subject: Unleash Your Lead Generation Machine [print this page] Lead generation is usually a funny thingLead generation is usually a funny thing. It's the lifeblood of any growing business, yet several approach it in a casual way at best.
Consistently generating leads for your business requires momentum and momentum takes energy.
In my experience, lead generation energy is best created by successfully approaching your very well defined target market from a number of angles, advances and mediums.
Your multi-pronged attack should arrive simply short of making them feel that you and your business are everywhere they wish to go.
One method to achieve this is through the carefree spending of bucket loads of money on advertising. It is an approach that has actually worked for a few, but I don't suggest it for most small business owners.
A more successful small business lead generation machine, one that generates the greatest return on investment, is greatest created through the blending of targeted advertising, constant public relations and a systematic approach to referrals.
These three prong attack is the stuff that momentum is built on.
Advertising For many small businesses, direct mail is among the very best methods to target specific markets. The main element to making small business direct mail, or any form of advertising, work is to make use of your advertising to gain marketing permission, before you try to acquire a sale.
The fact is you cannot really expect a prospect to make a buying decision about your product or service from the 127 words you can put onto a postcard. You are able to nevertheless, get their attention with a free report that offers them 5,000 words of your expertise. Once they have consumed that, they'll be primed and ready for your follow-up sales message.
Public relations PR is a big field but for the sake of this article, I'm talking about 2 things - Getting nice articles about your firm in publications read by your target market and placing expert articles, written by you, in publications read by your target market.
If you aren't doing both of these included in your lead generation tactic, you are missing the boat.
Here's an easy tip. Ask your finest clients what publications they read and count on the most. This can be a good way to find the very best publications to advertise in also. Every industry has a large number of trade publications, but just a few are really read.
Referrals It's a great bet that a big percentage of your business came to you by referral. Cousin Louie loved what you did for him, thus he told two friends and the rest history.
Referrals are a great way to build a business. Leads that go to you by means of referral usually cost nothing. Clients that come to you by way of referral are frequently your best clients.
Here are the steps in the system: Target a referral source - this might be your customers, but frequently the best referral sources are actually strategic partners that likewise serve your perfect target client
Educate your referral source - Make a one page document that your referral sources can use to expose what you do, how you do it and why they ought to consider having you do it for them. The greatest potential mistake of a poor referral approach is that you get tons of leads that are not right for you.
Communicate a creative referral marketing offer - If you can create a game out referral lead generation everyone will wish to play. Reward your referral sources in creative ways. Co-brand powerful info products and demonstrate to your strategic partners how to use them.
Creative referral provides also make great news stories for your PR program. Are you starting to get a glimpse of how some of this works together, builds momentum and creates energy?
