Back in the day, businesses generated leads by word of mouth, referrals, and print and broadcast ads. Sophisticated marketers attached some sort of code to ads and direct mail efforts to find out where to put their money. And once they had a customer on the hook, they reached out to them periodically to keep them loyal.
To say that a lot has changed would be an understatement. The focus has shifted from the traditional to the digital. That pivot has made lead generation both easier and more difficult since everyone’s competing on a more level playing field.
It’s still not smart to throw good money after bad. So, small and medium-sized businesses need to devote their time, energy, and resources on strategies that work. Here are some of the best right now.
Automate and Integrate
Lead generation efforts used to require a lot of hands-on attention. But that’s no longer necessary in the age of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Most of the best strategies designed to identify prospects and convert them to customers can be automated.
Choosing the right marketing automation for SMBs helps them save time and money. First, it can make all company marketing efforts accessible in one place, even if that place needs to be mobile. Second, communication among employees and customers is easy and on target.
Plus, this technology can also integrate whatever apps the SMB is already using. That includes platforms the business is using for email, analytics, shopping carts, inventory, and invoicing. And of course, companies can integrate automation software with all their social media platforms.
Automation takes the effort and guesswork out of lead generation strategies. Moreover, with the right automation software, SMBs can integrate their laundry list of individual apps. The result isn’t just convenience, but less complicated management of everything that’s going on.
Optimize for Search Engines
The importance of search engine optimization for virtually every marketing effort is off the charts. If a business can’t be found by searchers, there’s little chance they’ll pull sufficient numbers into the marketing funnel. Since the top of the funnel is where leads begin, SEO must be part of any SMB’s strategy.
Market share-leading Google, for example, ranks content based on user intent and context, as well as content relevance, quality, and usability. That means SEO is focused on the user rather than the business. Therefore, SMB content has to fall in line to land high in search results. A business that lands on page two doesn’t stand much chance of having the potential lead even see it.
SEO dynamics can be frustrating, but they’re not a negative for SMBs. After all, the goal is to find strong leads, not just everyone surfing the internet. Search engines are actually helping brands find qualified prospects who are more likely to be converted to customers.
Oh, and that automation mentioned previously will help SMBs keep track of changing algorithms, keywords, and search intent trends. That’s important, because search engines are always changing how they rank content. It’s worth the effort for businesses to keep up.
Leverage Social Media
Social media offers some excellent ways for companies to capture leads. The nature of social media is interactive, which means SMBs can engage with promising prospects. Moreover, they can use that interaction to convert them later.
Social media is where businesses can create and link quality content that’s highly relevant to people who find it. Content can feature video, graphics, photos, hashtags, and offer interactive experiences that help SMBs get to know leads better. That engagement helps companies refine content and hone messaging, which should attract more strong leads.
Social listening is another top lead generation strategy. SMBs can check on competitors, research evolving keywords and hashtags, and catch trends as they develop. This will collectively inform messaging and placement of content and paid ads when strategies need to shift.
Monitoring likes, shares, reviews, and comments provides an opportunity to respond to leads quickly. SMBs can clarify information or provide additional input that could spur a first point of contact prospect down the funnel. When used well, social media is all business.
Smooth Landings
A business website is usually filled with every bit of information a lead might need to be converted. But that often makes websites somewhat unwieldly. And in today’s fast-food browsing, companies have to make the job easier for people to navigate.
Enter landing pages, those immediate points of contact, found with a click, where SMBs can gather lead contact information. All companies have to do is offer something of value to entice visitors to turn over that intel. That could be a coupon, discount, free demo or guide, or a tote bag. The sky’s the limit.
This is where content needs to be tight, focused on the offer, and germane to the viewer. Don’t have one click on a social media ad for a $20 discount on a first order then take that person to something irrelevant. That first landing page may be the start of a loyal customer relationship built on a foundation of trust.
Landing pages are phenomenal lead generation strategies because they filter out the noise for the prospect. No wading through an entire website. It’s an initial transaction, but one necessary for other marketing efforts companies make to convert leads to customers.
Lead Generation Strategies for Today
Word of mouth referrals are still great lead generation strategies in today’s market. It’s just that now, they’re digital, social, automated, SEO-focused, and to the point. It’s the thoroughly modern way to find and be found.