In this day and age, just building a website and hoping someone calls you or fills out a contact form is not enough.  You need to provide free valuable information for your target audience.  Free information can come in many different formats;  downloadable articles/whitepapers, videos, audio, printable worksheets, web-based tools, free demos — all can be used as lead generation tools.

Here are a few examples of ways companies have used free information as a way to capture leads and build a killer in-house marketing list.

A client we work with is in the trade show industry. The sell a variety of trade show booths, displays and exhibits.  One of the first challenges we needed to overcome was how are we going to capture visitor information when they visit the site.  We knew the best way to maximize conversions was to provide content that would benefit someone looking to purchase a trade show booth.

The Solution was a Free Ideas Guide, that would be jam packed with comprehensive information such as: ideas on trade show displays, promotional ideas, trade show marketing ideas, showroom examples, and trade show industry tips.  The idea guide is available as a hard copy or e-catalog (digital format) that you can download.  In order to gain access to the catalog you must provide your basic contact information.

Hubspot does a great job of providing free SEO tools users can use to analyze websites, twitter profiles, facebook profiles, and press releases.  For each tool that you use, you have the option of providing your e-mail address to sign up for their newsletter.  They also have whitepapers, e-books and webinars that are used to provide value and generate leads.

Bliss Wedding Planner offers a downloadable wedding planner and bridesmaid’s guide for free.  You can also print out wedding checklists, worksheets and planners to help you with the wedding planning process.

McAfee offers a free 30 day trial of their virus protection software.

The point that I am making is that people are more apt to give you their contact information if you are providing value to the user.  The more lead generation tools you have on your website, the more chances you have to gain potential customer information.

Quick Tips to Capture More Leads

• Do the research – See what your target audience needs
• Ask for only basic contact information
• Test different landing pages (calls to action, buttons, offers, formats, headlines, etc.)
• Follow up with an E-mail marketing campaign
• Keep information fresh
• Track funnels in analytics to help improve conversion rates