To grow a business, and be successful, a company needs a steady stream of potential new business opportunities.
But how do we get those leads?
These are the lifeblood of any business.
But where do they come from? You need a strategy!
Every business has a target market, so your lead generation strategy has to reflect that.
Below is a list of things you could consider implementing for your own personal strategy, and the good news is, that they will all be helping you generate leads online for FREE.
1. GENERATE LEADS WITH GOOGLE MY BUSINESS
It is completely free, and its purpose is to help you reach & engage with your local target market, using google search and maps, giving you greater visibility.
When people search for your business specifically, your business profile will show up.
With a free app on your phone, Google My Business is easy to create and manage your business profile.
Google My Business also has a huge impact on local SEO, as the business information will be accurate and consistent.
Like all tools, this requires some time to be invested to really gain the benefits. But the key things are:
- Insights. Google offers analytical data about how a business was found, where it was shown, and what information the end-user is seeing.
- Google Post. it has the option to show “featured content” to users that already found the business. This includes:
- Events like live music at a bar or restaurant
- Product Updates like new merchandise
- Special OffersGeneral Announcements like opening hours
- Reviews. The public can leave reviews, positive or negative, and Google My Business allows you to manage and monitor these with an intuitive dashboard.
- Visibility. Keeping things consistent throughout Google will improve all marketing efforts as many local listings use Google’s data to feed their listings.
If you take advantage of Google’s latest features early, then you stand to gain more business and outshine your competition.
2. IMPROVE YOUR LOCAL SEO
To build a good online presence you need to make sure that you have accurate details added to all relevant business directories.
This has a direct impact on your ranking, reputation, and consequently, revenue.
Typically, the following will be required: Company name, Phone number, Address, Website, Photos
BE, ACCURATE & CONSISTENT
To help search engines, such as Google or Bing verify that your website exists, you must make sure that your listings and citations are accurate, this will help validate your business.
Be consistent. Add exactly the same business information to every listing – including your own website!
If you add different information to every listing, this will impact your local search rankings, and frankly, it’s unprofessional.
WHERE SHOULD I ADD MY BUSINESS LISTINGS?
Always choose sites that have a higher domain authority – meaning that they are more trusted by search engines.
Places like Google my Business and Bing Places are where you should spend your time.
WHAT INFORMATION DO I NEED TO LIST?
Start with the basics.
- Name – who are you?
- Address – Where can you be found?
- Phone Number – How can we contact you?
- Opening Hours – When are you operational?
- Services – Give a good consistent description of what it is you do!
- Images – Add your website logo for consistent branding. Use images to stand out.
- Claim Your Listing – Some citation websites require you to claim and verify your business listing. This can usually be done via email, phone or post verification
By increasing your presence along with a range of free to register sites and listings, you create more opportunities to generate leads online for free because a greater audience is likely to see you.
3. BLOGGING
You can use blogging to help your business develop a strong web presence.
As businesses become increasingly dependent on digital channels for customer engagement and building brand awareness, this is becoming increasingly important.
The Benefits of blogging are:
- Driving traffic to your website. Typically, you would post a summary paragraph and a link to your blog through your social media. This allows your target audience to see that you have written something relevant, without bombarding them with words. They are then encouraged to click the link, which takes them directly to your website.
- Boost your SEO on the cheap. Blogging is straightforward and inexpensive, and major search engines love the relevant content. Make sure you are inserting keywords that your prospective customers will use to search for your products and services.
- Make a connection. Everyone can relate to a story. Blogging helps you connect with your audience on another level and builds trust and rapport, by creating credible and authentic content. This establishes your business as an expert or industry leader in that field, which will lead to more enquiries and higher conversion rates.
- Get Personal. Blogging is the voice of your business, and this creates Brand Awareness in a more personal way.
- Share the love. If the content is good, relevant and interesting, people will share it. This creates the potential for viral traffic, with so many different sharing platforms available – this is free marketing at its best!
4. SOCIAL MEDIA
Social networks help create awareness and connect you with potential customers.
You need to start by identifying which platforms are right for your business.
If your business is Gardening and Landscaping, platforms like Instagram and Pinterest are perfect for showcasing your work, for example.
If you share content in the form of a link, you will then drive traffic to your website.
5. EMAIL MARKETING
With the introduction of websites such as MailChimp, email marketing is now open to everyone, and it is one of the best methods of direct marketing available.
MailChimp is free for businesses with less than 2,000 contacts and is simple to use!
Email Marketing can help you:
- Build relationships. This is a simple, cost-effective way to keep in touch with your customers and let them know that they are not forgotten. Send out newsletters, product launches, latest offers or links to your blog!
- Brand Awareness. Develop your brand by creating awareness. Email marketing gives you a presence and a voice, direct to your subscribers.
- Be known as an expert. Not only can you use email marketing to drive traffic to your website, but you can also use it to deliver unique content that your audience will enjoy reading. With credible and authentic content, you will build a reputation as being an expert in your field, and build a solid reputation for your business.
- Time and Budget. These are constraints for all businesses. Email marketing campaigns are quick to put together and are cost-effective. You can connect with a large number of inboxes, all at the push of a button!
So there we have it, 5 ways to generate leads online for free.
The key to success is to find the most effective method for your business and make it happen.
The more effort you put into growing your business, the more likely you are to succeed.
What do you think?
