Don’t lose potential sales – capture customer leads online

Written on 14 November, 2014 by Evelyn Elsted
Categories E-commerce Tags marketing online marketing

Getting people to your website is one battle, but if you let them leave without capturing their details, you’ve lost the war. Once a customer lands on your homepage or starts browsing your products, you have an opportunity to connect. Learn how to capture leads and start nurturing your visitors through the sales process.

Turn today’s browsers into tomorrow’s buyers

Not every customer who lands on your website will be looking to buy something. They may be researching, comparing prices or simply making plans for a rainy day. Encourage them to come back when the time is right by providing the ideal incentives. Some great lead-generation options include offering a price estimate, a time for a consultation or a newsletter sign-up.

Offer plenty of ways to get in touch

Every customer is different, and while some love chatting on the phone, others prefer to have their questions answered via email. Create a ‘Contact us’ page and provide customers with as many ways to connect as you can, from asking customers to book a slot on a sales call to offering online chat options or simply including a phone number and email address.

Create a relevant reward

If you’re having trouble capturing leads, it’s time to start thinking about the kind of rewards you might be able to offer your customers. These can range from useful discounts for newcomers to exclusive digital content like white papers, podcasts or presentations.

Make customers feel comfortable

One barrier to lead generation is a lack of trust. If your potential customers don’t feel completely comfortable on your site, they will not be happy to hand over any personal details. Make sure your site not only looks professional, but also offers a few hallmarks of respectability. Include an anti-spam statement, display customer testimonials and add security badges to show you can be relied on.

Create actionable CTAs

The CTAs for your lead-generation techniques should be just as strong as the ones you use on your product pages. Avoid using ambiguous phrases like ‘submit’ or sign up’ without also explaining what benefits are on offer. Try actionable CTAs like ‘get our discount’ or ‘read our new report’ instead.

Make the most of your leads

Once you’ve captured your lead, make sure you don’t waste it! According to research published by Forbes, 71 per cent of online leads that companies generate are wasted. Avoid this by keeping a close eye on your leads and ensuring that no customers are left waiting for a response, whether it’s by phone, email or through the site.

Every time a customer lands on your site, you’ve been given an opportunity – make the most of it by creating efficient lead-generation methods and acting quickly whenever a lead appears.

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