How do I get more customers?
If you are like most small businesses, you aren’t getting as many leads as you need or want. There are several reasons why this is happening, and a few quick lead generation strategies you can employ to start seeing a difference right away.
Lead generation through Ads
Have you ever heard the term, above the fold? This referred to the top part of a newspaper, the part you could see when it’s sitting in the newsstand before you open it up. That’s where the attention grabbers are. Now, let’s take a look at this in a modern-day scenario. Above the fold, on the internet, refers to what you see before you scroll. In this search for a marketing firm, every item we see above the fold is a paid Google Ad. While this isn’t true for every search, if you are in a competitive landscape, this is what a typical search will look like.
How do you combat this? Make sure your company is appearing in one of those ads too! Set up a Google Ad Words pay per click account. (CAUTION: It’s easy to spend a lot of money and not get the lead generation results you want here). Google offers an array of keyword types from Broad (those that cast a wide net) to Exact (no misspellings or variations) and everything in between. Depending on their popularity, some words or phrases can cost a lot more than others. Take some time and play around here to make sure you are getting the best bang for your buck. An SEO/SEM firm can really help take a lot of the guesswork out here.
Organic Search
86% of internet searches are made using Google. While Bing has certainly received increased traffic lately, it pales in comparison to the numbers the Google consistently put up over the last decade. Graph Image Credit: Statista
With so many potential customers using Google to find answers to questions and services they need, one of the best things you can do for your business is making sure that you have a Google Business Account so that your location shows up on Google maps. (BONUS: If you have 5 or more reviews on Google, that improves your businesses ranking even more).
Setting up your Google Business Account is a relatively simple process, however it must be done correctly, because making changes down the line can be challenging. If you created a Google Places account a couple years ago, make sure you update your account information within Google Business, which replaced it.
Education for Lead Generation
Chances are pretty good, you believe in your business because you are offering something great to your clients. How about offering something great to your prospects as well. Educate them! This is your opportunity to sell your business to consumers the way they want to be sold – on their own terms. You are an expert in your field, let others know it.
Blogs, Infographics, Social Media posts and short (1-2 minutes max) videos are great ways to educate the marketplace. (NOTE: These are not ads… this is you sharing your knowledge – take this blog post you are reading right now for example – as a way to educate consumers on topics they don’t already know about).
There are a lot of other tactics you can employ to increase your visibility in the marketplace, like Search Engine Optimization, responsive website design (TIP: Make it INCREDIBLY easy for prospects to find and complete your contact form), and social media marketing to name a few. While the list goes on and on, but we find that you are best to start with a just a few and be PATIENT waiting for the results.
Finally, don’t forget to install an analytics tracker on your website. This is extremely useful (and necessary) if you want to really measure the success of your marketing strategies.
Flat Mind Map Image Credit: Infographic vector created by Freepik
