Think You Know It All About Lead Generation? Let Us Prove You Wrong
You've started your own business, and now it's time to generate leads. So where do you get started? It can be hard to keep pressing forward and finding those targeted customers. This article is about to give you and idea as to what can be done about this. Keep reading to find out some helpful tips.
Use social media as a lead generation tool. In social media, you need to not only build a presence, you also need to build a community. It's an opportunity to build trust which will lead to more and more leads coming your way. Don't just look at the obvious social media channels. Consider them all.
Make sure your landing page is ready for visitors before you generate a lot of promising leads. Your landing page needs to contain all relevant information and options to buy or download. If your landing page is constructed well, you will have a much greater chance of converting your leads into sales.
Test a small market sample if you are trying to generate leads in a new way or area of consumer spending. While online marketing can be very economical, you don't want to waste a lot of resources on something that's going to go bust. Test a sample and if it generates a few leads, go for it! Otherwise, simply live and learn and move on.
Avoid overkill in your information gathering. Many leads will be happy to supply basic information. However, with each data field that your potential lead needs to fill, their desire to continue wanes. Gather the basics that will be necessary to qualify the lead without pushing for every bit of information you can gather.
See if you can sponsor local events in any way. Maybe you can buy uniforms for a Little League team, or have a banner at a church garage sale. If so, be sure to show up at the event yourself so you can shake hands and get face time with potential leads.
Find some way to rate your potential leads. Not all leads are created equal, so before you start generating them know how you'll grade them. Otherwise you can find yourself overloaded with potential leads with no way to decipher which ones are worth your time. It's a critical step to help you be efficient.
Door knocking is always an option, so don't rule it out. This can even be true if your business is B2B. Visit businesses and ask them about who they're currently using for whatever it is you're selling, then let them know why you're the better option. Leave some materials behind and move on to the next location.
Know your target market. When you understand the specific group that most needs the products or services you offer, you will be able to reach them more efficiently. For example, if you are trying to reach elderly customers, you have a better chance of generating leads if you avoid a skateboard shop.
Develop content marketing that will help you generate leads. Offer potential customers special newsletters and tips emails to help them make the most of their time. The better the content you create, the more likely you'll get people opting in to receive it. That opt in is your first step to creating a very hot lead.
Don't be afraid to pick up the phone. A lot of people get scared of making a call to generate a lead. They think it's akin to annoying telemarketing. But if you've got a solution to a problem a company is having, you'll definitely get phone time with someone. Even if it's not a long call, pitch it and get a meeting to continue the conversation.
Find out if any local publications available for free fit within your niche. For example, real estate agents can get into the local "New Homes" guides found in boxes around the city. If you are a dentist, you could get an ad in a free kids' magazine which details local attractions.
Don't be afraid to cut certain tactics that aren't performing as they should. Even if a tactic is generating a ton of leads, it may be that the leads just really aren't that strong. If there's low to no conversion, why continue spending in the channel? Rather double down on tactics that are converting.
Building content on your site sure does take time. If you get frustrated and forget to do this often, then nothing is going to really work for you. Keep up with posting new content, and interesting content is going to attract people. Always make sure you never put this strategy to the side.
Did you come away from reading this thinking that you can use these tips to help you get some leads. Hopefully so, and it's time to get going so that you can draw in those new customers. Remember that once you get new customers, you must also practice customer retention!