In a highly competitive market, businesses can’t solely depend on having a good product or service. They must also have a solid strategy to know their target audience and identify those who have an interest in their offerings. If a business does not know where to get its potential sales from, then it may be an uphill battle. This is where lead generation comes into play.
What is Lead Generation?
Lead generation is usually the first and most important part of any company’s sales process. It is the process of getting the interest of prospects that can be moved along the sales funnel or converted. A lead is any individual or entity that has shown interest in a company’s offers but may not necessarily have intent to make a purchase.
Why is Lead Generation Important?
As mentioned, lead generation is the first part of a company’s sales process. This means that if it’s not done correctly, it can negatively impact your sales performance. Without a consumer base or leads to start with, there won’t be anything to develop and move into the conversion stage (i.e., actually making a purchase or closing a deal). Of course, good sales performance doesn’t just end with lead generation. These leads must be properly screened (lead qualification) and kept warm (lead nurturing) to move them along the sales funnel.
4 Lead Generation Strategies for Your Business
1. Stay Active on Social Media
There’s a reason why a lot of businesses are on social media. For one, that’s where the vast majority of the consumers (and competitors!) are. And social media marketing is also one of the most affordable but potentially impactful marketing strategies there is. Your social media approach should be creative and engaging. It shouldn’t just be the digital brochure of your products and brand. Creating social media content like corporate videos or relatable reels that are both engaging and enticing will make people want to know more about your brand and solidify your brand identity. Social media can also help create more buzz for your brand through user-generated content or an online giveaway.
2. Build an Optimized Website Coupled with Content Marketing
Your website must not just look good, but perform well too. Aesthetics may attract a user, but a website that’s difficult to load or navigate (or both!) can deter visitors from fully going on your desired customer journey—the one where they end up with a purchase and go back as repeat customers. Your website must also work on various gadgets. Whether they’re at home resting or on their daily commute, consumers are most likely to be on their phones surfing the internet or scrolling through social media. So if you want users to have a good experience on your website, make sure that they can easily navigate it on any type of device, whether it’s on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
Content marketing is about storytelling and providing value to customers. Publishing relevant and helpful articles for your target audience can help generate more leads for you. For example, if you’re an events management company that specializes in the hospitality industry, you can consider topics such as how to advertise your food business or top budget travel trends. To help you get leads, you can offer a free download of a resource such as an e-book in exchange for a site visitor leaving their email address for email marketing or signing up for your newsletter.
3. Incorporate Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in Your Marketing Strategy
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an activity whose main objective is to get your website to the top of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) depending on the keyword that you’re targeting. Different search engines like Google, Bing, and Baidu have their own algorithms that analyze every web page and decide which pages will most likely match or answer the keywords that a user has inputted in the search bar. These algorithms are changing, but the most common criteria include optimized and valuable content; page speed; a mobile-friendly website; and internal and external links (which are relevant to establishing authority).
4. Invest in Paid Advertising and Retargeting
Assuming that your SEO strategy is on point, then you’ll most likely have more website traffic. Not all of your visitors will complete the required action or make an immediate purchase, but don’t worry! They can still be qualified leads and directed back to your page. Retargeting can help you be more present to users who have previously visited your website. These users were most likely browsing or canvassing for future use and haven’t made up their mind yet. This is when you can put retargeting to good use. This strategy keeps you at the forefront of their minds when they do decide to make that purchase or book a specific service. These simple strategies will help keep your sales pipeline full of leads. However, it’s important to remember that lead generation is only the first step. Ensuring that your lead database is regularly screened and categorized will allow you to prioritize the high-potential customers and develop a strategy for the low-potential ones.
