Only 12% of businesses are satisfied with how well they convert leads. And it’s not surprising. Lead conversion is hard.
But it’s also the revenue generation touchpoint, which depends on business growth.
Knowing how to convert leads is a game-changer for your business.
In this article, you will learn 10 best practices and proven tips for turning prospects into paying customers and boosting revenue.
What is lead conversion?
Lead conversion occurs when a prospect becomes a paying customer.
Converting inbound and outbound leads into customers generates income and increases sales, directly enhancing your business revenue.
Lead conversion is measured by lead conversion rate. It is crucial in sales and marketing as it reflects the success of strategies in transforming prospects into financial gains.
How to Convert Leads? 10 Most Effective Tips & Best Practices
1. Personalize Your Communication.
User-specific content, such as mentioning previously viewed items or related products in email marketing, can do wonders for conversions.
For example, sending out recommendations based on buyers’ past purchases makes them feel valued. But that’s the very minimum personalization you can do, and frankly, it won’t get you very far.
You can personalize your communication manually, but it will consume much time. So, in order to personalize your communication at scale, it’s best to opt for AI-powered tools that do the job for you.
Integrating a CRM system into your tech set is the best way to track user interactions, but it won’t do the personalization at scale for you.
That’s why we suggest using a sales engagement platform like lemlist, which will personalize all your communication with leads in one place.
You can add custom text variables, images, and videos and use dynamic landing pages to increase lead engagement. You can also create personalized follow-ups using sales email templates already proven to work and repeat them for the best response rate.
If you want to step up your personalization game further, lemlist has a feature for liquid syntax with custom code variables that will automatically adapt to your lead’s position or specific info about your leads. It will help you to reach out to and convert leads in minutes.
lemlist’s unified inbox that centralizes all your conversations with leads is an excellent way to get a single, streamlined view of your lead interactions. It’s also super intuitive and easy to use.
When sending out personalized emails, focus on personal touches that would engage a specific lead directly. For example, a birthday message offering a special discount can work excellently if your lead has already shown an interest in your service.
Why does this strategy work?
- Enhances a positive user experience
- Makes the users feel valued
- Fosters strong relationships
- Prospects resonate with tailored messages much more than generic communication
- Personalization makes leads much more likely to make a purchase
2. Segment Your Leads.
Lead segmentation is a crucial strategy in converting more leads smarter.
Implement a CRM tool to organize leads by behavior or purchase history; for instance, send new leads a welcome series and nurture existing customers with loyalty programs.
Segmentation ensures that each communication resonates and addresses unique needs, increasing engagement and conversion potential.
Use behavioral analytics to create detailed customer segments, such as those who abandon carts, and target them with specific messages or offers.
Segmented lead lists allow you to precisely target your leads’ unique concerns or interests.
Why does this strategy work?
- Targeted messaging addresses the specific needs of different lead segments
- Improves relevance and effectiveness
- You can tailor lead conversion strategy based on your lead list
- Segmented leads convert better
3. Follow Up at the Right Time.
Contact leads soon after their initial expression of interest. Prompt follow-ups not just show responsiveness and commitment by your sales rapes, they do much more.
Follow-ups help to maintain momentum and move the lead closer to a decision at the critical point when the potential customer is still contemplating the decision.
If you are wondering how many cold email follow ups you should send to increase your replies, the answer is 4 – 9.
Automate follow-up emails that trigger when a lead engages with your content, which is the timeliest response. For example, sending a thank-you email or another resource after a webinar keeps your brand top-of-mind and encourages further action.
Why does this strategy work?
- It maintains leads’ interest
- Keeps your brand on top of your lead’s mind
- Encourages conversion at the contemplation stage
4. Switch to Multichannel Prospecting.
Multichannel prospecting strategy is a game-changer tactic to boost your sales that’s scalable, sustainable, and very profitable.
If you don’t convert your leads as much as you’d like, we suggest adding social selling to your cold outreach. Building a personal brand for your sales reps is a game changer in making more sales.
When your lead-targeted campaign becomes multichannel, you drastically increase your chances of converting leads.
Add LinkedIn profile visits, messages, cold calls, and other points of contact that meet prospects where they are.
Why does this strategy work?
- It targets your leads on all channels
- It creates more sales opportunities
- It drastically increases your chances of converting your leads
5. Rework your UVP, ICP and Buyer Persona
It sounds like a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised to hear how many leads turn away when they think that your service is not exactly a solution (or not the best option) to their problem.
That’s why you need to rework your UVP (unique value proposition.)
Highlight the benefits your service gives compared to competitors and explain why your solution fits your leads’ needs the best.
Your messaging must address your ICP (ideal customer profile) in a clear and comprehensive manner by showcasing that your product is a solution they are exactly looking for.
If you still don’t have your ICP, start with defining your buyer persona with this template. Or, simply use our free ICP generator:
In some cases where leads don’t convert, we see companies target too many buyer personas at once (or the wrong buyer persona), and their main message gets mixed up.
Why does this strategy work?
- It sets you apart from the competitors
- It clearly communicates how your service solves your lead’s problem or meets their needs
- Justifies your pricing
- UVP differentiates your offering in the marketplace
6. Use Testimonials.
Testimonials are incredibly effective for converting leads into new customers.
Positive reviews and real experiences from your present and past customers give much-needed credibility and trust in your brand.
Integrate user-generated content on product pages to build immediate credibility. Video testimonials further humanize the brand and provide social proof to potential buyers.
