How to Increase Your Leads in 2024

Lead generation takes up a lot of any marketer’s thinking time.

Getting enough leads, getting more leads, getting better quality leads.

Here are some of the best ways to increase leads in 2024, starting with some quick wins that can help you get more leads sooner rather than later.

Lead Generation Quick Wins

Before we start, quick wins don’t mean low effort.

You’ve likely already put the effort in, and with a few simple tweaks, you can get that effort to pay off.

High-traffic Pages with Poor CTAs

Every website has a page that gets lots of traffic but isn’t converting as high as you’d like it to be.

It’s one of those things that you leave ticking over because it looks good on your monthly reports.

You’re scared to make changes to improve the conversion rate in case it drops in the search engine rankings.

But you can make small changes to help the page generate more leads.

You might only need to add a more tailored CTA focusing more on a different part of the funnel.

For example, a Hubspot blog about writing a business proposal could include a CTA for their customer management software.

But is someone searching for “how to write a business proposal” ready to invest in Hubspot’s software right now?

It’s unlikely. So, instead, Hubspot shares a template to help the reader write their proposal in exchange for their email address.

This template could help them land investments, grow their business and eventually be in a position where they need Hubspot’s software.

They’re playing the long game. But it’s better than putting off potential leads with a CTA that’s too strong and losing the game immediately.

High CTR Ads Linked to Poor Pages

Do you have some ads that are getting loads of clicks but not converting at the level you expected?

The pages you’re sending visitors to could be the problem.

And we’re not talking about design.

This landing page for an Airbnb ad targeting hosts has a beautiful design, and the map and calculator are a nice touch.

But the only CTA on this page is to become an Airbnb host. There’s nothing here to capture people who aren’t ready to commit right now but are interested in considering it in the future.

Once they leave the page, there’s no way to nurture these potential leads.

Your pages can have the most beautiful design possible but still not convert visitors to leads if you don’t have the fundamentals in place.

The fundamentals are:

Sending traffic to a relevant page, i.e. a product or service page rather than your homepage
Including a clear CTA, possibly two if your main CTA asks for a big commitment
Handling objections.

The below landing page from Salesforce has a nice design, and it directs users to a relevant page – the ad included the same imagery and talked about AI.

It also includes multiple CTAs — to watch demos (which includes an email address lead capture form once you click on it), chat with someone or try the software for free (free = lower risk) if you’re ready for that.

Review your key pages and consider what might be stopping people from becoming leads after clicking on your ad.

Make small tweaks and see what helps your leads and conversions increase.

Now we’ve covered some quick wins, let’s explore other areas of digital marketing that will help you generate leads and increase sales.

How to Increase Leads Using Content

Content marketing is one of the best ways to generate leads for your business.

But only if it’s done with the customer’s journey in mind.

The type of content you share must match the level your leads are at.

Some people may become leads right at the top of the funnel, where they watch one of your videos and make a mental note to revisit you later.
Others in the middle of the funnel may download a template, hand over their email address, and enjoy the automated email sequence you send them.
Those at the bottom of the funnel could convert immediately and then need to be nurtured further to keep them returning as a regular customer.

The way you position the content matters, as well as the CTA you use.

For example, content made for people at the top of the funnel needs a top-of-funnel CTA.

Don’t try to sell them on your product or service right away.

Instead, offer them a tool or downloadable that they can use in exchange for their email.

This will help you move them down the sales funnel and turn them into a lead.

The same goes for bottom-of-funnel content. If someone is ready to buy but the only CTA is asking them to download a guide, they may assume you don’t sell what they want. Lead lost.

Remember, when we talk about content, we’re not just talking about blogs. Although blogs are great for lead generation, so are:

Videos
Downloadables
Tools and Calculators

Slidebean targets top-of-funnel traffic using YouTube videos.

They create content that business owners and entrepreneurs will enjoy because that’s their target audience.

They don’t directly sell their pitch deck software in the videos, but they’re getting their brand name in front of their ideal customers, who are likely to become leads in the future.

The Thinkplus YouTube channel is more middle of the funnel.

