Marketing Strategies for Lead Generation: A Complete Guide

When we talk about marketing strategies, it's not just about "creating content" or running an ad on Google Ads.

It's like setting up a system that works every day to attract, convert and nurture leads, even if you're not online.

A well-structured set of marketing techniques sums up this system very well: AIDA funnel, lead scoring, storytelling, SEO, irresistible offer, inbound marketing, CAC x LTV and so on.

The idea here is to show you why these techniques matter for capturing leads and how to start applying them, step by step.

A few quick facts to get the conversation started:

• Around 68% of all online experiences start on a search engine, and over 53% of website traffic comes from organic search.
• Most studies show that SEO and content are among the channels with the best ROI in digital marketing.
• Recent reports on digital marketing in Brazil indicate that many companies already invest in digital marketing and inbound marketing, but still have difficulty analyzing data and proving results.

In other words: those who organize their marketing strategies in a clear, measured and integrated system come out way ahead - especially in lead capture, student capture and student retention.

Marketing strategies for capturing leads in practice

A good marketing strategy for capturing leads is not just "posting on the web", but setting up a system that works every day to attract, convert, qualify, sell and retain. This system combines the AIDA funnel, persona, customer journey, storytelling, irresistible offer, social proof, inbound marketing, SEO, A/B testing, lead scoring, CAC x LTV, share of search and a RevOps vision aligning marketing, sales and customer success. With SMART goals and SWOT analysis, you can prioritize actions, reduce CAC, increase LTV and turn marketing into a predictable machine for generating leads and enrolments.

• • Structure the marketing and sales funnel (attract → convert → qualify → sell → retain).
  • Use the 18 main marketing techniques linked to lead generation.
  • Integrate marketing, sales and CS in a RevOps logic.
  • Set SMART goals anchored in a realistic SWOT analysis.
  • Monitor metrics such as CAC, LTV, share of search and student retention.

What you'll see in today's content:

• What marketing strategies are today, in practice, and how they form a complete system
• How the marketing funnel, sales funnel and RevOps connect to generate revenue and enrollments
• Marketing techniques explained with a focus on lead capture
• How to use SWOT, SMART goals, CAC x LTV and customer lifecycle to make better decisions
• How to put together a 30-day action plan to get marketing strategies off the ground
• The role of inbound marketing, content marketing and SEO in generating qualified organic traffic
• How to prepare your content for SEO + LLM and the new reality of search with artificial intelligence

Excellent learning!

What are marketing strategies today (in practice)?

When someone searches for "marketing strategies" on Google, they are usually looking for an answer to one of these questions:

• How do I structure my marketing funnel and sales funnel?
• How do I generate organic traffic in a predictable way?
• How do I turn this traffic into qualified leads and then into customers or students?
• How do I connect marketing, sales and after-sales in a RevOps (Revenue Operations) vision?

In practice, a good marketing strategy today brings together:

• Digital marketing (content, social networks, email, SEO, paid media);
• Inbound Marketing and Content Marketing (attracting with value before selling);
• ClassicSEO strategies + SEO + LLM (thinking about the new search engines with AI);
• Inbound Sales processes;
• A vision of RevOps, aligning marketing, sales and customer success.

The aim is not to memorize buzzwords. It's to build a clear flow:

attract → convert → qualify → sell → retain

Overview of the main marketing techniques (and how they connect)

Before diving into each marketing technique, it's worth taking an overview.

Think of the table below as a "quick map" of how marketing techniques help to capture leads, showing a practical example of their use in marketing strategies.

Table 01: Main marketing techniques and the role of each in lead generation

This broad vision helps you avoid falling into the trap of "applying mental triggers" without having a well-defined persona, journey, PUV or offer.

The techniques reinforce each other; none works miracles alone.

The invisible base: marketing funnel, RevOps and SMART goals

Before you start applying this set of techniques, it's important to organize the ground.

Without this base, you run the risk of generating leads that don't turn into sales... and the sales team thinking that "marketing only brings in the curious".

Marketing funnel and sales funnel: the backbone

The marketing funnel organizes the path from the first contact (top of funnel) to the moment when the lead is ready to be approached by Inbound Sales (middle/bottom of funnel).

• Top of funnel: broad, educational content (e.g. "What are educational marketing strategies?").
• Middle of thefunnel: content that gets closer to the problem (e.g. "How to reduce CAC when attracting students?").
• Bottom of the funnel: solution content (e.g. "Case study: how we doubled student retention with RevOps").

The sales funnel continues from there: qualification, proposal, negotiation, closing.

When marketing and sales share indicators and data, you're already moving towards a RevOps vision.

