Regardless of your market, this strategy works (details below).

Sending radio listeners to a landing page three years ago probably wouldn’t work as well as the example I am about to share.

Keep in mind that every market is different and your results may vary. Additionally, this was a free offer with a somewhat targeted audience. Regardless of your market or your offer this lead generation strategy is worth testing.

How This All Happened

When I was approached by this client it was a state of emergency. They had just written a new book and were about to speak on a nationally syndicated radio show. In the past, more than five years ago , radio shows would produce direct book sales.

This author was back on tour after a 5 year break from producing any new books and while she was away the market changed. While on a radio tour she was experiencing little to no sales, dismal results compared to the past.

She Realized it Was Time To Make a Change

After deciding to change the radio marketing method, her research lead her to the internet (no surprise). Realizing that she needed to integrate old and new marketing methods she started to research her options.

This eventually lead he to me and my marketing team. We were about four weeks from the national radio date and had lots of work to do. It took some convincing to get her (and her husband) to agree with the concept of giving away content for leads rather than going straight for the sale.

The hardest part of consulting is quickly understanding the market, the pain points, desires and demographic. All these elements drastically influence the landing page design and copy. But I know there is…

One Lead Generation Methodology That Never Seems to Fail

Motivated Traffic + Free Offer + High Converting Page + Multi-Step Form + Followup = $$$

I have been testing multi-step opt-in forms across multiple markets and traffic sources. The bottom line is that they convert very well (30 to 50%) and have the ability to produce full contact data (name, address, email and phone). Most only go after name and email. Yes, that converts at a higher percentage but the reality is that most people have multiple email accounts and free email, like gmail, are making it difficult to reach your prospect.

Unfortunately Email Is Not Enough

This is why we have been testing and implementing multi-step forms using CPA (Cost Per Action) styled funnels. Here are a few things to consider when taking this approach:

1. What is your prospects biggest problem (copy writing 101)
2. Can you deliver a free solution digitally or physically (if cost effective)
3. Is the offer and funnel congruent (does it remain consistent)
4. Less is more (this one is important, fancy graphics and videos can reduce performance)
5. Do you have a way to measure and test to produce optimal results
6. Do you have the proper systems in place to support the traffic (performance loads)
7. Are you willing to sacrifice short term profits for lifetime customers and sales
8. Will you have exit popups in each stage of the funnel
9. How will you deliver on your promised item (free offer)
10. What is the bare minimum required to make this work (fancy complicated funnels will cause you to miss your deadline)

Action is important but failing to think through your funnel will cost you (time, money, leads and sales). Be sure to map out all the pieces and create a small plan.

This Does Not Have to Be Complicated

Remember the goal is to generate qualified leads and ultimately new sales. Cut out any distractions, fancy graphics, high-end video or any other unnecessary distractions that don’t directly contribute to the goal.

You can always improve each element later. Split testing is important but it might not be a good idea to implement new complications early in the process. One of the more important aspects of creating a funnel is copywriting. Often overlooked and under-appreciated, it is one of the keys to building a successful marketing funnel.

One part of this funnel I don’t have time to talk about is the copy. Having said that, it is important to have a well written call to action (CTA) built for radio. This may include a soft CTA in the middle as well as a strong CTA at the end. Additionally, you will need to ensure that the landing page is congruent with the radio offer so that visitors immediately know they are in the right place.

One Important Note About Landing Pages

Less is more (list item #4). I cannot stress this enough!

Often times we get carried away with logos, videos and other distractions that can harm our conversions. I heave tested dozens of landing page variations and all I can say is Keep It Simple (KISS). Yes there are exceptions to this and results will vary depending upon your market but when in doubt go simple. Easy to read text, single headline, bullets and perhaps a testimonial or two. Start there then work your way into more complicated stuff later.

Why does simple work better? I have discussed this at length with nearly every marketing expert I know. We all agree…. the reason simple works is….”Judgement”.

You have probably heard the saying “You never get a second chance to make a first impression…”. This rule applies here.

If you have a photo of yourself or a video or whatever… then you are giving a new visitor the opportunity to judge you and your brand. They see the page an think “Oh he looks snobby.. “Oh that color is ugly…” or whatever the case may be. Anyway.. you should test this theory first but I must say that the results have been fairly consistent across various markets.

Anyway….

So putting “My Money Where My Mouth Is…” Here are Some Results I can Share

Here numbers (rounded) from Google Analytics:

Traffic Generated- 8,500 Visitors

Funnel Step-1

• Email Opt-ins – 3,500
• Conversion 41%

Funnel Step-2

• First, Last Name – 2,700
• Conversion 77%

Funnel Step-3

• Address & Phone – 2,600
• Conversion 74%

As you can see this was extremely effective. If we had presented the visitor with a full page form requesting everything up front our number would be far less. I am guessing somewhere between 9 and 15% conversion (based on past testing).

Which would you rather have?

850 or 2,600 leads (with full address and phone)

That’s a 3x conversion improvement when using this method. And heck… that doesn’t even include remarketing methods. When we integrate Micro-Brading (our own secret formula using retargeting and other cool tricks) conversions and sales improve drastically. This is particularly true for personalities such as authors, speakers, celebrities and politicians (yes I have done political stuff too).  I will talk about micro-branding in a future article so stay tuned and please subscribe.

As always your feedback is important, please leave a comment or question below. OH.. and if you found this information useful please remember to share it online.