Lead generation companies: What we do and how we get you the leads you need
Traditionally, generating leads was done the hard way, by sending out direct mail with a survey or by using a magazine ad. Today, the internet has revolutionised the way we generate leads.
Social media has become the best way of generating leads today. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Google are leading the way in bringing in new ways of generating leads. As a business owner you may be confused by the maze of social media platforms and how you can best leverage them to promote your business and generate leads.
The truth is that social media is much more than a platform to share personal stories; it is now the most powerful way of connecting with your customers. If used correctly you can use sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram to generate real leads for your business. The best things about it are its cost-effectiveness and the fact that you receive leads in real time.
Lead generation companies help you to reduce costs and increase your conversion rates
According to www.dreamgrow.com 50% of consumers’ purchases, both online and off-line, are influenced by Facebook.
Social media marketing has also reduced marketing costs by 45% while revenues have increased by 24% when using social media to generate leads.
You may have used social media to promote your business. You may also be asking yourself why it isn’t working for you. So let’s look at how we can use social media to generate leads for your business.
Tips to using social media to generate leads
Firstly, decide which social media platform is right for your business. Don’t try to use them all as you may lose focus in your marketing. Once you have decided which social media you are going to use think of it as a way to bring your customers into one community. Then it is your job to try and understand them and gather intelligence.
Find out what they are interested in, what their pain points are and how you can turn them into paying customers.
Gone are the days when businesses used surveys to generate leads. Today, it’s all about creating a story, building great content and forming emotion. We can use videos, images and great writing to push customers through a sales funnel. It’s quick, easy and very cost-effective. The best information to get from the customer is their name, email address and phone number.
Generating leads using Facebook
Generating leads using Facebook usually means creating Facebook ads. Facebook have teamed up with Axiom, a data aggregator that provides powerful insights into your customers, such as lifestyle, income and purchasing habits. Advertising on Facebook is not only cost effective but also highly targeted.
Average prices for a Facebook ad can be as low as 40p compared to a Google AdWords ad with a cost of £2.50 per click.
Your Facebook page is like a shop front
Don’t treat your Facebook page as a way of getting likes. People who visit your Facebook page will still want to know what kind of a business you are. Make sure that your page tells your customers a lot about your business and take care to create good content that strengthens your brand.
The ‘Girls Mean Business’ page is a great example of a page that isn’t just about brand also about building leads.
Generate leads using Twitter
Twitter has caught up in the lead generation game. 92% of clicks on Twitter result in a visit to a website. Twitter ads now have greater prominence in your news feed. Here are some tips:
• Use twitter cards.
• Use an eye-catching image.
• Support your ad with a fact.
• Make your copy very strong as you only have 140 characters.
• Track brand mentions and never lose out on an opportunity again.
• Twitter chats or ask me anything are great ways to create leads and can spark conversations for bloggers about relevant topics.
• Host an event.
How to generate leads using LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a powerful B2B lead generation tool. It connects you with decision-makers across every industry. Their powerful InMail helps you to connect with decision-makers directly. What’s great about this is that it lets you get past the gatekeeper, usually a secretary, and go directly to the decision maker.
Here are some tips:
• Write a killer profile and be specific with your skills.
• Create your own group. These are your connections who you will be building a relationship with.
• Create a hit list of potential customers and you are ready to build a convincing message.
Leads on Instagram
Instagram isn’t just about vanity, it’s a platform to showcase your products. Beautifully. You can afford to be lazy on Instagram and snap away taking beautiful pictures. Your picture can tell the story for you. What’s different on Instagram is that instead of great content you can use hashtags. People jump from one hashtag to another giving you instant brand exposure. Once you start receiving ‘likes’ the conversation will follow. Don’t ignore comments but answer them as swiftly as you can.
Power up your videos for lead generation
Video has to be the most powerful form of marketing and lead generation. Video helps to power up all of your senses to create a powerful ad. Video uses sound, visuals, graphics, energy and a powerful message. Everything and more that you need to capture a lead.
Creating a video has never been easier. Your phone has become your video camera and with the touch of a button you can upload a video as quickly as you create it.
Go ahead and compare a video ad with an image ad. You will be surprised with the magnitude of reach you get with a video ad compared to an image ad.
AdWords, grab a lead at the right time and at the right place
Google owns more than 70% of the search market share. Which is the best market share in the mobile, desktop and tablet sectors. Google AdWords marketing offers businesses the opportunity to deliver high quality leads in real time. That’s people looking for your product or service at a time they need your service the most. Yet marketers have wasted a lot of money by getting their AdWords campaign wrong and losing out, throwing away thousands of pounds. So what’s going wrong?
Here is a list of mistakes businesses often make when running a Google AdWords campaign. Lead generation companies can help point these out to you.
1. Wrong keywords. Targeting the wrong keywords can be a huge mistake and a waste of money. Research what your customers are entering into Google search to find a business or service like yours.
2. Poor landing pages. Simply sending a user to your website may not be the best thing to do. Your customer visited your website and expects you to solve their problem. Make sure the landing page is relevant to the keywords they used in the search.
3. Poor content on a landing page is the main driver of increased bounce rates. Talk to your customers in the language that they understand and offer them a solution using your product or service.
4. Weak call to action. Give your site visitors a reason to leave there name email address and phone number. And make it easy for them to do so.
Building a successful AdWords campaign should be strategically thought out. Get this right and high-quality leads will poor in.
Your website is the face of your business
Your website is one of your key assets. It’s your shop window and gives great opportunities to create leads. Setup a CRM tool that catches leads and funnels them to an automated email system. Popular CRM tools include MailChimp and Infusionsoft.
Lead generation companies can help build you a better campaign so that you can get to doing what you are good at and that is building a better business.