7 Proven Ways to Generate Leads for Small Businesses
Marketing strategies have been evolving since customers began shopping for products and services online. Modern buyers may not fall for the same old marketing messages and tactics as buyers now have access to full information on a range of products and standard prices in the market. Consequently, lead generation is a now a challenge, especially for small businesses. Some companies have succeeded in using social media to generate leads while others swear by search engine optimization.
Some business owners organize physical events to interact with clients while some have succeeded through email marketing. In short, one method does not fit all businesses. You have to try several methods and test the results to find the combination that works for your business. Here are top ways you can implement to generate leads and grow your small business.
Content marketing
Customers spend hours searching for useful information on specific topics online. If you can generate content based on those topics and market it on online platforms, you can improve your company’s visibility. The content that meets the educational needs of your buyers’ includes infographics, articles, and videos. Quality content communicates to potential buyers that you are a leader and expert in a certain field.
Video marketing
Closely related to content marketing is video marketing. Internet users spend hundreds of millions of hours watching You Tube videos every day. The CEO of Trevor McClintock advises small business owners to create videos of their products and share them on all social platforms. The videos can also offer solutions or tutorials that are relevant to the target market. Direct viewers to your web page or social media platforms at the end of each video.
Email marketing
Here is another lead generation idea that still yields great results. Use every opportunity to get your target customers’ email addresses and other contact details. Your website should have an option to sign up for newsletters, free tutorials, updates and any other useful content. Connect with your contact lists regularly. The secret is to provide useful content and information about your business in a way that keeps your prospects subscribed to emails.
Participate in events, conferences, and trade shows
The conventional way of generating leads through networking events is still effective. You may not have enough resources to organize a big conference or event. However, you can book space in other company’s events and market your business. An alternative way is to look for opportunities to be among speakers at those events. Trade shows in your area or state offer an excellent platform to market your business.
Customer referrals
Many business owners depend on their customers to market their products. Getting leads from your current customers is effective, especially if you offer quality products and excellent customer service. Satisfied customers will talk about your business to other people in their network. Encourage your customers to refer others to your business. You can create a reward program and offer incentives as a way of generating referrals from your customers.
Social media marketing
Internet users spend hours every day on social media platforms. Social media offers small business owners a cost-effective platform to connect with their clients and generate leads. Create profiles on all major platforms and keep your followers talking about your business. Remember to share useful and relevant posts every day and engage your followers in lively discussions. Social platforms like Twitter and Facebook allow you to promote your posts or page. Create such adverts where possible. Provide links to your business website on all profiles and in your daily posts.
Search Engine Optimization
Search engine optimization makes your business visible on leading search engines like Google. Creating a business website is not enough. You need to develop a strategy to ensure that it appears among top search engine results for specific key terms. Revisit all pages on your website and ensure that each page is optimized. Encouraging your connections to share your posts and talk about your business will help improve search engine rankings. Explore different SEO strategies as you test the results to find a strategy that generates traffic to your business website.
Small businesses have many cost-effective methods of generating new leads to explore. One strategy will not work for all businesses because the situation in every business is unique. We have listed the top strategies that have proved the most effective in other businesses. However, you must test methods in your business first before investing your limited capital in all of them. Once you identify the effective methods, you can scale up their implementation gradually as your business expands.
