To grow your business in Canada or the US, you need to know how to generate leads online. This year, there are over 2 billion online shoppers worldwide. That’s over a quarter of the world’s population waiting to become your next lead!

However, getting online leads can be an overwhelming (not to mention, time-consuming) task. You don’t want to attract just anyone; you want highly qualified leads that can become customers at an affordable cost.

How can I generate leads online? What channels should I use? How can I get free leads online? And how fast can I get them?

If you find yourself or your marketing team asking questions like these, then keep scrolling to master digital marketing with six strategies to get more leads online.

How to Get More Leads Online in Canada

There are so many ways to get leads online that it can be overwhelming to determine which channels to use. The right combination of lead generation techniques depends on your business, but there are a few techniques you should definitely be using.

According to a 2016 report, the three best channels for getting leads online were email marketing, social media, and content marketing (Source). You can learn more about how to use these channels, along with three other effective lead conversion techniques below:

1. Content Marketing

Content marketing refers to the creation and online distribution of content— both on your website and on third-party sides that can provide valuable backlinks. Common forms include:

• Images
• Videos
• Blog posts
• Infographics
• Podcasts
• E-Books
• Webinars

Content marketing is a form of inbound marketing that helps your business create an authoritative voice in your field. The primary intent is to provide both potential and existing customers with educational content that is useful and relevant.

With content marketing, your primary focus should be on the content itself, not selling your product or service. With quality content, that will happen by extension.

2. Landing Page & Web Page Optimization

With the right combination of SEO-optimized copy and branded design, web pages and landing pages can quickly convert visitors to leads and leads to paying customers.

Filling your web pages and content with SEO-rich keywords can help generate free leads. In a 2019 marketing survey, 70% of respondents said that SEO is better than PPC advertising for generating sales. In fact, more than 90% of online experiences start on a search engine. (Source).

Today, it’s equally as important that your website and landing pages are mobile-friendly. By this year, more than half of the estimated $4.2 trillion in annual e-commerce sales will be made on mobile devices instead of computers (Source).

A profitable page keeps things brief and establishes a value proposition. With landing pages—where a visitor lands after clicking on a social media link or PPC ad— targeted messaging can create even more lead opportunities.

A real-time interaction can be extremely valuable in helping keep a lead’s interest or capture their information. Consider adding a chat widget or a sign-up form to make your pages even more appealing.

3. Social Media

Social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter offer opportunities to interact with customers. With 3.5 billion users worldwide (that’s nearly 45% of the population), social media also allows your business to reach new audiences and generate low-cost leads.

Valuable content not only makes announcements and shows off new products, but also establishes a clear voice and brand identity. There are several different ways to generate leads on social media, including:

• Influencers & brand ambassadors
• Organic content
• Live streams
• Paid ads
• Reposting user-generated content

Engagement is vital to the success of your social media marketing efforts. In addition to creating interactive content, it’s essential to reply to comments and answer customer questions sent via DM.

4. PPC Ads & Display Ads

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements are a form of paid digital advertising. On search engines like Google, ads appear when users search for relevant queries. Businesses pay for these advertisements per click, hence the name pay-per-click.

PPC ads consist of a title, a hyperlink, and a meta-description. Use SEO-rich keywords and targeted landing pages to increase your number of clicks. Ad prices are dependent on the popularity of the keyword, so it may be more useful to target less competitive keywords that are hyper-specific to your audience.

Like PPC ads, display ads are charged per click. These visual advertisements appear on web pages and can include images, illustrations, animation, and copy. They should send users to a targeted landing page based on the call-to-action used in the ad.

It’s crucial to create a seamless transition between your ad and your website with both PPC and digital ads. Be sure your visuals and messaging match your website and brand identity.

5. Customer Reviews

Consider Yelp, Google Business, and other customer-generated review platforms to be the digital form of word-of-mouth marketing. Along with customer reviews, it’s important to provide up-to-date information about your business that is consistent across all platforms.

Positive reviews from customers increase your credibility by providing potential leads with unbiased information about your business. Consider offering an incentive to current customers— like a discount on a future purchase— for leaving a review.

An important note: You should respond to all reviews, both good and bad. Engaging with reviewers shows you are actively listening to their feedback.

6. Email Marketing

Did you know that there are over 293 billion emails sent every day? (Source) While it may not be as flashy as other forms of digital marketing, email is still one of the most valuable ways to generate more leads online.

First, you’ll need to capture potential customers’ information and build an email list. Through targeted emails, you can support leads through every channel of the sales funnel. Plus, with every email forwarded by a loyal customer, you generate a new referral lead.

Regardless of what strategy or channel you use, lead generation is no easy feat. A digital marketing agency in Canada can help your marketing team build an email list, craft compelling copy, create engaging social media content, and support your business as it generates valuable leads online.