In a sense, all marketing is generating leads. Your goal is to brand your company, make it a recognizable name synonymous with quality, and attract new customers. Of course, there are a variety of media–online and off line–you can use to accomplish those goals. Nevertheless, the goal is the same no matter the medium. Here are 5 ways to generate new leads for your business online:
- Social media – Social media marketing is a broad concept. Some people include blogging as a part of social media. At any rate, it is a part of content creation, or content marketing. But social media marketing is a specific niche within that broad umbrella. The idea is to strike conversations with your target audience that lead to new customers. Those conversations generally begin off site and work their way closer to your core communication strategies.
- Free media download – When it comes to generating leads, nothing is more directly related than offering something on your website to attract targeted individuals to your business. Offer something of value to get something of value in return. It can be an e-book, a white paper, a series of case studies, a podcast, a video, an e-course, or a series of exclusive content pieces. Whatever it is, make the offer and back it up with value.
- SEO – Search engine optimization is often narrowed to what takes place on your website. Website development certainly is important to SEO, however, you can also perform strategic search engine marketing through offsite content like articles, blog posts, and social media content.
- Paid advertising – Pay-per-click advertising is the most well known kind of paid advertising, but it’s not the only kind. While content creation is important, it may not have immediate effects, whereas paid advertising can often show results much more quickly.
- Combination – The best way to approach lead generation is with a multi-tiered strategy that involves all of the above (and more). You don’t have to think of your lead generation strategy in linear terms. In fact, you should think about it in such a way that you are using the most effective tactics in combination with each other to build a complete strategy of obtaining new leads for your business.
Lead generation is an important part of business development. Think it through completely and don’t be afraid to experiment. Try something new once in a while.
