5 Lead Generation Strategies for Small Businesses

Are you looking for new strategies to generate leads for your business? We’ve got 5 strategies that you can implement today!

Leads are valuable and often scarce-resource for any business owner. Lead Generation Strategies provide an opportunity to acquire new customers/clients, enhance awareness of products/services, and generate revenue by encouraging potential clients to become paying customers or clients now or in the future (i.e., by sending out a special offer or discount to lead users when they sign up). I’ve listed 5 Great Strategies to Consider:

Utilize Social Media.
Attend events.
Maintain a blog
Offer a Special
Ask for referrals.

1. Utilize Social Media

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are very effective in building interest and increasing your follower base. Create content that is relevant. Content marketing has become very popular recently because of its success in building an audience and generating leads. When you create original content that is relevant and valuable, people want to share it (via social media, blog posts, etc.), generating awareness for your business and giving you the opportunity for more leads. Social media is the most popular and effective way of generating leads. You can build a following on Facebook or Instagram, post pictures that promote your website and add links to your posts. You should also be adding relevant hashtags and boosting your posts with a paid advertising campaign.

2. Attend Events

Go to in-person networking events, trade shows, local Chamber events, or business group meetings or conferences where you can meet potential leads face-to-face and have the opportunity to follow up with them online. Many people who register for networking meetings online end up not showing up because of day-to-day distractions that arise during the work week. However, it is easier to connect with people at an event. These events are also perfect for building relationships, brand awareness, and generating leads. Attend as many events as possible by networking with people you know, finding out what their needs are, and offering new information that you can use to target your leads.

3. Maintain a Blog

Blogging is one of the most effective ways to build an audience and generate leads. Everything you write about your business or products and your experiences finds its way onto the web, where it can be found by prospective customers/clients.

Create an informative blog that can be used to educate potential clients on what kinds of things they will like as well as inform them of current promotions/offers that they might want. Blogs are also a good way to share your story. People like knowing the story of the people behind a business. Create your blog by registering for a free platform such as WordPress or Blogger and writing at least three times every week. It’s important that you write at least one time per week, as your content will eventually get pushed down on search engines if you don’t update it regularly. You can also utilize social media to promote your blog and even set up an email newsletter that is either free or paid.

4. Offer a Special

Offering a special to promote leads, especially in the beginning stages of your business, requires you to understand what types of customer behavior work best for your business. You can create start with a free offer, then offer a paid upsell or cross-sell product or service. Or you could give your clients the option to opt-in to your email marketing program. Remember, free is always good, and it’s easier to get someone to pay attention to a product or service they would like if they are already familiar with it. One thing is for certain: you will generate more leads if you offer a special.

5. Ask for Referrals

Asking your current customers/clients for referrals is a great way to generate new leads. There are many ways to do this.

You can ask in person, send out a survey or email, or have it listed on your website. Make sure you have an easy process and that you follow up with the referred leads. Asking for referrals will increase your exposure to the marketplace and allow you to build relationships with people that are interested in what you’re offering. Developing referral programs is a great way to build credibility and your business. All it takes is some creativity, time, and persistence. This strategy is great because it doesn’t cost you anything, and it can be used as a free source of leads.

Lead Generation services have proven ways to generate traffic, leads, and revenue for your business. In the past year alone, there have been a number of studies conducted on the effectiveness of online lead-generation strategies. For example, KISSmetrics made an infographic that explains how valuable content marketing is for generating leads in the year 2013. It states, “Content marketing produces an average of $44.25 a lead”. Content marketing has become very popular recently because of its success in building an audience and generating leads. When you create original content that is relevant and valuable, people want to share it (via social media, blog posts, etc., which generates awareness for your business and gives you the opportunity for more leads.

Lead generation is a process of growing an accurate and complete list of potential customers or clients. This can be an easy or complex process, depending on how you are managing it. Ideally, a lead generation process will allow you to build an accurate and complete list of leads that can be used for sales and service opportunities. The whole purpose of lead generation is to create a pool of qualified potential targets who could become customers or clients, so there must be a strong focus on quality leads from the beginning in order to reach this goal effectively.

In conclusion, there are many different ways to increase revenue and growth in your business. It is important to continuously analyze and choose the best available strategies for you. The most popular and effective techniques will become more relevant over time as the market becomes saturated with new techniques, so it’s important to keep up-to-date on the latest trends.

The most effective lead-generation strategies cannot be measured because they will depend on the effectiveness of your goal and what tools you choose to use.