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Lead generation is an aspect of running a B2B business that many people struggle with.
Growing leads may seem like a tedious, drawn-out process, but in the end, the relationships you develop will be worth the struggle. Whether you feel like you are in a rut or you’re just on a mission for continued success, make sure you are taking advantage of these strategies to keep your sales funnel full of qualified leads.
Put yourself in a consumer’s shoes: if you want to find out about a new product or service, what do you do first? You probably run a quick Google search to see what’s out there, and you likely don’t explore much further than the first page of results. From an SEO perspective, this means that you need to work hard to make sure that your site has a high organic ranking in the search results if you want your future customers to find you. PPC, on the other hand, is about ensuring you are targeting the right keywords with the right budget to deliver you the ROI you’re seeking. Neglecting either of these areas will hurt your lead generation efforts as you seek to grow your sales funnel.
Writing blog posts is a strategy that will help out with SEO (organic search engine results) and generate sales leads at the same time. Producing quality content is valuable in shaping your company’s reputation as being relevant and trustworthy. The great thing about a blog is that it can be shared in a variety of different ways. From guest posting on another website to sharing your article on social media, blogs are a convenient way to broadcast your message across a variety of mediums and produce more brand awareness.
You can subtly remind leads about your business through a simple, informative newsletter. Don’t forget to take advantage of your newsletter signups. Visitors that voluntarily signed up for your newsletter have opted in, meaning they want to receive more information from you. Newsletters are subtle sales reminders and help turn warm leads into hot ones.
Your existing customers have the potential to be a gold mine for new leads. Networking with them can provide you a wealth of opportunity that you had never thought possible. Start with a phone call to your most satisfied customers thanking them for their business. Use this opportunity to ask them if they know anyone else who would be interested in your product or service. Want to really show your customers how much you love them? Invite them to a party! After all, word of mouth referrals are still an extremely valuable sales tool in business.
Social media’s ease of use and accessibility to a wide audience makes it an effective channel for gaining leads, at least for businesses catering to consumers. Following companies on Twitter and Instagram, or making connections on LinkedIn, are easy ways to grow your network and find potential leads. You can also use these platforms to share content that you have created (e.g., blog posts, infographics, survey results). By using hashtags to share relevant content on social media you can make your content easier to find and make your brand recognizable to more people. You never know whose interest you might spark by simply introducing your brand on social media.
While social media is great for attracting an online audience, don’t underestimate the power of networking with people in person! Attending networking events (think Meetups, industry trade shows, conferences like SXSW) is great for generating more leads because you are able to get face time with people. Practice your elevator pitch so that you are prepared to sell your business when meeting new potential clients. Putting yourself in a situation where you can get more name recognition is key to gaining the trust and attention of potential leads.
About Lauren Usrey: Lauren is a student at the University of Texas at Austin and a marketing communications intern at Swyft. She supports clients with social media, blogging and tech PR activities. Swyft has offices in Austin, Denver and Houston and provides digital marketing and PR services for tech companies seeking rapid, sustained growth. Some of the services provided include content marketing, social media strategy and ad buys, email marketing, and media relations.
