age, gender and geographic breakdown), and how they came to your site in the first place (e.g., organic web search, paid AdWords search or direct email outreach).

Cision Communications Cloud – sometimes used in conjunction with Google Analytics, the Cision Communications Cloud measures the effectiveness of traditional public relations outreach and earned media coverage, including insights on your marketing campaigns’ returns-on-investment.

Facebook Insights – typically utilized in a social media marketing context (i.e., what to post and when), Facebook remains (with its two billion users and ownership of Instagram) nonetheless, an excellent source of both hyper-local and mega-broad marketing data, in terms of an audience’s ranges of age, population density, and income levels.

Memo – a startup company offering a service measuring the impact of online articles and web-based content that mentions specific brands. (Similar services are offered by Storyful and Dataminr, among others.)

In a piece published in the Wall Street Journal’s CMO Today section, the chief digital officer of a multinational communications firm says that integrating data from multiple sources is necessary to give clients the best marketing guidance, and he’s right.

Analytics algorithms are constantly being refined, novel methodologies are being invented, and new platforms are being introduced to the industry. In 2019 and beyond, the strongest marketing firms with the most effective tailored strategies – like Loudoun Clear Marketing – make use of today’s full array of analytic tools in order to identify your organization’s target market and communicate meaningful, engaging messages directly to them, evoking the response you want.

About Loudoun Clear Marketing: LCM was founded in Leesburg, Virginia, by Sharon L. Wright, who brings more than 30 years of local, national and international experience in the fields of Marketing, Communications and Public Relations. She has established a team of high-performing professionals to serve the PR outreach and strategic marketing needs of clients throughout Loudoun County, DC and nationally, bringing customization, community connections and technological know-how to every project.

LCM is heavily involved with a variety of non-profit organizations serving Loudoun, and works closely with for-profit companies to enhance their brand within the NoVA region. More about Loudoun Clear Marketing is at LoudounClearMarketing.com. Your Story. Brought to Life. Loud & Clear.