We’re talking about topics that people who need a digital marketing agency are likely to search for.

That said, our YouTube videos still bring in a lot of top-of-funnel leads because they’re rad.

Generating Leads through Lead Magnets

We touched on some types of lead magnets in the content section, but they’re important enough for lead generation to get their own part of this guide.

Types of lead magnets include:

eBooks
Checklists
Webinars
Templates
Quizzes
Calculators
Whitepapers
Samples and free trials.

No matter the type of lead magnet you opt to use, you need to ensure that it offers value to your target audience.

Insurance comparison site Money Supermarket offers a tool that helps people compare insurance.

They make it easy for their users to get the information they need by breaking everything down into simple questions.

To get the results, the user needs to input their email address. Then, Money Supermarket can follow up with them via automated email sequences to remind them to make a purchase or suggest other services.

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Quality Pages = Quality Leads

Your website’s pages are useful for getting new leads.

But they can also help you disqualify low-quality leads.

That doesn’t mean low-budget. It just means they’re not the right customer for you.

Let’s take a look at a basic product — earplugs.

Starting with the everyday earplugs from Loop.

They’re nearly £30 for a single pair of earplugs, but they have more features than your standard foam ones.

The product imagery is sleek, and there are colour customisation options.

There’s even an interactive piece of audio that helps you understand how they alter your hearing.

Further down the page are images of cool young people wearing the earplugs, and a list of reasons why these earplugs are worth the £30 price tag.

Someone searching for earplugs for everyday use, concerts, or focus will know this is the right product for them.

Someone looking to buy earplugs for a construction site will know right away that this product isn’t what they’re after. The sleek product photography, multiple features and price point make that clear.

The above page from Screwfix, however, meets their needs right away. The price point is more suitable for this version of the product, and the imagery is basic, as they understand that their target audience knows what they want.

As much as this page qualifies the person hunting for earplugs for a construction site, it also disqualifies those looking for a stylish earplug.

How can you make sure that your landing pages are generating quality leads?

Include features and benefits that are important to your target audience
Use imagery that represents your target audience
Make it easy for visitors to take the next step.

This doesn’t just apply to landing pages. Anywhere you generate leads should be optimised for your target audience instead of casting a wide net and bringing in “everyone” as leads.

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How to Generate Leads through Email

Your mailing list is a gold mine for lead generation.

The people we’re talking about here are those who signed up for downloadables or newsletters (most likely thanks to an incentive, such as a discount or access to exclusive content) but were far from converting.

But, by not emailing these people, you’re missing out on leads for your business.

However, that doesn’t mean you should just start blasting your email subscribers with sales emails.

There are multiple ways you can connect with your email subscribers and convert them into genuine leads instead of making them want to unsubscribe.

Email Segmentation

Email segmentation helps you target specific types of leads and customers in your email list with personalised messages.
This means you can send more sales-y emails to people who are likely to convert and more nurturing emails to those needing more time to become leads.

The more data you gather on your subscribers, the more targeted segments you can create. By understanding user behaviour and interactions, you can craft targeted segments such as VIP customers, inactive subscribers, and repeat leads.

Additionally, by emailing in segments, you can make emails more personalised and targeted to increase the likelihood of engagement.

You’ll get better click-throughs and open rates and better deliverability.

The result? More leads will convert into customers, or potential leads will turn into leads.

Email courtesy of Really Good Emails

Email Automation

Email automation saves you a lot of time. The best part of this type of email is that it will continue to nurture potential leads and new customers throughout their journey once it’s set up.

Instead of sending out email campaigns one by one, you can set up some to be sent after someone takes an action on your site.

Email automations are single or multiple emails sent when a person signs up for your email list.

Email courtesy of Really Good Emails

These automations might be tailored to different actions the person has taken.

If they download a guide, you could automatically send them a specific set of emails related to that guide.
If someone has filled out a contact form, you can send an automated email letting them know their response has been received and that they’ll hear back from you soon.
Once someone has made a purchase, you can send them a post-purchase sequence.
You could even send them emails if they abandon their cart or browse products without purchasing.

