Lead generation is a process of attracting prospects who may be interested in your products or services and collecting their email address. The goal is to later convert the lead to a buyer. Many studies have been conducted over the years and it is safe to say that most consumers will NOT make a purchase the first time they visit your website. This is why it is so important to give consumers plenty of reasons to come back to your website.
Most small businesses will lack the consumer base needed to succeed. Lead generation is a core strategy used to attract their ideal customer.
What is a lead generator and why is it important? Listen to the episode here!
What is Lead Generation?
Lead generators are a great way to provide value to future buyers. Imagine how many buyers you are losing if 98% of people left your website and never told you they were there? A lead generator allows you to capture the prospects that have visited your website, but are not quite ready to make a purchase. I like to think of a lead generator as asking a potential buyer to date you. Lead generators should have a monetary value. When a buyer gives you an email address, it is equivalent to giving you money. Keep this in mind as you create your collateral, it should be worth paying for. Depending on the average price of your product or service, your lead generator should probably be worth at least $20 or more if you offer a high end service or product.
Here are some lead generators you can create that will drive value towards your product or service without giving your products of services away for free:
- Assessments
- Checklists
- Reusable worksheets
- FREE Giveaway
- Interview with an industry expert
- Short webinar
- E-Book
- Keynote presentation
Why is Lead Generation Important For Small Business Owners?
If you want to grow your small business it is critical for you to generate leads in order to succeed. Email addresses are worth their weight in gold. Once you have that email address the opportunity to sell just got easier.
Without a lead generation strategy, small businesses will be unsure as to who their ideal customer is and who they should be targeting.
Typically, small businesses need a constant influx of potential customers or clients to maintain, sustain and continue growing.
How to Get Qualified Leads To Your Website
When a consumer visits your website you should assume that they most likely will not purchase right away. Buyers have a tendency to conduct research before they buy. Amazon and Google are the most popular sources for conducting buyer research. This means you need to create a website that instills valuable content for research purposes.
Before you can generate leads, you need to have a plan to drive traffic to your website. You can drive traffic to your website by starting a blog. Your blog will increase website traffic and help establish trust with your current or future customers. Blogs make it easier for customers to find your business on search engines and learn about your company, products and services.
Of course, a blog can be an investment of your time. It is however a free or low cost way to maximize your organic advertising efforts. If you do not have a blog for your business, make this the next marketing channel you invest your time in. Blogging is not dead, rather it has evolved.
Because you know that a consumer will want to conduct research as it relates to your products and services, start creating a go-to place that provides the answers to their questions. Starting your blog should be the next thing you do for your marketing strategy. Lead generation will start with getting potential buyers to your website.
Generate Leads Through Social Media
I have a love hate relationship with social media. It is so time consuming yet as business owners we need to be active on social platforms. Consumers are habitually using social media on a daily basis to connect with their favorite brands. Social media creates a place to express brand loyalty, share reviews and build relationships. So how can social media help you generate leads?
Social media works best for building relationships and generating leads. Generally you are not using your social platforms to make direct sales. Social media is a great place to put short form content and videos that provide value as it relates to your products and services. It is also a great place to advertise your lead generator.
What Should You Do With The Leads You Generate?
After you generate the lead and collect the email address, you can start building a relationship with the potential buyer. This is done with email marketing campaigns and automations. Email marketing is where the magic happens. Ultimately, you will establish trust and authority with potential buyers, resulting in increased sales.
Email marketing can be used to inform your leads about your products and services. It can also be used to drive value to current and potential customers. This is a great way to stay top of mind so that your business is the go-to when a buyer is ready.
Lead generation has proven to be the most effective way to consistently generate new customers and provide value to current customers. Your websites, blog, lead generator and email campaigns all work together to drive the best sales results.
Marketing and Sales Are A Non-Negotiable For Small Businesses
Are you posting sales or struggling to find your customers? It is probably time to upgrade your marketing and sales strategy? Take our FREE Business Assessment to discover areas of your business growth plans that may be needing improvement. When you complete the assessment, you will receive a FREE 30 minute (no obligation) coaching session. In just 30 minutes you will have some ideas to implement in your business and increase sales right away. The assessment will only take about 10 minutes to complete!
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