Grow your membership base by generating quality leads

Lead generation is one of the most important parts of a business, and they’re one of the things that have remained the same since the Neandertals started trading with each other.

You see, for Neandertals A to trade with Neandertals B, they still had to generate leads and make conversions. 

In 2021 you’ll have a larger customer base and more people to turn from admirers into believers, but the premise largely remains the same: you need a plan for lead generation that’ll grow your membership and bring in that cash.

One of the worst feelings is spending a lot of time creating killer content that you know can attract people and grow your membership base, yet it’s ignored by the people who would benefit from it.

If that killer content isn’t being targeted at the right people or done using the right lead generation software, it’s going to get lost in the space of spam.

Lead generation for a lot of membership businesses means getting potential customers to subscribe to your newsletter. This will then allow you to engage with them further and direct them towards your membership site in the hopes of tempting them to join.

If you want some tips on how to craft the best subject lines head over to our handy guide here.

However, customers aren’t going to give out their email address willy nilly. People don’t like being bombarded with emails, none of us does, not even the ones who work in digital marketing!

Attract Leads Using Magnets

But what does everyone love? Value! So, to grow your membership base by generating quality leads, you need to sprinkle in a few magnets. No, not physical magnets silly! We’re talking about lead magnets. 

A lead magnet is an offer you can promote to people in exchange for their email address and other bits of useful information, and it can be a key part of building an email list that works for you.

Really good lead magnets provide:

• Instant gratification
• Value
• And exhibit your USP

Be a problem solver

Make sure that potential leads can see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and if we’re leading with this slightly leprechaun-themed example, make sure you’re at the start of the rainbow, wearing green and adorned in all the required bells and whistles. 

Take them by the hand and take your leads right to the pot of gold. Show them that you can solve their problems, and quickly. If you’re a gym, you might want to target new users in the early stages of the year with special offers or tips on eating healthy or getting into shape. 
Subscription serves might look to plug knowledge gaps or present lifestyle aspirations to their potential leads.

Show them your value

This brings us to value. Your lead magnet needs to have a high perceived value, or high actual value, to draw in potential customers. This is a brutal world and if newbies can’t see a bargain to be had, they’ll move on to the next thing.

When people see your lead magnet, they need to be convinced that your brand or service can offer them something that nobody else can - so show off that unique selling point!

Lead generation is easier with a quality landing page

Find out what your potential customers want, and design a landing page that gives them the answers to their questions. You’ll find lead generation far easier if you can align your landing page with your other marketing efforts. 

A lot of leads are generated via a visitor clicking on a call to action they found on one of your marketing channels. This click will take them to a landing page, which will normally have a special offer that requires them to fill out a form first. 

Except if your landing page isn’t up to scratch, the whole operation falls apart.

HubSpot’s State of Marketing Report 2020 found out that 54% more leads are generated by inbound tactics, but that means you need to have the right content to facilitate that inbound traffic.

Let marketing automation do some heavy lifting

Lead generating tools can also be super useful here. Did you know that 65% of companies say generating traffic and leads is their biggest challenge? Lead generation tools can help you collect data on prospects, but they can also identify visitor details such as email addresses.

If you can crack this nut, you’ll have a huge advantage almost immediately. Marketing automation tools can help to do much of the heavy lifting that makes find and sorting through potential leads a total grind.

But always keep in mind this fact: leads need to be nurtured. If you don’t give them any lovin’, they’re going to go runnin’. This is another area of marketing automation that can be key. The right tools can help map out a journey and a sequence of events for leads, such as follow-up emails or invites to webinars, that will boost your chances of hitting those targets.

Those potential customers will feel valued, nurtured and are more likely to convert than the ones that were left to their own devices (and probably gave their business to your rival).

Generate leads across social advertising

Every good company has a strong social media presence these days and using the help of marketing automation, quality leads can be generated within the social advertising space.

Combining lead generation forms with some clever computer magic makes it easier for marketers to convert and generate more leads.

1. Set up your mobile-friendly form (these can often be automatically populated)
2. Select the right marketing automation tool
3. Create a seamless journey for leads generated on social media

Use email and blogs to grow your membership base

We’ve said it a thousand times, but email is our friend. It’s likely to be really useful in growing a membership base, because everyone on your list is likely to know your brand and be more inclined to look kindly upon your email in their inbox.

They’ve already subscribed to your list, and so will be easier to talk to. But bare in mind that inboxes are flooded with promotional material, so include clear and engaging calls-to-action in your subject lines.

Blogs can also be useful here. Posts can be written with the sole purpose of driving an offer, and the call-to-action can be highly relevant. This is likely to result in more clicks and more converted leads.

Content Is King

As we mentioned in the introduction, content is a really important way for subscription businesses to generate leads.

• It reaches a wide audiences
• It can engage with people
• You can teach them about your offering
• It can be used to increase brand awareness
• You can learn what your audience likes and doesn’t like

Your content strategy should include a mixture of different types of content. Target organic traffic with SEO-optimised blogs, go after Millennials by using social media such as Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, and produce short-form videos to compliment your blogs or case studies.

Lead generation might seem like a mammoth task, but APSIS can help. Book a demo with us today to see how we can help you grow your membership base by generating quality leads.