The vast majority of marketing professionals indicate that acquiring new leads constitutes their primary objective. This signifies that numerous astute individuals are vying for the leads you require for conversions. To excel in this competition, we need to elevate our thinking. Therefore, we reached out to some of our preferred marketing experts, seeking their most audacious and successful lead generation strategies, either from their own experience or observed elsewhere. They certainly delivered! The lead generation examples they provided yield substantial business results due to their remarkable creativity and precise alignment with their intended audiences. Explore these examples to ignite inspiration for your upcoming campaign.
Table of contents
- Share a persona-based quiz to generate leads across industries
- Exchange a custom report for contact details
- Create unexpected and on-brand content types to build trust
- Build a free tool your ideal prospect can’t resist
- Use direct messages to get new leads faster
- Create a compelling guide from original data
- Get customers to qualify themselves with a product quiz
- Invite experts to your webinars for greater reach
Free guide »> The Definitive Guide to Lead Generation (25 Ideas, Tips, & Examples)
8 lead generation ideas (with examples!) from marketing pros
Our expert sources provided an impressive and diverse array of lead generation examples. From engaging quizzes to imaginative comics, there’s a suitable idea here for every business type.
1. Share a persona-based quiz to generate leads across industries
The most effective lead magnets are highly relevant to your target audience. But how can you achieve this when your product caters to various industries? Wren Noble, Content Marketing Lead at Glide, shared how they concentrated on a personality trait common to their ideal customers. “Upon realizing that Glide’s customers were united by their passion for innovation, we devised a creative method to engage them and understand their values,” she explains. Glide’s no-code software enables businesses to develop apps, and innovation is paramount to Glide’s clientele. Consequently, Wren and her team developed the Innovator Quiz.
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After completing a series of questions, the quiz assigns you one of four innovation styles: builder, strategist, optimizer, or scientist. It also highlights characteristics associated with each style.
The ingenuity of this campaign lies in its ability to generate leads while simultaneously driving traffic through social media. It gained significant traction on LinkedIn, with users enthusiastically sharing and discussing their results.
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This sparked widespread curiosity to discover one’s innovation style. “The quiz initiated numerous engaging conversations and provided valuable insights into what truly excites our leads,” Wren affirms.
This lead generation example can be tailored to any business and audience. It doesn’t necessitate a substantial budget, merely a comprehensive understanding of your target customers and an effective distribution strategy.
Lead generation pages require a compelling call to action. Download this free guide to explore some of the most effective CTA examples.
2. Exchange a custom report for contact details
According to Varun Penamasta, Digital Marketing Manager at Freshpaint, achieving successful lead generation doesn’t involve complex calculations. It simply requires providing a solution for your target customer’s problem. “We’ve experienced significant lead generation success by prioritizing genuine value for our audience. In exchange for their information, we offer something they can utilize in their professional lives,” he explains. Varun cited Freshpaint’s Web Tracker Report as a prime example.
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Freshpaint’s customers are healthcare entities, bound by strict HIPAA regulations concerning the collection and storage of website visitor data. Users of the Web Tracker Report receive a one-time audit of all tracking snippets capturing data on their website’s pages.
The brilliance of this approach is that the Web Tracker itself is a Freshpaint product, enabling leads who receive a report to witness the product in action.
“These site scans serve as our lead generation anchor because we understand their immense value to healthcare teams. Simultaneously, we introduce Freshpaint as a valuable addition,” Varun adds.
How can you adapt this lead generation strategy for your business? Consider offering a sample or free trial in exchange for an email address. Alternatively, allow leads to utilize your product to address a specific problem, with the promise of resolving more upon signup.
3. Create unexpected and on-brand content to build trust
Content marketing is a tried-and-true lead generation strategy, fostering trust to encourage lead registration or subscription without hesitation. However, this is often easier said than done, particularly when dealing with audiences wary of overt marketing tactics. Creativity is essential to produce content that stands out and resonates with your core audience. A compelling example comes from Elaine Atwell, Content Manager at Kolide by 1Password. Elaine produces industry-related comics to connect with her skeptical IT manager audience, publishing them on LinkedIn alongside a link to the newsletter signup page.
