7 Lead Generation Ideas To Drive Leads

Lead Generation - Back 2 Basics 

Lead generation is a challenge a large number of companies face. According to Hubspot, 65% of businesses say generating traffic and leads is their biggest marketing challenge. 

Lead generation is a great way to generate new business but let's go back to basics. What is a lead? Anum Hussain of HubSpot describes a lead as;

“a person who has in some way, shape, or form indicated interest in your company’s product or service.”

So what is lead generation?

This is the process you take to generate quality leads. But before starting the process, you need to have; defined goals and customer personas which confirm:

• Are you targeting men or women? 
• Do they fall into a particular age bracket?
• What is the problem that they have and how can you solve it?
• What are the target audiences most common fears, problems desires? How will your product /service help address their fears, problems, and desires.

Hubspot have useful information on creating buyer guides.

Below are some useful ways to kick off your Lead Generation Strategy: 

Customer Database

Create a prospect/customer database. Without a database you could be missing out on sales. There are a variety of different databases you could invest in:

• Salesforce - prices start from £20 a month 
• Hubspot - they offer a free CRM for small businesses
• Infusionsoft -Currently have a 50% off for the first 3 months
• Insightly - You can try them for free 
• Sugar CRM - You can try them for free 

Who to contact first?

• Contact your past clients first and get a client testimonial and send out an email to your database
• Ask your current clients for referrals. So, provide a "Free Consultation" coupon 
• Approach anyone you spend money with to ensure they know what you do e.g. Printers, Retail Shops

Networking events

Networking events allow you to meet people and source leads face to face. If you're struggling to find places to meet up in your area try websites like Eventbrite or Meet up .comThe goal is to exchange business cards/ Linkedin details and add these details to the customer database and follow up. 

Public Speaking

This can cover anything from webinars, Facebook live events, conferences e.t.c. Public speaking is a great way to generate leads because people like speaking to experts. 

Offer free marketing content 

Offer free useful and engaging content such as ebooks, reports or guides in exchange for your customer's contact details and then follow up with a complimentary consultation. Make sure the content you create is aimed at the different stages your customers are on in the buying journey to help guide them to the next stage. Check out my previous post on free content marketing tools.

Social Media

You can create referral systems on your social media network, by utilising your networks to refer your services to their friends and followers. So set a target to approach your network each day with a message of what you are trying to achieve. Not everyone will respond, you'll be able to see who reads your message and helps to raise awareness of your brand. 

Approach older leads

Re-contact old customers, you haven't spoken to in a while, so make sure you follow up with customers every 4 months.

Reciprocal referral partnerships

Source businesses who compliment your brand and set up a system where you refer clients to one another.

Online marketing

• Make sure your website is optimised for search. View my previous post on Search Engine Optimisation.
• Pay per click advertising - use Google or Facebook as an effective way to reach new customers View my previous post on free Pay per click advertising resources
• Set yourself up on Google Business to help boost your online local presence
• Email marketing is a cost-effective way to generate new leads and can increase your sales by 23%. So build your email list by giving people a reason to want give you their details. there are some great email marketing platforms for you to try:
• MailChimp
• Aweber
• GetResponse
• Marketo
• Campaign Monitor 

Conclusion 

The above is just some of the different ways in which you can generate new leads for your business. Don't forget there are so many leads out there for the taking, but you gotta commit each day to find, nurture and convert them into customers. 

I'd love to know what lead generation techniques you currently use for your business?