Nurture Email Campaigns

Nurture email campaigns help build relationships and engage people who aren’t ready to purchase just yet. They help introduce your brand’s USPs, core products, blogs and reviews from previous customers.

They help establish trust and keep your business top of mind. They also speed up the buyer’s journey by educating people on why they need to buy from you.

Nurture email campaigns work well for turning existing customers back into leads by offering them relevant upsells, cross-sells or new products based on their past shopping habits.

Email courtesy of Really Good Emails

Get More High-Quality Leads Using PPC

PPC ads on social media and search engines are ideal for generating leads — as long as you have your campaigns set up correctly and have great ad creative.

Otherwise, you’ll spend money getting your ads in front of people who will never become leads.

PPC can help you:

Get to the top of search engines for high-intent keywords potential leads are searching for
Connect or reconnect with potential leads on social media where they’re already spending their time
Offer email sign-up directly in the ads in exchange for a downloadable

If you want to get high-quality leads from your search ads, you need to include the following:

A strong headline that’s enticing and contains the keywords you are targeting. Think back to the titles of the blogs we discussed earlier.
A compelling offering in the text. This should clarify your offering and why the viewer should choose you.
Ad extensions, including other relevant pages on your site or a click-to-call button so viewers can get in touch right away.
Consider the intent of the search. Ads run on a search where users are not quite ready to convert will have different CTAs to those that are for people ready to get in touch with your law firm.

The process is fairly similar for social media ads, but you must include eye-catching and relevant images or videos.

Eye-catching doesn’t always mean a loud design. It can also be in the style of user-generated content to help it fit better on social media.

Bespoke Landing Pages for PPC

Sometimes, sending ad viewers to a product or category page makes sense for your ad. But other times, sending them to a bespoke, specific landing page can help you get more leads.

These pages get the visitors all the information they need and are designed to turn them into leads there and then.

Below is an ad from the email platform Klaviyo promoting an eBook.

This ad takes the clicker to a landing page dedicated to this guide. The person then doesn’t need to search the website to find the guide — it’s right there.

The landing page shares more information about the guide and makes it easy to download while also capturing information about this potential lead.

If the visitor is unsure if they’re ready to commit to the download, there’s more information further down the page sharing what they’ll get in the eBook.

It helps put their mind at ease and makes sharing their information in return for the guide less of a risk. They know that the guide has information they want to know more about.

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PPC and Email for Lead Generation

When combined, email marketing and PPC can be an even more powerful tool for lead generation.

If you have a large email list, you can use it to reconnect with customers on other platforms.

This works by using the email addresses on your mailing list to place ads in front of people who have signed up for accounts elsewhere with the same email address.

By doing this, you can create PPC ads that align with the content you’ve been sending via email.

You can get really specific, too — only targeting people who opened your emails or clicked on a CTA with ads related to those emails.

Retargeting works for more than just email, too.

Retargeting for Lead Generation

Retargeting is a great way to convert those who nearly became leads into full-blown leads.

We know how life can be. You can get dragged away from a website by any number of distractions.

A retargeting ad could be a welcome reminder to take a look at that business again.

You can tailor your PPC ads to the page they were last on, reminding them of your business and the form they were about to fill out, the CTA they were about to engage with or the purchase they were going to make.

Instead of losing them as a lead, you bring them right back with retargeting.

How to Increase Your Leads in 2024

The key to generating more leads in 2024 is optimising your existing efforts to capture interested people at different stages in their journey.

You can get quick wins by:

Adding clearer CTAs to high-traffic pages that aren’t converting visitors into leads
Sending your high-performing ads to more optimised landing pages that make it easy for visitors to convert

Looking beyond quick tweaks, focus on creating valuable content, lead magnets, and landing pages tailored to visitors at each stage of the funnel.

Leverage email marketing and PPC ads to nurture potential leads into becoming sales. Retarget website visitors and email subscribers who have shown interest but have not yet converted.

With some strategic optimisations, you can turn more of your digital marketing efforts into quality leads and sales this year. Now, get out there and capture those leads.