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While not a lead magnet in themselves, Elaine credits the comics with a remarkable 1000% increase in newsletter subscriptions over the past year.
“Our industry professionals are highly selective about their newsletter subscriptions. However, they appreciate an opinionated and humorous tone, which the comics establish as a preview of the newsletter content.”
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By the time readers reach the signup page, they are confident in receiving engaging content tailored to them, making subscription a natural next step.
Elain’s content-first marketing funnel generates leads due to a deep understanding of their audience, achieved through active engagement in Reddit communities, collaboration with the sales team, and attentive listening to customer interactions during sales calls.
Your business can adopt this strategy too. Begin by following your customers on social media, interacting within online communities they frequent, and paying close attention to their communication style during sales calls.
4. Build a free tool your ideal prospect can’t resist
A free tool is a lead generation goldmine. Create it once, and it will act as a passive magnet on your site, attracting new customers for years to come. Incorporate internal links to your free tool within your content and promote it on social media to amplify lead flow. What’s truly remarkable is a free tool’s ability to qualify leads. Those who utilize it are highly likely to be your target customers. Ajdin Perco, Head of Content at Animalz, explained how they developed Revive to capture leads from their marketer audience. Revive analyzes Google Analytics data to identify blog content experiencing traffic decline. Armed with this information, you can refresh these posts to improve their search engine ranking and attract more visitors.
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To begin, users simply visit the Revive homepage and provide their email address (a new lead!). After granting access to their Google Analytics, they receive a list of posts primed for refreshing.
Ajdin attributes the tool’s success to its ability to address a major pain point—lost traffic—for Animalz’s target audience. “It’s effective because it delivers actionable output that users can implement immediately. By listing articles worth refreshing, it provides incredible value and potential for traffic growth.”
However, creating a new tool is no small feat. Embark on this endeavor with a clear understanding of how it will benefit your ideal customer and a solid distribution plan encompassing social media, SEO, and email marketing.
5. Use direct messages to get new leads faster
Social media marketing offers an excellent avenue for connecting with potential customers. However, the traditional approach requires users to click from the social media platform to your landing page for contact details submission. This poses a challenge as some users might be hesitant to leave the social media site. Larry Kim, CEO of Customers.ai (formerly Mobile Monkey), revealed how they leveraged Instagram Messenger automation to collect leads directly within Instagram. Here’s how it worked. The Mobile Monkey team crafted a guide on obtaining Instagram verification, valuable information for their target audience of brands and celebrities seeking to expand their social media presence. They promoted the guide through paid Instagram campaigns, offering it via direct messages to anyone replying with “VERIFIED.”
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While unsolicited direct messages can be intrusive, Larry and his team initiated the conversation by offering something valuable and sought-after. Since Instagram restricts link placement in posts, they streamlined the lead generation process, eliminating the need for “link in bio” workarounds.
“The ‘how to get verified for free’ offer seemed to resonate strongly with individuals actively trying to grow their Instagram presence,” Larry noted. “Promoting it through an Instagram post with a call to action to comment and experience Instagram Direct Message automation effectively onboarded prospective users.”
Larry utilized marketing automation for instant response to requests, effectively scaling this strategy. Following up with every respondent ensures no lead goes to waste. If time is limited, consider AI-powered solutions for faster response times.
6. Create a compelling guide from original data
Admittedly, using guides for lead generation isn’t revolutionary. But here’s the key: they work! Our recent poll revealed that type of lead generation offering guides and ebooks as lead magnets emerged as the clear winner. However, Stephanie Yoder, Director of Client Services at Megawatt, emphasizes the need for exceptional quality to entice email address submission. She highlights Arcadia as a company producing outstanding gated content. “Numerous whitepapers are purely self-serving and, frankly, dull,” she observes. “I’m particularly drawn to Arcadia’s whitepapers because they address current industry topics and provide genuine value to potential readers.” Stephanie cited this example as one she truly admires. “This paper on the solar buying experience leverages original survey data to answer a crucial question for Arcadia’s customers: what are people looking for when purchasing solar equipment?”
