Is lead generation important?

Why does your business need lead generation?

You can break lead generation up into two main categories: inbound and outbound. You must make sure that you keep in mind your nurture and customer retention marketing strategies as part of a holistic strategy. A lead is a person who has shown interest in your business or product(s). This prospect is “warm” and most likely in the 2nd or 3rd stage of your marketing funnel. Qualifying a prospect at this stage and knowing how to market to them shortens the sales life for this prospect. By showing an organic interest in your business, these prospects are initiating a relationship with you.

How do you acquire leads?

With high-value content of course! You may choose a variety of methods to deliver your message including social media, email marketing, re-marketing campaigns, etc. However, in order for these tools to be effective, you must have a CTA (call to action), a Landing Page describing your offer, a Form to gather information and a Thank You page. The more engagement you get, the more Google considers your content to be of high value, which in turn boosts your SEO rankings. Search engines look for natural links, so the more informative your content is, the more likely people will link to it naturally. This strategy generates in-bound leads for you to cultivate.

How do you cultivate your leads?

It is important to note that your marketing efforts don’t end once a new lead comes into your system. Using a CRM program, you can implement an outreach marketing campaign. Send specific, customized and personal communications to your leads. Any size business can now afford a CRM program. Many of the free versions are robust and will support your initial needs. Combining outbound and inbound methods can multiply the number of views you generate, dramatically increase sharing, and ultimately increase the number of potential customers who see your content.

Contact me if you’d like to learn more on customizing and executing a lead generation campaign for your business.