RevOps: aligning marketing, sales and CS

RevOps (Revenue Operations) is an approach that integrates marketing, sales and customer success to optimize the entire revenue journey.

Instead of each area looking only at its own metrics, the whole team focuses on:

• Leads generated;
• Opportunities created;
• Revenue and LTV;
• Retention of students or clients.

When you use the 18 marketing techniques within a RevOps logic, they stop being "marketing tasks" and become revenue levers.

SMART goals and SWOT analysis so you don't get lost along the way

Another point that ties everything together is setting SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) and doing a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats).

Before you start:

• Do a digital marketing SWOT:
  • Strengths: strong brand? Email base? Content team?
  • Weaknesses: little organic traffic? Dependence on paid media?
  • Opportunities: growing search for distance learning, AI, online courses, etc.
  • Threats: competitors with more money, changes at Google, generative AI.
• Then turn these into real smart goals, for example:
  "Generate 500 new leads per month in 6 months, doubling organic traffic and increasing the conversion rate of landing pages from 2% to 4%."

This basis avoids frustration and helps you prioritize which techniques to use first.

The main marketing techniques explained (with a focus on capturing leads)

Now: let's go through each technique, always connecting it with lead capture, digital marketing and, when it makes sense, with educational marketing strategies.

1. AIDA Funnel: Attention, Interest, Desire and Action

The AIDA model helps structure any persuasive communication - from an advertisement to a landing page.

In practice, you can think of AIDA like this:

• Attention: something that makes the person stop scrolling (strong headline, clear pain);
• Interest: show that you understand their problem;
• Desire: show the tangible benefit (result, transformation, social proof);
• Action: a simple and direct call to action (download, sign up, ask for contact).

After applying this logic, you can review your pages and ads by asking:

"Do I really guide the person to the action, or do I let them get lost in the middle of the text?"

2. Lead scoring: separating the curious from the buyers

Lead scoring is the technique of assigning points to leads according to their profile (fit) and behavior.

Before listing the practical points, it's important to understand that lead scoring is the link between Inbound Marketing and Inbound Sales: it helps the sales team focus on who is most ready to talk.

You can set up a logic like:

• +10 points: visited the price or "sign up" page;
• +7 points: opened 3 nurture emails;
• +5 points: clicked on a success story;
• +20 points: decision-making position (director, coordinator, dean, marketing manager).

With good lead scoring, your lead capture It's no longer just about volume, it's about quality, which reduces CAC and improves the closing rate.

3. Persona: who is your ideal lead?

Without a clear persona, any content seems "too generic".

A persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal audience, based on data from real customers.

Before writing content marketing articles, ask:

• Who is this person? (job title, context, challenges);
• Why are they looking for marketing strategies now?
• How do they measure success (enrollment, turnover, class occupancy).

With a solid persona, you can create "I almost heard you talking" content, which increases engagement and the conversion rate into leads.

4. Customer journey: from first click to retention

The customer (or student) journey maps out the entire path:

1. Discovery (top of funnel);
2. Consideration (middle);
3. Decision (bottom);
4. After-sales / student retention.

For educational marketing strategies, the journey can include:

• First search "distance learning college with affordable tuition";
• Downloading a careers guide;
• Participation in a webinar;
• Talk to a consultant;
• Enrollment;
• Receive onboarding;
• Receive content to stay engaged.

When the journey is clear, it's easier to decide what type of content to place at each stage.

5. Storytelling: content that doesn't feel like a boring lecture

Storytelling is using stories to connect rational + emotion.

In the context of digital marketing, you can use it in:

• Blog posts;
• Short videos;
• Email sequences.

A simple way to apply it is to use the structure: problem → attempt → turnaround → result.

Example: The story of a student who almost gave up studying, but found a flexible distance learning course and now has a better job.

Well-told stories make your brand more memorable and help turn organic traffic into leads that really identify with you.

Image: The magnet symbolizes attraction: strong marketing strategies help bring qualified leads into the funnel.

6. Irresistible offer: it's not just "a free ebook"

You can have impeccable traffic, storytelling and funnel... if your offer is weak, the conversion rate will be low.

An irresistible offer for capturing leads has three characteristics:

• It solves a specific pain;
• It delivers a quick practical gain (checklist, worksheet, short lesson);
• It has a clear and concrete promise.

To attract students, for example:

"Free kit: career simulation + profile test + scholarship guide".

When the offer is really good, the other techniques work much better.

7. Price anchoring: positioning value before cost

Price anchoring is showing a value reference before the final price, to influence perception.

Instead of just saying "tuition from X", you can:

• Show the cost of worse alternatives (e.g. travel, printed material, time);
• Show more complete plans before the standard plan;
• Highlight bonuses and benefits that add value.

