Lead Generation for Retail: How To Generate Quality Leads

But where do you start with lead generation for retail?

It can be overwhelming to figure out how to generate leads successfully, so we’ve created this list of best practices for generating leads for retail. Here are some tips we’ll cover:

1. Define your target audience
2. Optimize your website for leads
3. Create pay-per-click (PPC) ads that generate clicks
4. Use social media ads to target specific leads
5. Use current customer data to find new leads
6. Offer special deals or promotions
7. Optimize your website for search engines
8. Create a customer referral program

Keep reading to find out how to do retail lead generation successfully!

P.S. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with trying to generate leads for your business, WebFX can help. We’ve generated over 24 million leads for our clients in the past five years alone. Contact us today to see how we can help your retail company grow!

1. Define your target audience

When generating leads for retail, you must define your target audience. You won’t generate the high-quality leads you desire if you aren’t targeting the right people.

To define your target audience, look at your current customer base. Identify traits like:

• Age
• Gender
• Location
• Occupation
• Interests and hobbies
• Income

Identifying these traits will help you know who your leads are so that you can market to them.

2. Optimize your website for leads

Your website is one of your most valuable assets for retail lead generation. No matter what strategy you use to generate leads, you’ll typically drive those leads back to your website.

It’s crucial that, when you drive those leads, your website is optimized to capture and convert leads. Here are some things you’ll want to do to optimize your website for leads:

• Create opportunities to capture leads: If you’re driving leads to your website, you must create opportunities to capture those leads. You can create forms, email sign-ups, and more to make contact with those leads.
• Simplify your forms: Forms are a great way to capture leads, but make them simple, so leads don’t get frustrated. Ask for basic information initially, like name and email, and then ask for more later.
• Use bold call to action (CTA) buttons: CTA buttons guide your audience towards the action you want them to complete. Make the button bold and include actionable text to ensure people see them and click on them.

These are just a few things you can do to optimize your website to capture more qualified leads.

3. Create PPC ads that generate clicks

If you want to do lead generation for retailers effectively, try running PPC advertising campaigns. PPC ads appear at the top of search results and draw people to check out the products your business offers.

Creating PPC ads is a great way to put your business at the top of the search results and capture the attention of prospective leads.

Here are some best practices for creating successful PPC ads:

• Target long-tail keywords: Long-tail keywords contain three or more words. These terms have a lower cost-per-click and attract more qualified leads because they’re specific. You’ll also get more clicks for your budget.
• Use ad extensions: Ad extensions enable you to add more information to your ads, which can generate clicks for your business. You can add site links, ratings, and helpful information to entice prospects to click your ads.
• Customize your landing pages: Your landing pages play a critical role in capturing and converting leads. For every PPC ad you run, you should have a matching landing page that focuses on the information from your ad.

Creating PPC ads is a great way to build brand awareness and generate qualified leads for your business.

4. Use social media ads to target specific leads

When doing lead generation for retailers, consider running social media ads to target specific users. Social media ads appear in users’ newsfeeds to entice them to check out products:

One of the most notable benefits of social media advertising is that you can target specific leads. Social media platforms enable you to set specific parameters to target people most interested in what you offer.

You can generate leads for retail by running social media ads targeted at people interested in your products. Look at your current customer base and data (which we’ll talk about next) to determine who to target.

Here are some best practices for running successful social media ads:

• Use high-quality graphics: Social media ads are highly visual, so you need to ensure you use high-quality images or videos. Fuzzy or low-quality imagery will deter people from interacting with your ads.
• Create an actionable CTA: If you want to capture leads with your social media ads, you must choose an actionable CTA. Whether you want people to make a purchase or sign up for emails, your CTA should match the action you want them to complete.
• Try different ad formats: Social media platforms offer different advertising formats, including video, photo, and carousel ads. Test out formats to see which ones drive the best results for your business.

Running social media ads is an excellent way to put your products in front of people interested in what you offer.

5. Use current customer data to find new leads

To find success with lead generation for retailers, you need to utilize customer data to find new leads. Your customers provide you with tons of data that you can use to help you create more effective marketing materials.

If you already use a customer relationship management (CRM) platform, you can use it to analyze your customer data and uncover insights. Your CRM platform can help you look at the bigger picture of your customer data and their interactions with your business.

A CRM, for example, can help you understand how prospects move through your sales funnel. You may identify patterns of how people go from prospect to customer and use that information to help you obtain new leads.

Your current customers can provide great insight into how you can obtain new customers for your business.

6. Offer special deals or promotions

One tactic you can use for generating leads for retail is offering special sales or promotions. When people shop online, they want to get the best deal. You can help capture leads by giving special deals or promotions for first-time buyers.

An excellent strategy for is to offer a discount in exchange for an email. You can offer a percentage off a purchase or free shipping to entice leads to sign up for your email list.

Even if these leads don’t purchase right away, you’ll still capture them and have the opportunity to nurture them towards conversion.

7. Optimize your website for search engines

To do lead generation for retailers effectively, you must optimize your website for search engines. When people want to find products they need, they turn to search engines to help them find the right item. You can optimize your website for search engines to help more people discover your products.

Here are some best practices for helping your website drive leads through search:

• Integrate relevant keywords: To rank in search results, you must integrate relevant keywords into your pages. You can use a keyword research tool to help you find relevant terms related to your pages’ content.
• Improve your website’s load time: A slow-loading website won’t rank well in search results because users want to access information fast. Use Google PageSpeed Insights to find areas to improve your website’s load time.
• Integrate responsive design: In today’s increasingly mobile world, Google prioritizes websites in search with a mobile-friendly design. Integrating responsive design will enable your website to provide a positive experience on mobile devices. 

By optimizing your website for search engines, you’ll drive more qualified leads to your website.

8. Create a customer referral program

Another tactic you can use for lead generation for retail is creating a referral program. Your current customers are often a good source for finding new customers interested in your products.

When you create your referral program, integrate an incentive for the referrer and referee. For example, you may offer your current customer $10 off their order for every referral customer that purchases from your business. The referee may get $10 off their first purchase when referred.

A referral program is an easy way to earn qualified leads –– your customers know who in their life is interested in your products. It’s an easy strategy for generating leads and sales for your business.

Need help with lead generation for retail?

Generating leads for retail businesses is crucial if you want your company to thrive in today’s market. Knowing where to start, though, is a challenging task. If you aren’t sure how to effectively generate leads for your retail business, WebFX can help.

We have over 28 years of experience generating leads for our clients. As a full-service digital marketing agency, we offer numerous lead-generation strategies that help you grow your business, including search engine optimization (SEO), PPC, and social media advertising.

If you’re ready to start generating quality leads for your retail business, contact us online or call us today at 888-601-5359 to speak with a strategist about our lead generation services!

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