Do you know how to generate great leads for your business? Have you mastered the basic principles of lead generation? If so, you can still benefit from the advice you are about to read. If not, you need to understand these techniques so that you can start to boost your sales.
Build your presence on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the most business-friendly social media channel out there. People use linked in to network and even broker new deals. It’s the perfect place to create lead generation opportunities for you and your company. Invest in a Premium membership as it will allow you to see everyone who has viewed your profile.
Look into pay per click campaigns to generate leads. The first place most people go to seek business opportunity is Google. If you aren’t on page 1 organically for the typical search terms they use, then you need to pay to be there. You only are charged if people click the ads, so it’s an excellent way to simply build brand awareness as well.
Invite potential customers to actually opt into joining your community on your website. You’d be amazed at how many website browsers will make the decision to provide their email. Make sure, though, that you’ve got relevant content to share with them afterwards. Think about developing a newsletter or a series of tips emails.
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.
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.
Hold a party for your best sources of referrals. Make it worth their while to show up by providing great food, drinks and entertainment. If you show them you appreciate their help, they’ll continue to bring you leads and you’ll all end up better off for the arrangement between you.
Customer referrals are one thing, and a referral program can definitely work. But, take things a step further by asking your customer base to provide testimonials. This can really work out for you, as people read through these reviews often to determine if they want to do business with a company.
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.
In order to grow your mailing list, hold a contest. You can do this on your website, on Facebook or Twitter, or even locally if your company is locally-focused. Just ask for an email address and name in return for an entry into your contest, and you can even give bonus entries to those who refer their friends.
Word-of-mouth referrals may seem like an old fashioned approach to gaining more customers, but they are like gold when it comes to generating leads. If you want to raise the stakes a little bit, come up with an offer or deal that potential customers can’t refuse. You may even be able to come up with content that goes viral in order to generate even more leads.
If you plan to use pay-per-click ads to promote your website or social media, create ads which actually bring in targeted leads. Make sure it is clear what you’re selling and that the call to action is solid. Don’t make them blink or include fluorescent colors unless you want to drive away potential leads.
Use your website to convert leads. Many people that visit your product site may not buy. The key is to find ways to gather some information and target them in the future. It is important to remember, they were on your site for a reason. Gathering information means you can target them in the future and convert to a sale.
Build quality leads by being personable and being careful to not oversell. If you are perceived to be engaging in puffery, you are unlikely to convert someone into a real customer. People want a company that cares about them. In fact, you must make sure that a product or service is marketed as a solution. You need to be providing a solution to something.
Optimize your website to boost lead generation. Include a contact form and strong calls to action on your front page. They have to know exactly what you’re going to help them with and tell them what to do to contact you. This will make a big difference.
Create a contest and invite your website visitors to sign up for it. Make your prize worthwhile to motivate people to fill out your entry. This is good for collecting information on potential leads so that you can contact them in the future about sales and specials. Just be sure that people who enter your contest know that they will receive future communications from you.
Engage your customers. It is not enough to get them to your site. Once you’ve captured a faint bit of interest, you must nurture it. Responding to questions and concerns in a timely and friendly manner will help you do this. If you don’t do this, your leads may disappear as quickly as they came.
This article has taught you a great deal about effective lead generation, but there is still more to learn. The more that you know about generating great leads, the better off you will be. Start using these tips and tricks today, and you will start to see the results you want before long.
