Using Incentives in the Lead Generation Process

Marketing teams often fail to include the incentives they offer in their lead generation forms. Including freebies in lead generation can enhance engagement and conversion rates. Because let's face it, people love getting things for free! Marketers should ask these three questions before putting incentives in their lead nurturing processes.

Does Your Incentives Give Concrete Value to Your Visitors?

Incentives are benefits your visitors gain in exchange for their personal information. These benefits have different values and can be offered through various ways such as:

• Discounts
• Educational content
• Product add-ons
• Free or expedited delivery

Knowing your visitor's pain points will help your determine which incentive you should use. Focusing your freebie on your visitor's needs enhances your vision to see which will makes the visitor's life better. It will also help you choose a benefit that helps your visitor determine:

• Whether your incentive is relevant.
• Whether your incentive offers a high return on investment.

In the end, the incentive you choose depends on:

• The visitor's motivation.
• The energy the incentive brings to your sales funnel.
• Your product and business model.

Does Contact With a Real Person Add Value?

Do you think your visitor will want to talk with an expert or a representative about your product? Contact with a real person builds strong incentive when:

• Your product is complex.
• Your market is filled with numerous competing options.

When considering offering contact with a real person as an incentive, determine:

• Whether your visitor will need help with your product.
• Whether talking with a real person will move your visitor along the salescycle.

The caveat to contact is make sure the contact is valuable. Will this contact position your product positively in the visitor's mind?

Will Exclusive Access to Guarded Information Make the Visitor's Life Better?

Offering exclusive access to unique information gives the perception of high value in the visitor's eye. When thinking about offering exclusive access, ask these questions:

• Will the guarded information solve the visitor's problem?
• Do you know the visitor's motivation level?
• Can you provide a preview of sample to capture interest?

Exclusive access to your guarded information has to hit your visitor's pain points hard enough to move him or her to share personal information with you. If it doesn't, your visitor will bounce to your competitor.
As marketers, you understand the importance of incentives. Putting your incentives in your lead generation forms will energize your bottom line.