Generating leads is an important aspect of any successful business. From the mom and pop shop down the street to major companies with global offices. A successful lead generation campaign can make the difference a year in the red or a year in the black. Below we’ll touch on 5 of the top lead generation trends no business can afford to ignore.
Lead Generation Trends Top 5
1. Use Social Media Outlets
Social media has become the biggest form of communication in the business world. Businesses can connect to their customers and find out straight from the horse’s mouth what they are right and what they are doing wrong. It can also be used to identify what types of things that consumers are looking for in terms or products and services.
2. Keep On Networking
Networking always has and always will be a major part of the lead generation process. The more businesses you can become connected with, the more beneficial the partnerships can become for each other. The problem with networking is after a while, those networks start to run cold. This is because businesses do not continue to put the same amount of effort into those connections, as they did when they first started. By keeping those network connections in good standing, it can continue to produce additional leads for all of the businesses involved.
3. Utilize Direct Mailing Strategies
Direct mailers and automated email marketing are very successful approaches to lead generation for today’s modern businesses. It allows your businesses to get the information they want to get out, directly to the people or businesses they want it to reach. It is a cost effective approach that takes limited research, resources and know how to produce results.
4. Telemarketing Still Works
We all hate getting calls from telemarketers and most of us would wish they would just stop. The problem is, that is never going to happen. Telemarketing is still one of the best ways to generate leads and has shown absolutely no sign of slowing down. You can easily kick start a telemarketing campaign by outsourcing to a professional company or starting a small in-house group of telemarketers.
5. Company Website and Blog
Any company, no matter what size, should have a company website with some sort of blog on it. The blog can be used to keep people informed about what is going on with the company, provided information about upcoming events and let them understand how invaluable they are to your business. A lot of companies have started releasing free or extremely cheap eBooks to the subscribers or their blogs and websites. It allows the company to provide information that the masses want to know and learn, while also establishing your company as an authority figure in your specific field. This in turn builds trust, which leads to increased sales, word of mouth advertising and additional potential leads.
While the above mentioned tips are not the only way to generate leads, they are some of the hottest trends in lead generation, and will continue to help businesses expand their reach, assuming they are not only done properly, but done effectively.