Harlan looks at why lead generation is essential for your business and some techniques to monitor and generate leads.
If you don’t have leads you don’t have sales… and no sales means no business! Lead generation is the life blood of most businesses, and converting those leads are just as important.
It amazes me that with all the technology and training available, many business owners have no idea where their leads come from.
One of the most frequently quoted clichés in marketing and advertising is from John Wannamaker; “Half of the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don’t know which half.” That’s why it’s vital that you discover which of your marketing efforts are generating leads as well as the volume and value of those leads.
Here are 5 tips to effectively measure your on and off line marketing efforts:
Track all incoming calls
Create unique phone numbers and call tracking to review your marketing campaigns, even Yellow Pages offer a service to have different numbers for each advert. Use a unique number to identify which campaigns are effective on websites, adverts, sponsorship and other placements.
Track all incoming email enquiries
Another simple and affordable option is to place unique prefix email addresses (sales@, info@, help@, buy@ etc.) within different lead generating areas, from online advertising to print and media advertising.
Unique website landing pages
Promote or link to different “landing” or “contact us” pages for tracking.
Unique landing pages also help to increase conversion with a more relevant and specific message to the visitor’s needs. This is important as most website home pages have a high bounce rate (people who leave the website within a few seconds of visiting). This is because it’s either not relevant, too hard to navigate or their needs are not prominently featured. What’s your home page bounce rate?
Analytics
Most business owners aren’t using the free tools available to them on the web. There are many analytical tools, for example; Google Analytics, Bing webmaster tools and social media tools. These help you understand where your website traffic is coming from and even what your bounce rate is! They can provide you with enough data to isolate and eliminate marketing that’s not profitable.
Ask
Even the simplest enquiry sheet can be set up for tracking and have reception or sales staff ask the customer how they heard of you. Using all of these tools mentioned will start to create a more holistic picture of where your leads are coming from.
Here are 5 ideas for lead generation;
Help Videos
Solve a real issue for your customers. Help videos can solve a real problem for potential customers in an easy to understand and visual way, they help to build your brand and increase interest. For high value information you can consider giving access only if the user enters their email address.
Content marketing
Create inbound marketing with remarkable content to attract potential customers searching online, bringing the brand to front of mind. You could consider giving high value content like reports when people sign up with their email address.
Pay Per Click Marketing (PPC)
PPC has been around for over a decade however it is becoming more and more of a core marketing activity for business. Whether advertising on Google, Bing, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Targeting specific key words or key phrases that customers search means that you can carefully target your audience. Tailored landing pages with great copy are a good way to increase conversion.
Enter business awards
Legitimate business awards attract customers and can be the differentiating point between choosing you or a competitor. Winning the award also gives the ability for free publicity and helps with current customer retention.
Networking
Online marketing is great but don’t forget to get out knock on some doors, network with potential customers and build alliances with strategic partners.
Need more ideas for lead generation? Call me on 02 4926 2300! I have almost 100 lead generation ideas on a list in my office… here’s the start…
• Adverts and listings
• Alliances
• Articles
• Blog
• Brochures
• Build Local Credibility
• Building and vehicle signage
• Buy a database
• CRM System
• Contact buyers regularly
• Contact clients regularly
• Database Segmentation
• Differentiation strategy
• Direct Mail
• Downloads on your website
• Email marketing
• Email Signatures
• Endorsement Marketing
• Enter business awards
Harlan Marriott is the Marketing Director of Leenane Templeton and founder of www.marketingdesk.com.au
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