Capturing Leads on Different Digital Channels: 5 Essential Strategies

45% of organizations don’t have a clearly defined marketing strategy. And considering the abundance of available opportunities, that’s a concerning fact. 

Many companies are still unsure about how to attract qualified leads online, using sporadic and unfocused strategies that usually don’t produce consistent results. 

However, the good news is that if you know how to use digital marketing, the potential is virtually endless. Social media users spend an average of 2 hours per day on social media, not to mention browsing or looking for solutions to their problems. 

By developing a comprehensive social media marketing strategy, you can get in front of these audiences and become much more visible than your competition.

With that in mind, let’s look at some of the most effective digital marketing channels and how to use them.

1. Cold Outreach

Even though cold outreach might not technically be a social media channel, it can be no less effective than any other on this list if you use it well. 

Reaching out to your best customers can be an incredibly powerful strategy if you know how to use it. It allows cutting through the clutter and starting a direct, one-on-one conversation with the people you want to work with.

Sure, this may not work at scale, but if you’re a startup in the early stages, direct outreach is your best bet of acquiring those first clients and getting some results you can showcase.

But how can you make your cold outreach campaigns more effective?

Well, it all comes down to two key aspects: 

• Understanding your audience
• Having more information about them 

First, you need to know as much as possible about the ideal customers that you want to attract. That includes where they work, who they are, what their biggest issues are, and how your product can help solve them.

Then, you also need to gain more information about their current situation. You will be sending an unsolicited email to someone you don’t know, so any information you can use to add a personal touch is invaluable. 

Luckily, companies like ZoomInfo have made the process simpler. Their database can give you ample insight into what your target audience’s pain points are, but if it’s not your first choice of software, there are also many ZoomInfo alternative options that can help you gain company intelligence data and even automate your cold outreach campaigns.  

The bottom line is that even though cold outreach can seem scary, it can work and has worked for thousands of companies around the world. The key to success is knowing who needs what you have to offer and how to make your message as relevant as possible. 

2. Social Media

3.23 billion people use social media at least once per month. That’s a statistic that can get many marketers excited because it means that no matter what industry you operate in, there’s almost guaranteed to be people on social media that will be interested.

However, to make your social media marketing campaigns effective, you need to not only know who to target but also how to get in front of them. And that’s not always easy.

Sure, you can build a following yourself, but that can take a long time. And even then, the algorithms of Facebook and other social media sites will encourage you to spend money on paid campaigns, limiting your organic reach.

That’s why to make the most of what social media can offer, you should consider using influencer marketing. 

For instance, if you know that your audience likes using Instagram, you could find influencers on Instagram in your niche and partner with them to create campaigns around your products. 

Influencers are prominent figures that already have a strong following, so if you find one that has a similar audience to your target buyers, your offer will be instantly relevant and will have a much better chance of converting. 

What’s more, by working with influencers, you can leverage the authority and trust they have built over the years, allowing you to use that authority and get people to trust you, even if your company is brand new. 

3. Email Marketing

Even though email marketing has been around for a long time, it’s still one of the most effective channels for interacting with your audience and making more sales.

In fact, you can expect to receive as much as $42 for every dollar you invest in email marketing, which is an ROI that no other marketing channel can offer. 

But to make the most out of what email marketing has to offer, you must follow a few key steps that are a part of every successful campaign ran today.

First, you need to attract the right subscribers because if you’re marketing to the wrong people, it won’t matter how good the content you’re sending might be. That means that you need to develop a very targeted lead magnet that will only attract the best leads for your business.

Once you start getting people on your list, you need to make sure that you match their expectations every step of the way. 

That means that whatever they signed up for and whatever you might have promised, you must deliver. If they expect a weekly newsletter, don’t start bombarding their inbox on a daily basis.

Finally, you should strive to provide relevant messages to every subscriber on your list. Even among your target audience, there will be different segments interested in different solutions that you offer, or at least facing unique problems that differ from others. 

Blast campaigns are no longer a viable option because if you keep sending irrelevant and impersonal messages, it won’t be long until people start ignoring your emails.

But how can you ensure that each email is relevant? Well, the best way to achieve that is by using segmentation.

To use segmentation, you should track what different subscribers respond to, tracking their clicks and opens of different topics. Then, tag each of the subscribers accordingly and create personalized campaigns just for that group. 

4. Content Marketing

If you aren’t creating content, you are virtually nonexistent in the digital world. The primary reason why people scroll their news feeds and visit blogs is to learn more about the topics that interest them, hopefully, while also being entertained. 

So, if you want to have a chance of breaking through and getting people to notice your brand, you will need to figure out what problems you can help them solve and how to get your content in front of them.

And then, you can leverage that useful information to condition your prospects that your solution is the best option to solve the issue they are facing. 

The important thing to remember is that content doesn’t have to be limited to a blog on your website. Today, you can easily post on social media, create visual stories, or even start a YouTube channel, with results that are just as powerful. 

If you focus on the unique perspective you and your brand can bring to the table, you will never have a shortage of eager readers (or viewers) who will come back not only for the information but also for the entertainment value in the way that you present it. 

5. Paid Advertising

Many companies are hesitant about using paid advertising because they fear investing significant resources without results to show for it. 

And the truth is, there are risks associated with running paid advertising campaigns on Google or Facebook - the competition is becoming stiffer, the cost per action is increasing, and the regulations and guidelines are becoming stricter as well.

And yet, despite that, ignoring paid advertising channels is not something that businesses can afford. 

In fact, without paid advertising, scaling and growing would be a much more challenging process. The key, however, is to use these channels as part of a broader strategy and know exactly what types of leads to focus on.

You should also be prepared to lose some money upfront, as it will take time for you to collect more data and see what’s working. Once you start seeing the patterns, be rigorous about cutting any keywords or ad types that aren’t performing and doubling down on those that are showing promise. 

Testing is also a key part of any successful paid ad strategy. If you can test different aspects of your ads and pinpoint exactly what’s working, you will gain valuable insights that you can then use when building future campaigns. 

You might discover that your audience responds to certain phrases, design elements, or call-to-actions better, and can then make them a central part of all of your efforts.

Over time, as you optimize your ads, you will probably be able to reduce your Customer Acquisition Cost, allowing you to expand your efforts and scale. You will also be able to use the insights that you gain in other parts of your marketing. 

The audience insights are universal, so if you find that something is working on Facebook, it will very likely work in your content marketing, email marketing, and social media. 

Final Words

The number of digital marketing channels available for businesses can be overwhelming. But the ones listed above will help you cover the most important bases, helping you reach your audience in multiple places and position you as an authority in your field. 

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