Lead generation techniques in digital marketing provide opportunities that remain unavailable through the utilization of standard offline promo techniques.

There’s a simple reason why.

Online lead generation enables extensive targeting, drawing the right audience to the message. Members of this audience are already qualified, which makes the transition from prospects to leads so much easier. Needless to say, the same isn’t true when you’re using TV promotion or billboard for your niche business.

If you are looking for ways to generate leads in a niche market, going digital is the right approach. Here are five of the most effective techniques, bound to deliver an optimal return on investment.

Search Engine Optimization for Niche Markets

According to HubSpot’s Not Another State of Marketing Report, 64 percent of marketers actively invest in search engine optimization (SEO).

SEO is a set of techniques aimed at positioning a website among the top Google results for specific search keywords.

Studies show that 81 percent of people do online research before heading out to a store and the same applies to 85 percent of those who prefer online shopping. In other words, if your business isn’t visible in online searches, you are missing on a massive lead generation opportunity.

SEO is the best method to reach people who are already interested in your niche, or in specific products and services. You wouldn’t have to work hard to convince these people to buy – they have already expressed a desire to connect with a brand in the respective niche.

Effective SEO delivers long-lasting results and a very high return on investment. While the impact of carrying out an SEO campaign isn’t immediate (sometimes, it takes months for a website to be properly ranked by Google), reaching the top of the search engine results page can contribute to a steady growth in traffic, interactions with prospects, and conversions.

Content Marketing

Carrying out a content-based campaign allows you to establish yourself as the authority in a respective niche. When prospects view you as a trend-setter in your specialty, they’re more likely to come back to you when in need of products and services.

In the past, advertising campaigns were crafted for the single purpose of selling.

Digital promotion today can accomplish a lot more. It builds a relationship between the brand and the prospect. It differentiates a company from its competitors and also boosts the emotional appeal of its message.

Content comes in all shapes and sizes and you can experiment with formats to meet your campaign goal. Blog posts, whitepapers, ebooks, infographics, image slideshows, videos, and even podcasts have been successfully utilized by niche brands for lead generation.

Online lead generation through content marketing is another approach that delivers an excellent ROI. This is one of the reasons why 24 percent of marketers plan to boost content creation expenditure in 2020 and beyond. This strategy seems to be paying off – the annual growth in unique website traffic is 7.8 times higher for content marketing leaders in comparison to everyone else.

Good content meets a number of criteria. It is informative, well-researched, and offers a unique perspective. In addition, it gives the audience an in-depth look at a specific topic (for the purpose of informing, educating, or entertaining).

Email Promotion Through Newsletter Segments

Good old email marketing is still one of the most effective online lead generation techniques for niche markets.

This is especially true for brands that segment subscribers and send out tailored newsletters/email alerts to address the needs of the specific group. Segmented email campaigns achieve 14.3 percent higher open rates than generic messages.

Achieving productive email segmentation depends on many factors – there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Tailoring depends on the stage of the customer’s journey, the anticipated outcome, and the amount of information you can collect from leads.

Some of the easiest ways to do email marketing segmentation include looking at demographic criteria and customer journey data. Using these, you can put together different newsletters that inform, surprise, get leads curious, or convert.

Host an Online Event

While online events like workshops and webinars necessitate more preliminary work, they’re especially great for niche online lead generation.

Just like content, online event hosting ranks among the best ways to generate leads online that build your reputation and make you memorable.

In addition, an online event helps you capture important lead information and receive some immediate feedback about the needs and preferences of your target. You can easily answer questions, respond to objections, and even gather ideas for future interactions with your prospects.

An online webinar doesn’t have to be that expensive to put together. There are online streaming opportunities and event hosting platforms you can use without breaking the bank. What matters is coming up with an original concept that capitalizes on your strengths and provides prospects with a tailored opportunity to interact with you.

Coupons, Discounts, and Loyalty Programs

Finally, you should consider offering potential leads something of added value.

Whenever a prospect feels appreciated, they will likely establish a solid relationship with that brand.

In the US, 88 percent of consumers report using coupons as a part of their shopping experience. Loyalty programs are also highly in-demand. Of all consumers questioned in a survey, 75 percent reported favoring businesses that have a loyalty program and 65 percent remain loyal to a brand that offers special perks.

Investing in loyalty programs makes sense. Retaining existing clients is a lot less expensive than generating new leads. It’s also a well-known fact that about 80 percent of profits are generated by approximately 20 percent of (loyal) customers, a phenomenon called the Pareto Principle.

What matters most for these programs is offering leads something valuable. Just throwing a freebie their way isn’t going to yield the desired results. A strong loyalty or discount program is based on knowing your audience well, understanding its pain points, and providing a solution that addresses those difficulties in an encompassing way.