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.
Try a fax campaign to increase your lead generation. Fax may seem very 1980s in terms of business communication, but most companies still rely on these machines. So many people have ignored the fax machine in the 21st century. But that only means that you have less clutter to battle. Your message will be more likely to hit!
Be careful about buying email lists to use for lead generation. A lot of companies swear their lists are fresh, but quite often 30% or more of the names you are purchasing will be out of date. Prior to purchasing, negotiate with the list selling company in regard to this. You should get a partial refund if a percentage this high is noticed.
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.
Always seek validation of lead information. Verifying real-time information for a lead is important. If you take the time to make sure that you have a good phone number, zip code and/or email, you can ensure that the lead you have is strong. Not doing so can waste a lot of your time.
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.
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!
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 live chat as a valuable tool for possibly generating more real leads for your business. When you offer potential customers the opportunity to ask live questions and get immediate answers, you can really influence the buying decisions. Keep an expert on hand for your site, and start generating more leads with live chat.
Consider volunteering to help build leads. Choose a group which somehow relates to your niche, such as Cub Scouts if you are a dentist or a French club if you happen to be a tutor. Volunteering shows you have a good soul and can help build a positive reputation.
People love the word “free.” Free spreads by word of mouth and social media as well as in other ways. Free can mean free giveaways, free trials, free consultations and more. So, think about how you can incorporate the word free into your business objectives and goals for generating new leads.
Review all pages of your site and make sure your call to action remains clear. No matter the product or service you’re promoting, people must understand how they are going to purchase what you’re offering. You must post clear content without clutter so that people understand.
Make sure any email database that you buy is targeted to your interests. What you are selling may only attract certain people. It won’t help you, then, to get leads that fall outside of that niche. You’ll waste your money and gain no leads at all in that case.
Remember that trending on social media isn’t the be-all and end-all of marketing. If you can get any positive buzz at all about what you’re selling, you’re generating leads. When using social media, the content is king as long as you present it in a way which doesn’t sound like spam.
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.
Avoid becoming overly focused on contests. If you interact with people and they only expect prizes, then that’s all they’re going to want from you in the future. Optionally, try only a couple of contests a year. This will generate more buzz than the weekly contest.
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!