For educational marketing strategies, this helps the lead understand that they are not just buying lessons, but employability, flexibility, support.

8. Mental triggers: attention and decision, with responsibility

Mental triggers are stimuli that help the brain make decisions more quickly:
social proof, authority, scarcity, urgency, reciprocity, novelty, etc.

Instead of "spreading triggers around" and appearing manipulative, the ideal is to connect each trigger with a real point in the offer, for example:

• Authority: show certifications, time on the market, partnerships;
• Social proof: testimonials from real clients or students;
• Scarcity: limited classes, specific dates for scholarships.

Used ethically, these triggers greatly increase the conversion of the marketing funnel and sales funnel.

9. Social proof: the brain trusts other brains more

Social proof is one of the most powerful techniques - and one of the most underused.

It can appear in:

• Text or video testimonials;
• Reviews on external platforms;
• Structured success stories;
• Number of students, clients or results achieved.

When someone sees that other people like them have already trusted you, the conversion barrier drops.

This is crucial in markets where the consumer feels more risk, such as education and B2B services.

10. Urgency and scarcity: helping those on the fence

Many people sincerely want to buy, but keep putting it off.

Urgency and scarcity help turn intention into action.

You can use it:

• Deadline: "registration until X";
• Quantity: "only 30 places at this price";
• Special condition: "boleto with discount only until Sunday".

Important: don't invent false urgency, as this destroys trust.

Use triggers in line with the reality of your sales process.

11. Inbound Marketing: let the customer come to you

Inbound Marketing is about attracting leads with relevant content, rather than just interrupting them with ads.

Studies show that companies that use inbound can reduce the cost of customer acquisition and increase the number of qualified leads, especially in B2B and education.

To make your strategy more robust:

• Create content marketing focused on real pains (guide, e-book, webinars);
• Build email flows that nurture leads;
• Combine this with Inbound Sales (a consultative, non-aggressive sales team).

When done well, inbound transforms organic and social traffic into a constant flow of educated leads.

12. A/B testing: stop "finding" and start measuring

You may think you know your audience... but you only find out the truth by testing.

Just remember that A/B testing works best when you change one variable at a time.

Some examples of testing:

• Landing page headline;
• Main ad image;
• Color and text of the call to action button;
• Form size (number of fields).

After a few test cycles, you usually see significant increases in conversion rates, without having to increase traffic.

13. Reciprocity: give value before asking for it

Reciprocity is simple: when someone receives something useful for free, they tend to be more open to giving something back.

In the context of marketing strategies:

• Offer a free diagnosis;
• Providing tools or templates;
• Offer open classes or online events.

This creates a healthier relationship with the lead and strengthens the bond, especially on long journeys such as attracting undergraduate or postgraduate students.

14. SEO: the engine of organic traffic (even more important with AI)

Even with generative AI, SEO remains one of the pillars of digital marketing.
Recent studies show that more than half of the traffic to many websites comes from organic search, and that first-page results concentrate the vast majority of clicks.

In SEO + LLM strategies, the focus is on:

• Answering questions clearly and completely;
• Using natural language, the way people actually search;
• Building related topics (content clusters) instead of isolated texts.

In this way, you increase your chances of appearing both in traditional results and in AI Overviews and AI search engine responses.

15. Customer life cycle: attraction and retention go hand in hand

Most companies focus so much on capturing leads that they forget about after-sales.
However, in many businesses, the real profit lies in retention and upselling.

Thinking about the customer/student life cycle is drawing:

• Clear onboarding;
• Engaging content;
• Loyalty or referral programs;
• NPS surveys and win-back actions.

In the educational context, this has a direct impact on student retention, which is just as important as enrolling new people.

16. PUV - Unique Value Proposition: why choose you?

The PUV (Unique Value Proposition) is the phrase that answers:

"Why should I choose you and not the competitor?"

It should be:

• Clear;
• Specific;
• Relevant to the audience's pain.

Example in an educational marketing strategy:

"100% online degree with individual tutor and employability above the market average".

This proposal should appear everywhere: website, advertisements, sales presentations. Without a PUV, any investment in media or content is less effective.

17. CAC x LTV: marketing that pays its own way

Just looking at "how many leads we generated" is dangerous.
You need to keep track of CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) and LTV (Lifetime Value).

In a nutshell:

• CAC: how much you spend on marketing + sales to win a customer/student;
• LTV: how much revenue that customer generates over the course of the relationship.

The aim of marketing strategies is to improve this relationship: to reduce CAC and increase LTV.

When you see this by channel (organic, paid, referral), you can decide where to invest with more certainty.

