Do you worry about running out of credible prospects? Generating new sales leads and keeping the information up to date in this forever changing market is one of the most challenging components in sales and marketing today.
Below are three key methods of generating new business leads:
- Using search engine marketing or organic (free) search engine optimization (SEM / organic SEO), social media, & viral marketing to increase business
2: Active Gathering
- Paying for ad space on the web (Adwords/Bing), print, and television, and investing in trade show events to spread awareness about your products
3: Initiative Gathering
- Purchasing a sales lead database with a list of executives, buyers, and decision-makers. Including information such as mailing address, phone number, and contact email address.
When used together, in a long term strategy, each of these plans will increase your sales pool, and better yet, increase your earning potential. But how does it work?
Passive Gathering
In the age of social media, getting access to influencers is easier than ever. A quick search on Twitter or Instagram can generate thousands of social media posts on virtually any topic; with more research, finding the top blogs for your industry is simple. Make sure you’re using the social media platform that works best for your business. This method does take time, but the payoff is long-lasting.
Conversing one on one with influencers, retweeting/blogging, and posting original content is the best way to get your brand noticed. The more posts you create can significantly increase your search engine rankings, especially when your brand or business is mentioned by name. This is the very definition of viral marketing, and one method every business should be using.
Active Gathering
Active gathering is the most traditional form of marketing for lead generation. Paying for commercial time on TV, the radio or in print advertisements have been around for decades. In recent years, paying for a targeted audience website ad has become more popular. This style of marketing allows advertisers to appoint keywords to their ads. When a consumer searches for that keyword, or a related phrase, the ad will pop up on any websites the consumer searches.
Trade shows are one of the largest resources for gathering sales leads. What better place to find a prospective buyer, than an event that is geared towards the product you’re trying to sell? Executives, buyers, and often influencers frequent these shows to find new products or services.
Initiative Gathering
Investing in a sales lead list is the quickest way to generate new leads. There are a few essential things to watch for when researching providers:
1) Quality Over Quantity
Sure, we all want as many names in the database as possible, but if the information is outdated, it won’t be helpful. To make sure your investment is worth both your time and your money, ask how long the company has been in business, how many records they maintain, how frequently records are updated, and about the company’s research methodology.
2) Research Methodology
Every company selling data should be able to explain where and how that information is collected. Find out how they are researching the data, if they are a reseller for another company, and if there is any human review of the updated information.
3) Target Data
Don’t overpay for the information you don’t need. You should be able to consult with your Account Manager to either target the data yourself in an online tool or create a highly targeted list.
Individually each of these main points will help you generate new leads, but when used together, it is our expert opinion that these methods will be highly effective.