How to Generate Leads
The 10 Best Ways to Generate Leads and Turn Them Into Sales
Lead gen, while a very important part of your business, isn’t necessarily something that everyone looks forward to. Getting yourself out of the callback rut and using new techniques to generate leads can make this task less of a chore, thus rendering you more likely to accomplish your prospecting goals. Here are some ways to generate leads that are fairly painless and promise returns.
Spend time each day prospecting
First of all, make yourself a schedule for how much time you need to spend each day to work on generating leads, and stick to it. This is not something that you should work when you get around to it, or just whenever the mood strikes; to really make any gains in this department, you need to be disciplined and consistently work at it.
Customer referrals
Happy customers are your best advertisement. They’ve been through the process with you, and have come out the other side content with both you and the product you offer. Referrals that come to you via this route will probably already be in the market for your services and have been told about you by one of their friends, making it a strong likelihood that they are primed and ready to buy.
Offer helpful content
Blogs are a great tool to drive traffic to your site and product, but because so many people tend to rely on them, the playing field can become littered with redundancy. Combat this by offering regular, unique, and above all, useful, content on your site. You’ll grab already interested people who will find that you offer something different from everyone else in your market.
Make use of social media
Social media is one of the most powerful tools in your lead generating arsenal. You can use it to connect with a wider audience, as well as narrow it down to a more niche market when needed. Use Facebook to promote your blogs and interact with potential clients, and use Twitter’s hashtags to make people aware of your product and drive interest your way.
Newsletter
Because people must first opt-in to receive your newsletter, you have a unique opportunity in the form of a captive audience. Periodically send out a newsletter highlighting your services and any current special offers you’re running. Be sure to also include news about your industry, such as new advancements or achievements, to round out the advertising side with useful information.
Use infographics
Highly sharable and very memorable, infographics is a quick way to disseminate interesting information, with the chance to drive potential customers back to your site. Create an infograph, share it on social media, and ask your network to do the same. Be sure to add a link back to your site, as well as your logo on the image.
Don’t give up on old leads
Maybe you’ve called someone on your leads list who wasn’t interested at the time, so you crossed them off your list and moved on. Not so fast! They may have need of your services down the road. Create a system where, if your calls go met with a “no thanks” the first time around, you move them to a new list and give it another go three or six months down the road.
Put your contact info everywhere
Every page of your site, every picture you Tweet, and every infographic you put out there should have your contact information readily available to parties who may become interested based on what they’re seeing. Take your potential client’s footwork out of the equation by handing them the info from the get go.
Speaking engagements
Speaking engagements will not only get your name out there, but help you start building a reputation within your community, and beyond. A bonus here is, if you can get recordings of your speeches, you can use them on your website, in newsletters, or on social media channels, as well.
Target your market
Your product, no matter what you’re selling, isn’t for everyone. Target a specific audience, and tailor some of your outreach activities specifically to them. Write blog posts, create advertising, and perform outreach to your target markets for the greatest chance at leads that will pan out into sales.