5 Strategies to Ramp Up Your Lead Generation - Online and Offline

We've found that one of the major challenges facing both established businesses and growing start-ups is that of lead generation. Sales are after all, the lifeblood of any business. So how does a business stop the bleeding and start filling up their lead pipeline?

The question got us thinking.

Although there are literally hundreds of ways you could ramp up your lead generation – we've decided to overview these 5 Strategies and help you breathe new life into your business.

1) Get Your Business Online

In today's interconnected world, every business – regardless of product or services – needs to have a website. That's the absolute minimum. At worst it's a great way to let prospective customers know who you are, what you offer, and where you are. At best, you can use Online Marketing Strategies, Social Media Strategies and other forms of Advertising for effective lead generation.

If you don't have a website yet, get out from under that rock and get your site online asap.

Once you do have a website there are a number of strategies that can help boost the number of potential leads landing on your site. We've found that giving customers something they want is a great way to get started. It seems simple, yet so many companies market themselves in one way, and offer completely different information on their site.

We suggest getting started with "online only" retail offers or useful information in the form of newsletters, blogs, or downloadable articles like this one.

As you progress forward you'll want to extend your online presence. Consider going Social and actively connecting with potential customers only after you've got the basics covered. Use Facebook Fan Pages, LinkedIn Accounts, Community Forums, Twitter Feeds and YouTube videos to extend your reach and generate more leads. Keep it interesting and relevant and you shouldn't have many problems.

2) Get Creative with Advertising

A bit of innovative thinking can really help ramp up your lead generation. Contrary to popular belief, good advertising does not mean you need to spend thousands of dollars on billboard, print or direct mail ads. A few hundred dollars on Google Ad Words, a Promotional Contest or a kick-butt Giveaway can often net you far better results.

A great way of generating quality leads with any type of advertising is to create a survey or contest. A reward sweetens the whole deal, and although everyone won't commit to the survey or contest you'll find that you've collected a great database of leads with some excellent information.

You might also consider getting creative with Promotional Giveaways. Remember you don't have to stick to your product or service. We've seen great results happen from product giveaways that were completely un-related to the business itself.

Get creative. Mix and match. Combine your advertising tools to help fill that lead generation pipeline.

3) Connect with People - Network

Get out of the office and into the scene. It may be an ancient technique, but the art of talking to people - *gasp* face-to-face – is a fantastic way of generating new leads. We've found that attending events is a great start – and no, they don't have to be related to your industry.

In fact, we've found that attending events of our target customers is a great way at boosting exposure and getting some great contacts. Free events are a great way to start, but consider spending a little for the better events with higher-end potential clients.

4) You can scale up with ease.

The old business saying that "80% of revenue is generated by 20% of your customers" is closer to the truth than you may have thought. What you might not have realized is that the same 80/20 Rule can be applied to your Word-of-Mouth (WOM) Marketing. 80% of your WOM Marketing will come from 20% of your current customers.

To help ensure that this 20% continue to deliver great WOM Marketing, we'd recommend a solid ongoing rewards set-up. You might consider offering special discounts, referral bonuses, and other 'Thank-You' goodies. This is of course, on top of your already excellent service.

For example, you could surprise a customer with a bonus discount or a gift when she places her second order with you. Alternatively you may consider a Partnership or Affiliate Program for your top referring customers. This recurring financial incentive is an excellent way to keep your current customers motivated.

It goes without saying, but customer satisfaction should never be an option for your business. We've come to find that in the long run the costs associated with excellent customer satisfaction far outweigh the immediate time investment or financial costs of keeping your customer happy.

5) Hire the Experts

If you have the budget, you can hire a professional firm that specializes in lead generation. This is a great option for many businesses that don't have the staff, team, or time to run their own lead generation initiatives. Use a third party to fully run, or supplement your existing strategies.

The chief benefit of hiring experts is that they've dedicated their business to generating leads. They can offer insights, tactics and lead generation services that you'll otherwise be unable to get. Be sure to consider your costs and marketing objectives before venturing down this road.

With each strategy you've got to keep a good balance of quantity vs quality. Sure it's great to ramp up your lead generation pipeline with hundreds or thousands of leads – but if none of them have the money to purchase your product or service, or if none of them convert into customers then you've wasted your time.

Stay creative, test your ideas and try new paths.

If you need any advice, help or Online Lead Generation services feel free to contact us here at Woosh Media.