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The lead capture page requests additional information, such as job title and company name. These details prove helpful for email audience segmentation and aren’t overly personal, minimizing friction.
You don’t need to commission an extensive data study to gather original data for a high-quality guide. Interview a handful of industry leaders, conduct a few LinkedIn polls, or analyze your records for trends (ensuring anonymized data presentation). Combine these insights with existing narratives and publicly available data to craft a comprehensive and valuable story.
7. Get customers to qualify themselves with a product quiz
We’ve seen how quizzes can bridge the gap between your customers’ diverse industries. Lyndsay Cordell, an SEO and Content Strategist collaborating with Faire.com, highlights their effectiveness in educating new leads about your products. Lyndsay illustrated this with an example: a product quiz from the Willow Hill Soap Company.
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This concise quiz consists of only a few questions. Upon completion, participants receive a personalized soap scent recommendation along with a vivid product description.
According to Lyndsay, this tactic overcomes the challenge of selling products that lack a complete online sensory experience. “The quiz employs descriptive language, enabling customers to pinpoint their preferred fragrance. It’s an innovative way to showcase fragrances, especially in the absence of smell-o-vision.”
Interestingly, Lead capture doesn’t occur directly within the quiz itself. Instead, quiz takers are presented with a discount popup upon viewing their results.
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This potent lead generation combination consists of interactive content, a valuable popup offer, and a tailored product recommendation.
This strategy’s versatility and ease of implementation make it highly adaptable. Consider the questions you’d ask a customer to guide their product selection. Incorporate them into a quiz, add a popup offer, and voilà! You’ll be generating leads in no time.
8. Invite experts to your webinars for greater reach
Webinars offer a simple method for repurposing your top-performing content. Compile a few posts exploring various facets of a single theme and use them as webinar topics. Susie Marino, our Senior Content Marketing Specialist, hosts a monthly webinar that consistently ranks among our most successful lead generators. Recognizing that some individuals learn best through video, Susie’s engaging and personable presentation style caters to the segment of our audience who might not read blog posts. Susie expands reach and generates even more leads by inviting experts to join her webinars. For instance, she recently hosted Jenna Zeidan, Google’s Senior Strategic Manager, to discuss upcoming search and social media trends.
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Susie asserts that the inclusion of a guest with specialized knowledge significantly enhanced the webinar. “Jenna was fantastic. She addressed complex SEO and search-related questions from the audience. Having a Google representative onboard boosted webinar promotion and attracted a larger signup rate.”
Collaboration on webinars offers another significant advantage: access to your guest’s network. “When seeking potential guests, prioritize individuals with a following,” Susie advises. “You gain exposure to their network, essentially gaining an additional promotional channel.”
This concept extends beyond webinars. Identify a business that complements yours and collaborate on a co-created guide or a joint social media giveaway. This doubles your exposure with the same amount of effort.
Find lead generation ideas for your business
While lead generation tops the priority list for most marketers, persuading people to share their contact information can be challenging. Regardless of your chosen strategies, remember that it’s a value exchange game. Offer something your ideal customer finds useful, and they’ll reciprocate with the opportunity to continue the conversion process. If you’re struggling to generate leads, reach out to us. We’ll demonstrate how we can help you acquire more leads rapidly. In the meantime, here’s a summary of the eight creative lead generation ideas shared by our expert marketers:
- Share a persona-based quiz to generate leads across industries
- Exchange a custom report for contact details
- Create unexpected and on-brand content types to build trust
- Build a free tool your ideal prospect can’t resist
- Use direct messages to get new leads faster
- Create a compelling guide from original data
- Get customers to qualify themselves with a product quiz
- Invite experts to your webinars for greater reach