Leads are the lifeblood for any company. So, it’s safe to say that the biggest challenge for any organization is to find leads.

So, the question arises: how to build a lead generation funnel?

Creating and optimizing your very initial lead generation funnel can appear scary to any newbie, or even an experienced professional.

The truth is, this is all about having the right arsenal.

Let’s see how it works.

What Is a Lead Generation Funnel?

A lead generation funnel is an organized approach to generating leads. It’s a systematic three-step process of funneling your target audience through distinct stages until they ultimately decide to make a purchase.

Let’s walk through the stages.

Step 1. Top of the Funnel (TOFU)

The TOFU is your business’s very first contact with a probable lead. You get the chance to “create awareness about yourself” (via videos, blog posts etc.) to a future prospect and get yourself introduced.

Step 2. Middle of the Funnel (MOFU)

This is when your visitors start getting engaged with your company. You can continue to cater for them by offering whitepapers, eBooks, newsletters and case studies.

Step 3. Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU)

After developing trust in you, your potential customers need the last push towards making them paying customers. This can be done via promotional offerings such as demos, consultations etc.

But how do you create an awesome funnel like this that converts unknown people into loyal customers? Let’s find out.

5 Newbie-Friendly Steps to Build a Lead Generation Funnel

Let’s check out!

Step 1. Outline Your Consumer’s Buying Behavior

The most important step towards developing your initial lead generation is to know your customer’s journey.

Google Analytics works best to improve your site & gives you deep insights into your consumers. It drives data, like traffic reports, bounce rates, funnels, as well as conversion rates. But, you need to go beyond numbers.

Try to know the needs of your customers by conducting qualitative surveys and study deeply about their true needs.

Step 2. Create Stellar Content

Now, it’s time to create incredible content such as videos, podcasts, blog posts, eBooks — content that engages your prospect with you.

But how to create such commendable content?

• Optimize for SEO: If you optimize your content well, your audience will have a high chance to discover you organically.
• Win the Competition: Study to depth the published content of your competitors and then develop an improved version. More value, rather than just words will let you win the competition.
• Create Stage-wise Customized Content: Free promotion offers will work best at the bottom of the funnel. Downloadable content such as case studies, special reports, and eBooks drive customers to the middle of the funnel. YouTube videos, blogs, articles work best for the top of the funnel.

Step 3. Drive traffic

Now it’s time to drive traffic, and this can be done in various ways:

• Organic Search: A robust SEO strategy is a great way to pull organic traffic to your content especially when your prospects are looking for answers to their hot questions.
• Social Media: Never underestimate the power of social media. A single tweet can do wonders. Keep informing your followers whenever you publish your new stellar content. You will see social marketing worth your investment.
• Email Marketing: 60% of marketers claim email as their driving source of ROI. With your company’s email list, you can inform subscribers of your new products/services.
• Paid Advertising: Paid advertising like LinkedIn Ads, Google Ads, and Facebook Ads are three famous channels for B2Bs. The only tactic here is finding the channels that are perfect for your target audience.

Step 4. Gather Prospect Data

The most convenient way to do this is to create a lead magnet that you give away for free in exchange for an email address.

As soon as your lead magnet is ready to go, make it available via a landing page. The moment your website visitors fill out the contact form on your page, they’ll readily get access to the gated content.

Step 5. Lock the sale

Now it’s the right time to make your sale. Monitor your site users, monitor campaign accomplishments, and explore additional qualified leads with greater optimization. This is how you will do this:

1. Qualify your leads

To qualify a lead, first, look at how they have interacted with your content.

Are they open to taking surveys? Do they open your emails every day? Do they answer sales calls?

Prospects that download directly business-related content like case studies usually have higher chances of conversion rather than ones who just read your careers page.

2. Use the right software and tools

Using the right software and tools, you can directly adjust your entire lead funnel strategy.

If your business has enough budget, check for the tools that will make the entire lead generation much more effective.

3. Your experimenting should never end

Keep experimenting always! There’s always room for improvement of your lead generation funnel.

Your audience is continuously changing, and your lead funnel needs continuous modifications too. So, keep experimenting by creating different kinds of content to explore what’s best for your customers. Accordingly, alter your marketing activities, web pages, as well as sales endeavors.

There you have it! You have an end-to-end guide to creating and optimizing your first lead generation funnel.

Looking for help? Boost your business with an effective lead generation funnel. Contact us to put yourself on the road to building a sustainable lead generation pipeline.