18. Share of search: the strength of your brand in searches

Finally, the share of search measures your participation in category searches, compared to competitors.

For educational marketing strategies, this means keeping up, for example:

• How many searches for your brand vs. other institutions;
• Month-on-month growth in this volume;
• Impact of brand campaigns on search interest.

In a scenario where search engines are increasingly full of AI-ready answers, having a strong brand makes a difference: people search directly for you.

SEE ALSO:

• Native Advertising: what it is, how it works and how to measure it

• How to make your Instagram appear on Google

• Branding strategy: a practical guide to building strong brands

How to turn techniques into a lead capture action plan

Knowing what these techniques are, the question becomes:
"Okay, and how does this turn into a practical plan?"

Before looking at the example table, it's good to make it clear that there is no such thing as a "perfect model".
What works is having an organized skeleton and adjusting it based on data.

Imagine an institution that wants to improve student recruitment and retention using inbound, SEO and RevOps.

Table 02: Example of a marketing strategy plan for an educational institution

This type of table helps to visualize where each technique comes in and avoids duplication of effort.

From it, you can define weekly actions, people responsible and deadlines.

How to apply marketing strategies in 30 days

Now let's list some concrete steps to get the plan off the ground.

The idea is not to do everything perfectly, but to start with focus.

Bear in mind that it's normal to have doubts and not know where to start. What matters is having a first version of the machine up and running.

• Week 1
  • Review the marketing SWOT;
  • Define main persona;
  • Write or revise the PUV.
• Week 2
  • Map the customer/student journey;
  • Choose an irresistible offer to focus on;
  • Write a draft of 1 or 2 landing pages using AIDA.
• Week 3
  • Set up or review basic lead scoring;
  • Set up a simple email nurturing flow (3-5 messages);
  • Publish top-of-funnel content optimized for SEO.
• Week 4
  • Run at least one A/B test on a landing page;
  • Align marketing and sales (or commercial coordination) in a RevOps meeting;
  • Define initial dashboard of CAC, LTV and conversion rates.

If you stick to this initial plan, you'll already have a much more solid foundation than most companies that "do marketing" on the fly.

SEO + LLM: preparing your content for search with artificial intelligence

Search engines are changing fast with the arrival of AI Overviews and AI-based search modes, which summarize answers directly in the SERP and change the click pattern.

This doesn't mean that SEO strategies are dead; it means that they need to evolve into SEO + LLM:

Here it's worth a comment: thinking about SEO + LLM is thinking less about "exact keyword" and more about context, intent and natural language.

Some advanced practices that deserve attention:

• Organize content into thematic clusters (e.g. all about "educational marketing strategies") rather than loose posts;
• Use subheadings such as "what it is", "how to", "examples", which work well for both snippets and AI responses;
• Bring in real data, references and studies (as we did here), reinforcing E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authority and reliability);
• Write in a clear, conversational way, answering the audience's real questions;
• Structure the content in a way that is easy for language models to "understand": well-organized lists, tables with context, logical sections.

After applying these practices, your content is more prepared to be:

• Found in traditional searches;
• Summarized prominently in AI Overviews or AI answers;
• Recommended in artificial intelligence search experiences.

Basically, SEO + LLM is about going back to basics (really helping the user), only with extra care in how you organize and present this knowledge.

KEEP LEARNING:

• What Google's 'People Also Ask' is and how it works

• How to increase visibility on Google: LLMs and AI to grow with SEO

• How to do SEO and get cited by AIs

Do I need to apply all marketing strategies at once?

Looking at a list of so many marketing techniques can make you feel like it's too much. And it is. Nobody masters it all in a month.

The point is: you don't need to be perfect, you need to be intentional.

• If today your company or educational institution lives in "post and cheer" mode, starting to use AIDA, persona, irresistible offer and social proof already changes the game when it comes to attracting leads.
• If you already have leads but few sales, looking at lead scoring, RevOps, CAC x LTV and the sales funnel can unlock results.
• If you already sell, but suffer from evasion or cancellations, customer lifecycle strategies and student retention can greatly increase LTV without having to double your media investment.

At the end of the day, marketing strategies are a means, not an end.
They exist to bring real people together with real solutions and, when that happens, both the company and the customer win.

If you want to take the next step and see, in practice, how to adapt your marketing and sales funnel to the new reality of search with AI, it's worth continuing this journey with the article on the new sales funnel with a focus on SEO and LLMs.

In it, you'll delve into exactly this connection between organic traffic, optimized content and the use of artificial intelligence to generate more real opportunities for the sales team.

Frequently asked questions about marketing strategies for capturing leads

What are marketing strategies for capturing leads today, in practice?

