Successful businesspeople know that putting their product in front of the right people is going to result in sales. Lead generation is the way to locate these customers. It’s not, however, just leads; you need ones that convert into paying customers. The article that follows will provide great ideas for doing that.
Don’t forget about having a follow-up plan. Once you have generated some leads, it is important to remember that you need to turn those leads into paying clients or customers. Have a plan in place so that you can begin that work as soon as you get some quality leads.
Set time every week to follow up with potential leads. It usually takes more than one touch point to turn a potential qualified lead into a real hot lead. SO after you’ve made first contact, set time a week or two later to touch base again. It’s about frequency here to make this person into a customer.
Use customized quality content to generate more leads for you. If a person stays on a page to read what you’ve written, you’re already one step ahead of the game. When people discover value and get the help they need from content, trust usually ensues. This often translates into more sales and sign-ups!
Talk to business owners in related industries. They may be willing to share leads with you, by sending their customers your way. For example, if you own a shop where you sell balloons, talking to a florist about a joint venture is a great way to get leads from another business.
Search engine optimization, while organic, is all about lead generation as well. How? Your targeted customer base is searching niche specific keywords. If you’re targeting the right keywords with all of your sites and content, then you’re generating new leads. This does take time, but it’s a process that should always be in the works.
Your customer base is going to be loyal to you and help you get new leads. You can accelerate this aspect of lead generation by doing different things. For example, you can start a referral program. Referral programs reward your current customer base for helping you find new customers out there.
Look at your competitors to see what tactics they use to generate leads. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when you are going to market. Oftentimes, your competitors have already done the hard work for you. If you see them using certain tactics heavily, there’s a good chance they are doing so because it works.
Find ways to qualify leads that you’ve brought into the company. Yes, it’s important to get as much data as you can, but leads are of different levels of quality. Some leads are more likely to be bigger customers than others. One way is to develop a survey to learn more about their buying habits.
Uncover lead groups that are working effectively in your home town. This is a collection of business owners who gather to swap leads. You might be surprised to find that a dentist might find you a lead, even though you are a masseuse. Also, you may hear someone talk about how their tooth aches and refer them to the dentist.
Check out online lead groups. These groups are helpful is the business you have is hyperlocal. While Bob in Peoria can’t help Caroline with her pest problem, he can provide your name and number to her so you can, and vice versa.
Stop trying to butter customers up! When you need to generate more leads, use a direct approach with them, because chances are good that neither you nor they have a lot of time for small talk and schmoozing. Get to your point, offer a great price for clicking the “buy now” icon and get better results.
Direct mail is still alive. Because so many marketers have shifted to cheaper online marketing methods, direct mail is being neglected by large numbers. You will establish yourself as a unique business if you utilize it. Try it out and test the results. You may get more leads than you expect.
There are many frustrated people that can’t figure out how social media sites can be their best lead generation tool. While it’s all-inclusive and goes in many directions, understand the main goal of social media is to help people. Secondly, think about the fact that you’re communicating with potential customers in a much more relaxed and unique fashion. Now it’s time to get creative!
Incentives are a killer way to bring in new leads. Whether it is a coupon, bonus gift or entry into a giveaway, offering something extra to those who buy from you can really drive your customer acquisition. Be sure to only use this technique for those who wouldn’t become a lead otherwise or else you’ll be losing money.
Don’t overlook the concept of actually paying for quality leads. It can take some time to generate leads on your own using SEO or pay-per-click methods, but paying for leads can help get your business off the ground. If you are looking to pay for leads, make sure that you do so from a reputable company.
Create landing pages for each type of marketing campaign you engage in. For example, have a page just for those you target with direct mail – are they local? Then mention that on the page. Your email newsletter won’t be going to local people, but they will be tech savvy, so focus on that.
Now that you are done with this article, you know how important it is to generate leads. Make sure your leads are of top quality too. Once you know how great leads are generated, you need not be concerned about buying bad ones ever again.
