When using avatars to solicit leads, create plausible buyer personas with relevant backgrounds and interests; and then revisit them frequently thereafter (every quarter at a minimum) so as to ensure your message stays fresh and relevant to your target audience. It is vital that you maintain insight into who your typical customer is and what they might be looking for.

Bear in mind that you can’t be all things to all people. So targeted content is always best; especially since it is more likely to resonate with each lead. Content must be highly relevant for leads to take notice; and you don’t want to waste your time and money on dead ends. Taking a one-size-fits-all approach is sure to squander limited resources.

Here are 8 helpful tips.

When it comes to content, stress quality over quantity. You can have hundreds of blog posts, but if none of them is interesting or engaging, they will be fruitless. One valuable piece is worth a hundred irrelevant ones; so focus on highly relevant content that engages your audience.

Harness the power of “word of mouth”. Keep in mind the broader picture. This isn’t just about converting the initial audience. If your content is awesome, the prospect will be more inclined to share it with others who are like-minded, thereby multiplying the efficacy of each piece. Focus on engaging leads, not simply adding names to your database. Higher engagement levels equal more leads generated. Unengaged leads don’t convert; and they certainly won’t recommend you to others.

Use social share buttons to extend the reach of your content. Insert such buttons beside ALL valuable content. You can even place them on the confirmation or thank you page for a form they completed. Social media is indispensable in today’s highly- competitive online ecosystem. This is all the more reason it is important to make it easy for leads to share your content with acquaintances. In fact, you want to give them reasons to spread the word; as social media is all about virality.

Remember: Strong engagement does just serve to persuade the direct target; it serves the secondary purpose of “spreading the word”. If they like you, they’ll recommend you; or at least TALK ABOUT you, multiplying your exposure without you having to do any additional work. “Word of mouth” is a powerful thing. It’s essentially free marketing. Be unique and innovative. Again: Captivating content is much more likely to be shared, widening the reach of your content and generating new leads. So look for ways to create content that stands out from the crowd. If it makes the reader say “wow”, they are more likely to tell others about it—thereby extending the reach of your content and bringing you new leads.

Be tempered and tactful with your email marketing. Don’t inundate leads with a barrage of solicitations. With the massive volume of emails being sent today, leads are on guard against junk mail. So if you overload them, they will dismiss you out of hand; or even label you as SPAM; thereby hurting your online reputation. Avoid messy / overly-busy landing pages. In other words, web design should not have pages that are riddled with too much text or over-crowded with graphics. The easier it is for a lead to skim your landing page and understand how the content will benefit them, the more likely they are to take action. Make the text brief and concise. Use bullets to call out important benefits. Supplement your text with images.

Mirror your company’s social media branding on its landing pages. You want it to be clear to leads that the website is the right one; and that branding is consistent. Pull your company’s branding onto the page and make it clear that the page is yours, so that leads don’t get confused and think they are on another company’s site. Ensure the precise branding imagery is ingrained across all media. Be sure to include an email opt-in mechanism. A surefire way to lose a lead to un-subscribing is to begin your relationship with them by sending unsolicited spam. Allow them to opt-in. By doing so, you ensure that you are marketing to leads who are genuinely interested to hear what you have to say. Whenever possible, include a “forward to a friend” or “spread the word” link in your emails. Give your audience a way to share content with their colleagues and friends. This effectively amounts to free marketing.

For follow-ups, shoot for no more than one email every week—one every two weeks is preferable. And be sure to keep the A/B testing going. Never assume that you’ve reached perfection. Market trends shift. A/B test your email subjects, email bodies, and landing pages frequently to confirm that you’re on the right track.

Some like social media, while others prefer reading emails or watching videos. So email campaigns are not enough. Multi-channel marketing is imperative for those who want to stay ahead of the competition. Social media is ideal for lead generation because that’s where most people look for information. Over 80% of marketers use email marketing to generate most of their leads.

It helps to regularly respond to comments on social media. Remember that social media interaction is a two-way dialogue. That’s why it helps to respond to comments posted directly to your site or under your posts. Doing so will cement your brand reputation.

Diversify your message and tone on different social media platforms. Diversity is key when it comes to social media marketing. So mix it up. The conversation on Facebook should be different than on LinkedIn. Moreover, identify and interact with industry influencers on social media. Contact them directly and ask about co-authoring content with them. This will enable you to reach their followers with content that you know they will want to consume. Another inducement: Give away some free content. The trick is to entice. So using bait is always a good idea.

Social media marketing and website optimization are both lead gen strategies. So tailor your content to appeal to any given target audience. Find out what your audience likes. What type of content attracts them? The latest tech has made it possible to eliminate the guesswork here. Tools like Ahrefs and Accuranker help track keywords, provide relevant content for your audience, and stay ahead of the competition. And a SaaS like LeadMachine.AI automates the entire process. So ensure you are using the best technology when turbo-charging your lead gen efforts