Lead capture marketing strategies, in practice, are a system that attracts, converts, qualifies, sells and retains customers or students. Instead of loose actions such as "posting on Instagram", the text shows the importance of integrating the AIDA funnel, persona, customer journey, irresistible offer, social proof, inbound marketing, SEO, A/B testing, lead scoring and indicators such as CAC, LTV and share of search. When these pieces work together, marketing stops being improvisational and starts operating like a predictable machine for generating opportunities.

Why isn't it enough to post on social networks and advertise to generate leads?

It's not enough to post on social networks or run ads because this alone doesn't guarantee a consistent flow of qualified leads. The text points out that many companies already invest in digital marketing, but still find it difficult to analyze data and prove results. Without a structured funnel, SMART goals, SWOT analysis and a vision of RevOps, the risk is to attract curious people who don't become customers or students. By organizing strategies into a clear, measured and integrated system, you can connect traffic, conversion, nutrition, sales and retention in a sustainable way.

How do the AIDA funnel, persona and customer journey help to better qualify leads?

AIDA funnel, persona and customer journey help to better qualify leads because they align message, audience and moment of decision. AIDA guides communication to drive attention, interest, desire and action on pages, ads and rich materials. The persona defines who the ideal lead is, their challenges and success metrics. The customer journey maps out the stages of discovery, consideration, decision and post-sale. With these three elements, content stops being generic, speaks directly to real pains and distributes the right subject matter at the right stage of the funnel, increasing the quality of leads.

What is the role of inbound marketing, content marketing and SEO in lead generation?

Inbound marketing, content marketing and SEO form the basis of organic traffic and qualified lead generation. The text shows that a large part of online experiences start with search engines, and that content and SEO are among the channels with the best ROI. By creating rich materials, articles, videos and email flows focused on the persona's real pain points, you attract interested people before you sell. With SEO, this content gains visibility in organic search. With inbound sales, the sales team acts in a consultative manner, talking to more educated leads who are more likely to convert.

How do lead scoring and RevOps bring marketing, sales and customer success closer together?

Lead scoring and RevOps bring marketing, sales and customer success closer together by creating a single view of revenue. Lead scoring assigns points to leads based on profile and behavior, allowing the sales team to focus on those who are most ready to talk. RevOps integrates marketing, sales and CS around shared indicators such as leads generated, opportunities, revenue, LTV and retention. In this way, the 18 marketing techniques stop being isolated tasks and start working as growth levers throughout the entire journey, from the first click to renewal.

Why track CAC, LTV, customer lifecycle and share of search?

Tracking CAC, LTV, customer lifecycle and share of search is essential to ensure that marketing "pays its own way" and generates sustainable growth. CAC shows how much it costs to acquire a customer or student; LTV reveals how much revenue they generate over the course of the relationship. The life cycle highlights opportunities for retention, engagement and referrals, which are fundamental in education and recurring services. Share of search, on the other hand, indicates the brand's strength in searches compared to competitors. Together, these indicators guide investment decisions and channel prioritization.

How can you turn these techniques into a 30-day action plan?

The text proposes a 30-day plan divided into weeks to get the strategies off the ground. In week 1, review the marketing SWOT, define the main persona and write or review the PUV. In week 2, map the customer/student journey, choose an irresistible offer and draft 1 or 2 landing pages with AIDA. In week 3, set up basic lead scoring, set up a simple email nurturing flow and publish SEO-optimized top-of-funnel content. In week 4, run at least one A/B test, align marketing and sales in a RevOps meeting and set up an initial dashboard of CAC, LTV and conversion rates.

What's changing with SEO + LLM and the arrival of search engines with artificial intelligence?

With SEO + LLM and artificial intelligence search engines, it's less about the essence and more about how content is organized. The text explains that AI Overviews and direct answers in the SERP make it even more important to think about context, intent and natural language, and not just exact keywords. Good practices include creating thematic clusters, using subheadings such as "what it is", "how to" and "examples", bringing in real data and studies, writing in a clear and conversational way and structuring well-organized lists and tables. In this way, the content is better prepared to be found and summarized by AI systems.

Do I need to apply all the marketing strategies at once?

You don't have to apply all the marketing strategies at once. The text itself acknowledges that the list is long and no one masters everything in a month. The key point is to be intentional: if you're currently in "post and cheer" mode, starting with AIDA, persona, irresistible offer and social proof will change the game. If you already have leads but few sales, it makes more sense to focus on lead scoring, RevOps, CAC x LTV and the sales funnel. If you already sell, but suffer from drop-outs, the focus should be on the customer lifecycle and student retention.