Perhaps you’ve been doing “okay” with your lead generation efforts, but you really want to know how to tap into those valuable resources. You could generate so much more leads within your business niche if you just knew how. Consider the following helpful advice as you think about how your plans should change.
Don’t fall victim to the belief that generating leads requires a big budget, because it doesn’t. Talking to people over the Internet is very economical and you can be very effective if you know how to do it. Target your audience precisely, perfect the call to action and make it as easy as possible for people to plug in to your offer.
Create engaging content. Lead generation relies a lot on building trust with your product or service. Smart targeted content does a lot to help get you there. Your target audience will be more likely to do business with you if they feel you are providing great service and that you legitimately care.
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.
Are there events related to your business? For instance, if you deal with real estate, are there any wedding events coming up? Get a table at the event to let customers know you are there. Read the classified section in the paper to see if anything catches your eye.
Search engine optimization can take awhile to get going, as can other lead generation techniques. While they are the best, and while some experts saying purchasing leads is a bad idea, it’s not always the case. Buying leads from a trusted source within your niche can actually be extremely beneficial.
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.
Consider giving a yearly gift to those who bring you the most referrals. It doesn’t have to be something big, even a bottle of nice wine will do, but it shows them you care. Be sure to deliver it by hand and personally so you can tell them how much you appreciate their help.
Absolutely every site you have up, whether a blog forum or regular content page or your main site, there should be contact information, social media plugins and opt in suggestions. These need to be strategically located and should be placed on every page so that people know how they can stay connected with you.
Create a local reciprocal referral database for yourself and other local businesses. You can set it up on Google Documents and ask people you know to join it. If you know someone who needs dental work you can refer them to a dentist on the list and, if he knows someone who needs you he’ll, do the same.
Always talk to others around you when you are out and about. Being friendly is a great way to meet people who might turn into potential leads. Try to gauge their interest before giving them a sales pitch. Being overbearing is a great way to scare people off.
Start a newsletter and send it out to your current clients. You can also send them to those who have brought in referrals in the past, and even people who just happen to live near you. If you make it concise and clear people will read it, and you might get some new leads.
Remember that people respect honesty more than hype, so when you try to generate more leads, leave an open and honest offer on the table. Adding bells and whistles just makes you look like a generic salesperson who will do whatever it takes to get people to buy. Generate leads with a quality presentation and you gain permanent customers instead.
Can you work in webinars, seminars or free tools and downloads for your business? If you can provide this type of information related to your niche, then people will sign up for them. When they do, you have their contact information as a new lead, and of course this is a targeted, niche specific contact.
Test out new avenues before you go in whole hog. You don’t want to end up investing a lot of time and money and yet get nothing in return. Run a test of each new strategy you have and carefully monitor your results, then jump in when the testing reveals success.
Provide quality content that is interesting on your website. Getting content published that people find to be interesting can get you quite a few leads. Make sure there are no grammar or spelling errors. You should also be sure that your facts are right. Thus, you won’t run the risk of displeasing a good lead right after drawing them in.
A lot can be done with a small budget. The main thing is that you need to focus on your goals. You also need to make sure you use your planned strategy. Once those items are in place, then you can measure the results to figure out where your effort needs to be implemented.
Be sure to use a blog to create fresh new content on the regular. Write about topics that people actually want to read about, such as how-tos, interviews, details from local events or expert tips and tricks. If you are creating content which is worth reading, you will be sure to build leads.
Well, what do you think you’re going to do different now after reading this advice? Surely, you’re going to make some changes, and it’s now time to put those changes into effect. If you want your business to survive, it takes generating new leads, and you’re about to surprise yourself by following what you read.