Using your online presence to generate leads is one of the best ways to bring in new business. There are a number of things you can do in order to generate leads online, and here we’ll go over the three most important steps in the process to get you started.
Create a Smart Sales Website
Everything you do in your online marketing attempts will eventually lead back to your website. That is why it is absolutely imperative to have the best website you possibly can.
Your website should be easy to navigate, full of relevant and helpful information, pleasant to view, and work as a 24 hour salesman, not just a static brochure. It should include links to all of your social sites and your blog. It should be optimized with keyword and SEO best practices in order to ensure it is found in the search engines whenever possible. It should take the viewer seamlessly, step-by-step, where they need to go. It should include enticing Calls-to-Action on every page that direct users to forms where they can leave you their contact information.
Your online presence will suffer if you don’t take the time to make your website all that it can be. If you are putting out great blog content, social posts, eBooks, and more, none of that will matter if they direct the reader back to a site that is lacking. If you feel like you are a little lost when it comes to optimizing your site to the fullest, enlist the help of a professional. It is absolutely worth it!
Provide Useful Content
When it comes right down to it, proving relevant, informative content is quite possibly the most important thing you can do online to generate leads. Creating quality content that online viewers want to read is a fabulous way to impress them and lead them back to your website. If you can answer questions they may have with a great article or blog post, they begin to see your value right away.
When you begin creating content for your blog, social media pages, eBooks, whitepapers, etc., keep your target buyer in mind at all times. You know what their pain-points are, you know why they need your services, and you know why your business is the best choice for them. All you have to do now is find a way to get that across to them in a helpful, entertaining way.
If your target buyer goes online to search for the type of services that you provide and the first thing they find is an excellent blog post that you’ve written explaining exactly why they need you to help them with their problem, and they click-through back to a robust and dynamic website, you are well on your way to gaining a promising lead.
The fact of the matter is that nearly everyone out there will be going online to do some form of research before just about any purchase they make. Ensuring that you are there with the best content possible gives you an edge on the competition, without a doubt.
Use Social Media
In today’s world, social media is unavoidable. Just about everyone out there, from a 17 year-old high school student to an 86 year-old grandmother, is involved in some form of social media. It is basically a given that businesses will have a presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, etc. The most important thing, though, is to have an active presence on these sites.
If you have a Facebook page that you update every couple of weeks, you aren’t utilizing this medium for all it’s worth. The point of having these social pages is to interact, to build relationships. Sharing a random blog post here and there simply won’t do it. You need to actively engage your followers on a consistent basis.
While obviously you want to share all of the interesting blog content you are posting and other informative material regarding your company, take care to share other types of posts as well. Share stories that relate to your industry. Talk about what’s going on in the world. If you see an especially moving YouTube video that you think your target buyer would enjoy, share it. It doesn’t have to be all about your business 100% of the time. Sharing enjoyable content that users find exciting or fun or moving will lead them to see you as more of a “friend” than a business with no human side. Who do you feel more loyalty to, a friend or a company? Developing this one-on-one type of relationship with your followers will naturally lead them to reach out to you when they’re in need of your services.
While there are a million additional ways to attract and gain leads online, beginning with these three simple steps will help you to build the foundation that you need. Quality content, a strong website, and an active presence on social media are all absolutely imperative for your business. Without these three things, little else you do to generate leads online will matter. If you would like to take your knowledge of online lead generation to the next level, downlouad our FREE eBook on the "30 Hottest Lead Generation Tips".
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