Generating small business leads is no easy task, especially in this day and age. As consumers become savvier and look for more ways to get the best price possible, your business needs to be able to compete. Read on to learn marketing best practices to entice the right customers to flock to your business online and contact you.
As more consumers search online for products and services, it is no surprise that the nature of lead generation and sales is shifting rapidly for small businesses. While many small business salespeople are used to being able to generate their own leads by guiding prospects through the buyer's journey before closing the sale because they were able to leverage information to influence a lead's decision, many consumers now choose to research the product long before contacting a salesperson. According to a study conducted by the Corporate Executive Board, the average buyer is now at least 57 percent finished with their purchase research before making first contact with the seller. Armed with the due diligence of purchase research, consumers often know as much about a product as does the seller, so when they finally contact the seller, the buyer is generally shopping for the best price.
Because of this, small businesses are left with one of two choices for lead generation:
Passive Choice: Wait for informed buyers to come to you, ready to negotiate price
Active Choice: Generate leads from people who are researching a purchase, attempting to start a relationship with them before they make a final decision
While it is certainly easier to wait around for qualified leads to approach your business, you will not see the results that an active hand in the buyer journey would provide. Therefore, it is well worth it to focus your website and sales techniques on gaining new leads that are in the middle of searching for the right product for their needs. Here are a few easy ways to generate leads online for your small business.
Market to Your Ideal Buyer
You may have heard the marketing catchphrase “buyer persona†before, but not necessarily have realized exactly what that buzzword entails. To put it simply, a buyer persona is simply a stereotype of the people who might purchase your products or services. The type of person in your buyer persona may not necessarily be your customer, however the persona is useful for discerning the differences between the person you think your customer is and the person your customer really is, and for charting the buyer's journey before tailoring your content to match that journey.
The buyer's journey entails the steps a lead takes to bring them to your product. Initially, your customer has a problem they are trying to identify. Once the problem is clear, the buyer then sets out to find a solution, listing all the available approaches to solve the problem and noting available vendors and products. If you tailor your website to address your buyer's journey, you will be more effective at generating leads. Focus on content that addresses the symptoms of the customer's problem and how your product can cure those symptoms and solve the problem.
Offer Something of Value
Once you have attracted visitors to your website, you need to secure leads. A call-to-action should be a major element of each page of your website anyway, but a simple “Contact us!†or “Get a FREE Quote†is not usually going to be enough to entice a web visitor to give you information. Instead, give your web visitors something valuable in exchange for their information. This can be something like an in-depth ebook, a newsletter, a buyer's guide, a research study, a free sample or webinar.
Don't Neglect Website Design
A website is a small business' most powerful marketing tool. A landing page is a web page that is specifically designed to convert visitors into leads. In short, every page on your website should incorporate most of the elements of a great landing page. These elements include:
- A strong heading that is clear, concise and compelling, allowing visitors to instantly understand the importance and value of your offer
- Bullet points to make your product's information more digestible
- A short contact form
- Eye-catching images
- Social Sharing Icons
- Video to explain complex issues
- Testimonials to aid in conversion
- Awards and Recognition as social proof to display your authority and credibility
You can most effectively generate leads for your small business by being there when they are searching for information. As a small business owner, leverage your website to get involved in the buyer process and gain more leads.
At CyberMark, we’re in it to help you, the small business owner, succeed. Since our founding in 1994, we’ve helped hundreds of businesses throughout the country grow using digital marketing. For more information about our lead generation and website design services, contact us today online or by calling 623.889.3380!
