As a service based business, what lead generation strategies have worked for you? In my experience linkedin appears to be for job seekers and recruiters and for people sharing videos and articles.
There seems to be a lot of hype about it. What do you think?
Oh man, this is such a complicated question because it depends on the industry. I've worked with dealerships to OEMs to gyms to dentists and retailers - and it all depends. Doing a combination of digital and direct is always a great place to start because you have options under both categories. Try running a Google campaign while also cold calling. If that doesn't drive results, try Facebook and networking. The point is to experiment to find what works for you. You might have a strong in-person skill set where others might excel with ad copy. Use what you do best and keep at it! And keep trying new things. You'll find it!
Word-of-mouth from clients is the gold standard, but you can also get referrals from your peers.
In-person is great (albeit not super scalable) way to get momentum.
Another good source of leads is to become an "official partner" for a specific provider. This depends on your industry but channel partnerships can be a good source of leads.
I believe the best way to generate leads is through direct contact when no one knows your brand. What type of avenues to pursue depends on the service you provide. I'd be happy structure a specific customer/client connection strategy on a call.
Hi,
Good question. There are many methods, but I don't want this answer to be too long so here are a few of the main ones:.
1. Ask your existing client/s for referrals. If they were happy with the work that you did, they should be happy to do so. If you feel the need, offer them a 10%/$X discount on the next project for every client they refer. This is 'win-win-win' situation because you get more clients, they get a discount, and they use your services again.
2. Ask your existing clients for a written recommendation which you can publish on your website + permission to use their logo on your website. You can offer them a link to their website which will be good for both of your SEO rankings - so another win-win.
3. Publish as much content as possible on your website. This can be about the projects you've done, potential projects, your fields of expertise (obviously you need to have a professional and trustworthy looking website). Each article/post should be about 1.5 pages (Microsoft Word). Make sure the content is adapted to your customers (so probably not too technical).
4. Create a free 'get a quote tool' - many customers check online to get an estimate of how much the project will cost. If you have an automatic online tool, this can attract a lot of customers. I have personally used such a tool and I was very impressed with the company's website and free tool.
5. Partner with organizations/companies that work with your target clients - for example: I work with lots of entrepreneurs and many of them ask me for referrals to various types of service providers. These companies give me a small percentage from my referrals (of course I only refer to companies which I know and trust as my reputation is worth more than the referral %).
p.s.: LinkedIn can be an incredible tool if used correctly.
I've successfully helped over 300 entrepreneurs and will be happy to help you.
Good luck
As someone else said, the answer to this depends on the type of business you are trying to run. Also the geography and target market matters. Not all tactics work in all situations. For my SaaS business, its a combination of cold emailing, social media and personal visits to potential clients that have worked. Remember that cold emails can be automated provided you have a good list and choose carefully. Please feel free to ask for a free consultation.
Likely best to just hire a bunch of hour calls with various people.
For me, hands down best leadgen is doing live talks.
https://Meetup.com events.
Related industry or tech conferences.
Normally you can put in a speaker application + if you're topic is interesting, attendees will vote to allow you to speak.
Speaking to a target rich environment is like fishing with dynamite. You'll bring in a huge haul every time.
Hey! I think one of the best strategies that has worked for me is using interactive content. Using actually engaging content like quizzes, calculators, polls, surveys, etc. increases customer engagement. I have seen that it has increased customer retention by a manifold and value based incentive has encouraged lead generation, as statistics show. There are a lot of tools available for this kind of content creation. I personally have found Outgrow to be very easy to use and cost efficient. In fact, you can even try their free trial for a while without any kind of commitments or card information.
I hope this helps you and do reach out in case of any other questions!
In the long-term of my business, by FAR the best lead generation strategy has been blogging. When I can write guest posts on sites my target audience already reads, those posts pay me back for YEARS because people read them, see them, and then click on my author link to get in touch with me.
On my own website, I do basic SEO to answer questions people are typing into search engines, and get a lot of client inquiries that way.
This strategy does take some time to build up, but without it I'd still be chasing job listings and be working in more of a glorified freelancer model, rather than as a full-fledged service business/agency.
Social media and technology are 24/7 so it is easy to get sucked into it but I think in lead generation less is more. I believe it is a mistake to hide behind technology and CRM systems when prospecting. I prefer a more back to the basics approach by disconnecting from technology periodically and focusing on cultivating human, face to face relationships. Meeting for coffee or lunch can accomplish so much more than e-mail exchanges, social media posts, etc. and it is a great way to get to know people better, their interests, hobbies, and dreams. I have found that building relationships is what drives my business and technology supports them once they are solidified. Technology helps advance the conversation but it will never replace the human interaction that builds trust over time. I plan lunch meetings ~3 days a week and invite clients to events I think they might enjoy attending to spend time together.
I am also a big fan of Content Marketing and Thought Leadership which are great ways to build your brand, increase your visibility more broadly, raise your profile and attract more clients. Activities like speaking at a conference, writing articles, building your following on social media all contribute increasing your awareness with potential customers and building your credibility with a larger community. Instead of trying to start your own blog or newsletter, try contributing regularly to existing well trafficked blogs in your industry or newsletters of likeminded organizations reaching the same target audience as you. Make sure you put your URL or contact info on it so they can find you and follow up. When your articles or talks become available online, make sure to send them out via social media to all your friends, followers and contacts. Start small and build as you go. For me I started speaking at local events and then submitted proposals to speak at industry conferences and trade shows nationally and eventually global events too. Same advice goes for writing start with small publications then move up the food chain to reach bigger audiences. People need to be on LinkedIn so that they can be found too. It adds credibility and transparency when you know the people you are meeting or working with know people in common. LinkedIn has become more than an online resume or rolodex, it is the foundation for building trusted relationships in the digital economy. You do not need to blog or be on all social media platforms but make sure you are active on the ones where you are. If your customers do not use Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to find you then you do not need to make them a priority. For many professional service businesses like mine, LinkedIn matters the most. Good luck!
Lead generation strategy that worked for me was making landing pages clear and easy to act. Why is this so effective? It is effective because it does not require the user to process very much information, like a 3-minute video or a whole page of copy would. Video lead magnets have suffered an image problem lately, in part because of the proliferation of launches and lack of time. It also helped that people genuinely want to know which tools other people are using and this fulfils that desire. Anyone can do this – dentists, plumbers, architects, whoever.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath
