“How do I generate more leads for my business?” is one of the
biggest business questions of all time, and I’m not foolish enough to say I
have the definitive answer. But you want to know how to get more business? Well
I can provide you some ideas that get you closer to where you want to be.
Everyone in business will be at a certain stage in their
growth cycle and want to get from A to B. B is the goal. What I can offer are
ideas on how to get to B that I have seen work for some businesses.
Lead generation software
Is lead generation software or a lead generation service the
answer? Certainly if you find a good vendor for either method and it works then
you have done very well. As you can see in the article about the sales
funnel... no new prospects equals no business. We all need new leads and new
prospects. So if you have found help in generating leads then definitely use
it, as long as it is profitable.
Website lead generation
However, in the modern age, there is a more permanent way to
generate business for your business, and that is with a website. With a website
that contains the right targeted content to keep your prospects in your targets
niche segment interested, you can keep all the prospects engaged in your
products and services so that when they are ready to buy, they are likely to
buy from you.
With a well constructed and written website, you can also
find prospects on other sites and direct them to your web site and move them
through your sales funnel.
Best of all, you are in control of the lead generation
asset. A website is an asset owned by your business – whether or not you
develop it or you or another outsourced vendor is the administrator.
But firstly let’s double check how does this compare to
other lead generation methods?
No more cold calling, networking and gatekeepers
In an ideal world we wouldn’t need to do the above anymore
and just sit back and rely on the website to generate leads. But I’m not
advocating this too in a contradictory way. You see some people are brilliant
at getting leads from cold calling or networking, so why stop. In fact, if you
are good then do more (See the Pareto Principle) as you have found an effective
lead generation method.
So yes, if you are a cold calling guru, keep going if it
gets you results. But keep in mind that even cold callers use websites to
search for information when they were looking to buy a certain product or
service. A website has also helped a cold caller out there in some way decide who
would be their vendor when they wanted to buy. Imagine now if you could also
generate a few inbound leads for yourself too.
You should see websites as a great add on to your existing
lead generation method. Any enquiries you get should be further advanced in
your sales funnel. Especially if the prospect has decided they want a product
or service like yours and are actively looking for a vendor to fit. And guess
what, after being on your website they know about you and trust you more than
many of your competitors, so you will be ahead of the rest at this point in the
funnel.
If you’re worried about having a website that educates a
prospect and then they go elsewhere; well don’t. If you are worried, it means
you have just created a general educational brochure site and have failed to
create any added value for why the prospect should use your products and
services. Keep on reading to see how to combat this.
Keep visitors sticky on your website
The only way to make sure prospects are interested in
returning to your website is by making it sticky. If you have problems such as
people visiting your site and then leaving after looking at a few pages or
never returning again, then possibly your website is a half hearted job.
Remember the articles I have written about creating value
and marketing, the reason your website is not helping the prospect to buy from
you is that it is offering nothing to be of meaningful use or value to your
prospect.
Your website might also be too general and try to capture
everyone who ever logs online. Have you ever come across someone who says if I
start a full English breakfast cafe then I will get everyone who eats
breakfast. It’s just not possible. If you look at my sales funnel article, you
will see that your website has to be targeted.
It is not easy. I have a background in marketing strategy
and worked with entrepreneurs on marketing strategy. I’m not as conceptual as
some consultants who want to draw out the award winning big idea and concepts
into weeks of consultation, I’m a bit more let’s get down to basic marketing
strategy and fundamentals before jumping to slogans and concepts. If the big
idea fits, then great. But that’s not the sole major objective when pleasing
the customer. But if you cannot have a really good grasp of marketing strategy
and understanding the consumer then you’re going to end up with possibly a
website which is maybe well written and pleasant looking but not effective.
Then when you look at the results a few weeks down the line you will say it
can’t be the website as it looks really cool and reflects how I like to see a
brand to be seen.
Unfortunately, this is where I have to let you know that you
will have to get a person with a very good understanding of marketing strategy
involved in making sure your website has the right targeted information. Of
course, you want the website to have nice design too. But cool design and a
good looking website alone will never get you leads. If this was the case,
every good looking website will be owned by a multi-millionaire. All graphic
designers or website designers would be millionaires. The most expensive
looking websites would take the most market share.
Relationship building
Websites built on good marketing strategy with targeted
content will keep prospects in your sales funnel. Some prospects can take a
long time to admit they are ready to buy. Some will simply wait for their
current supplier to upset them enough before they “can be bothered” to change.
But over time, people make the change.
A good website will be automated in keeping prospects
interested in working with your business when they are ready. In marketing it
is simply “top-of-the-mind-awareness”. You are already talking in their
language. The prospect knows that you can help them achieve their goals, whether
it is a good hair style to be more attractive to finding pet food that keeps
their pet healthy to software that helps their business productivity.
Once a prospect is on your site, you can keep them engaged
longer in your products and services until they are ready. They may even move
themselves through the sales funnel by sharing your information with other
decision makers. You might find a web page which is read the most and tells you
scientifically what it is that gains people’s interest.
Referrals
Once you have a prospect converted to a customer, how do
they let others know about your business a year down the line? Well it’s easy
for the new customer to tell a friend...because they spent a long time looking
and reading your information you created for them which is of high value. So
you are harder to forget.
Moreover, you’re on the internet so their friend can also learn
about you in their own time and take themselves through the sales funnel.
Could a website help bring you and your prospects closer to being
a customer? If this has website has given you new ideas or angles to look at
your business, would you make a referral to a friend?
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