Success stories on social media that feature your customers achieving great results by using your service are another effective way to bring in new leads closer to conversion.
Position customer reviews and success stories strategically throughout your website, particularly near CTA buttons. This move will reduce buyer hesitation right at the decision point.
Why does this strategy work?
- Positive social proof builds trust and credibility,
- User testimonials reduce hesitation and encourage prospects to convert
- Customer success stories prove to new leads that they can achieve the same results
7. Improve your website’s UX.
A well-designed website reduces bounce rates. But what does “a well-designed website” mean?
To improve your website’s user experience to convert leads, you have to:
- Ensure mobile optimization, as many users browse on smartphones.
- Minimize technical jargon,
- Use plenty of white space and formatting for easy readability,
- Create an intuitive navigation menu so visitors find what they need effortlessly.
Think of your website as a path to conversion— the smoother it is, the easier it is for leads to make a purchase.
Optimizing your website doesn’t end here. Conduct a usability test to identify pain points in your website’s user journey.
Consider real scenarios like checkout flow and simplify forms by only collecting essential information.
For example, one-click purchasing offered by Amazon is a tactical move to streamline the buyer’s journey here and now.
Why does this strategy work?
- An intuitive and smooth user experience keeps prospects engaged
- Eliminates friction and improves conversion rates
- Streamlines buyer’s journey
- Makes it intuitive to convert because the leads clearly understand what they are getting
8. Add Strong CTAs.
Your Call-To-Actions should be prominent and action-oriented. They must catch your lead’s attention and stand out from the rest of the content. They also need to be comprehensive, as some businesses overcomplicate their CTAs, thinking they’re going to work better.
To convert leads with your CTAs, use contrasting colors to make buttons stand out, and include clear, concise wording, such as “Download Your Free Guide” or “Speak to Our Team Now.”
Position CTAs at strategic points throughout web pages and emails to capture interest at every stage.
Analyze where users most frequently drop off your site or emails and adjust CTAs accordingly. Use A/B testing with different CTA text, colors, or placements to actually see which variant drives conversions the most.
For instance, changing “Learn More” to “Get Started Today” can increase engagement by creating urgency and clarity.
Why does this strategy work?
- Directly drives leads to convert
- Move through the sales funnel faster
- Give comprehensive and actionable guideline
9. Use free tools, free trials, and discounts.
Free trials allow prospects to interact with your service risk-free.
Software companies often provide 30-day trials to let users explore features in depth. Other companies even offer freemium versions of their premium plans for a limited time.
Meanwhile, effective trials should highlight the core benefits of your product. Offer multiple features or even a full feature set that users find valuable within the trial period. It will increase the perceived value and the likelihood of conversion after the trial ends.
Discounts can also be wonders, like a 15% off first purchase, since they incentivize hesitant leads to act quickly.
Promotions and limited-time offers (like Black Friday offers) also work very well since they create a sense of urgency. Your leads may feel an urge not to miss out on the best deals of the year.
Free tools are not only excellent for your website SEO, but they’re also amazing lead acquisition tools.
They work by bringing in new leads to your website, capturing their data, nurturing them throughout the sales pipeline, and bringing them right to conversion.
Why does this strategy work?
- Offers your prospects a lower barrier
- Experience the product value firsthand
- Teaser into what they will get if they convert
- Create the need for the service even if it wasn’t there to begin with
10. Educate With Your Content.
You probably hear that content is king all the time. It may sound like a cliche, but it’s true.
Well-crafted content does wonders for your brand by:
- bringing new inbound leads
- optimizing your website for SEO
- establishing your page as a leader in the industry
- educating your leads on their concerns, interests, and anything valuable
- increases organic traffic
Provide valuable content that addresses common questions and demonstrates how your product solves specific problems.
Blogs, webinars, and case studies can effectively nurture leads through informed decisions.
Create targeted content like how-to guides, FAQs, and industry insights that help prospects understand how your product can solve their problems.
You can also host live Q&A sessions and webinars that have become very popular lately.
They engage leads directly by addressing their concerns in real time to aid decision-making.
Why does this strategy work?
- Helps prospects to understand service solutions
- Facilitates informed decision to convert
- Enhances trust and credibility
Remember! You cannot do much when trying to convert more leads if you don’t know how your lead tracking and lead management processes are going.
We wrapped up this list of the 9 best lead tracking software in 2024, so you don’t need to look further.
Key takeaways
To convert leads into paying customers requires a strategic approach that involves multiple steps.
Our advice is to start from the basics: tracking your leads, segmenting them into lists, and defining your ICP and unique value proposition.
When you already know all of these, you can begin with other tactics to convert more leads, which we discussed in the article.
The main strategies to convert leads are:
- Personalize Your Communication
- Segment Your Leads
- Timely Follow Ups
- Do Multichannel Prospecting
- Rework your UVP, ICP, and Buyer Persona
- Employ Testimonials and Client Success Stories
- Improve your Website’s User Experience
- Add Strong CTAs
- Use Free Tools, Free Trials, and Offer Discounts
- Educate With your Content
There’s no quick fix in lead conversion; the most effective strategies take time and consistent effort.
The most important thing you can do is to make sure you keep track of your lead conversions by:
- calculating and monitoring your lead conversion rate,
- keeping your sales pipeline healthy and full of incoming leads,
- do your lead tracking,
- use lead software and tools for data-driven actions.
