No matter what business you are in, you need prospects. You need people to market to, in the hopes of turning those leads into customers. Businesses both online and off can benefit from the following 7 you ways to generate more leads to fill your sales funnel, build your email list and hopefully turn into cash-paying customers.
1 – Start a Podcast
It seems everyone has a blog, but few marketers have podcasts. Video and audio podcasts can engage your audience much better than a text-based approach.
2 – Have Twitter Do the Work for You
FollowerWonk.com helps you analyze the behavior of your followers on Twitter. You can also find industry influencers and connect with them, find out what time your followers are the most active on Twitter, and reach the people that are interested in your niche.
3 – Publish Information Frequently and Regularly
Imagine these two scenarios. You have 2 almost identical websites offering similar products and services. It looks like either site can help with your situation. One website publishes an informative blog post, videos and a podcasting episode every week. The second site rarely updates its content. Which one will you do business with?
Adding information to your blog or website frequently, and on a regular schedule, improves your chances of connecting with your audience.
3 – Harness the Power of Information Databases
Data.com is just one of many websites where you can find potential leads for your business. You have access to company contact information and other relevant data which allows you to target exactly the businesses and individuals who are the perfect prospects for what you are offering.
4 – Develop a Presence on LinkedIn
LinkedIn has hundreds of millions of regular users. It is a professional version of social media sites like Facebook or Pinterest, offering several ways to publish material that you can use to drive serious business professionals back to a landing page or lead generation funnel.
5 – Answer Questions on Q & A Sites
People online flock to websites like Quora, Yahoo Answers and WikiAnswers to ask questions about any and all topics. This is a way to prove yourself as an informed leader in your field. The search engines on these sites allow you to target a particular question or topic, and when people see your answers, you can lead them back to your website.
6 – Record Helpful Videos
There are dozens upon dozens of video sharing sites that attract millions of frequent users. YouTube and Vimeo are just two of the many web properties where you can host videos where you solve real problems in the lives of your prospects. Video “connects” with your target market much better than text-based content.
7 – Host a Contest
Contest-hosting sites such as RaffleCopter, WooBox and PageModo help you run a simple contest on social media sites. When people think they have a chance to win a valuable prize, they will sign up to your email list or newsletter. A veteran strategy here is to offer consolation prizes to everyone who does not win a main prize.
You have once again given us so much. It is appreciated.
Thank you
You are welcome, Linda.
These are fantastic suggestions, Paul. (Even though I would probably only use five or 6 of them..)
Yes – no need to do ALL of them. Do whatever works for you! Thanks, Roy!