Ghost lead generation campaigns involve the creation and promotion of content assets, such as ebooks, whitepapers, or webinars, without explicitly revealing the intention to capture leads. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to run a ghost lead generation campaign: Identify a valuable content asset: Choose a topic or resource that is highly relevant and valuable to your target audience, something that would genuinely interest them and provide them with useful information.
 
What is a ghost lead? A ghost lead is a lead you have collected that gets lost in the process somewhere, somehow and does not get the attention it needs to move it through the funnel. There are a number of reasons and places a ghost lead can sneak up on you. Let’s take each stage in the funnel and look at how a ghost lead appears.
  • Create the content asset: Develop a high-quality piece of content, such as an ebook, guide, or video, that offers valuable insights, tips, or solutions related to your industry or niche. Make sure the content aligns with your audience’s interests and pain points.
  • Optimize for promotion:Ensure that the content is visually appealing, well-structured, and optimized for search engines. Include persuasive and enticing copy that encourages readers to engage with the content.
  • Promote the content subtly: Share the content on various channels, such as your website, blog, social media platforms, and relevant online communities. Emphasize the value and benefits of the content without explicitly mentioning lead generation.
  • Use indirect call-to-actions (CTAs): Instead of using traditional lead capture forms, use indirect CTAs that encourage readers to take action without explicitly asking for their contact information. For example, you can include links to related resources or suggest they reach out for further discussion.
  • Track engagement: Use analytics tools to track engagement metrics, such as page views, time spent on page, and social media shares. This data will help you gauge the success of your campaign and identify potential leads.
  • Retarget interested visitors: If you notice significant engagement with the content, you can employ retargeting techniques to reconnect with those visitors and encourage them to take the next step, such as subscribing to your newsletter or contacting your business.
  • Provide opportunities for conversion: As interested visitors engage with your brand further, strategically present opportunities for them to voluntarily provide their contact information, such as through gated content, exclusive offers, or personalized consultations.
  • Nurture and convert leads: Once you capture leads, nurture them through targeted email campaigns, personalized content, and relevant offers to build trust and encourage conversions.
Remember to always prioritize transparency and ethical practices in your lead generation efforts. While ghost campaigns can be effective, it’s essential to provide value and be upfront with your intentions when it comes to capturing leads. Some ghost leads never even make it into the database. If you do not have a consistent process for collecting, inputting and segmenting your leads from ALL of your channels you might have ghost leads sitting in the desk draw of a sales rep. or in someone’s inbox. This happens a lot at trade shows. Even with the lead scan devices you get back from a whirlwind conference and you are on to the next big thing and the leads never make it into the database. Or worse yet, leads did not get scanned and you have a stack of business cards sitting on someone’s desk waiting to be entered.