Here’s what you’ll learn from reading this article:  

• The Benefits of Generating Leads 
• 5 Popular Lead Generation Strategies 
• Spotlight on the Process of Generating Sales Leads 
• The Secret to Successful Lead Generation 

Lead generation. Love it or hate it, the process of cultivating new potential prospects is part of any small business marketing strategy.  

After all, without a stream of leads, you’ll find it challenging to build or maintain a sustainable business.  

The Clear Benefits of Generating Leads 

For coaches and consultants – many of whom face staggering competition like never before – generating leads supports:  

1. A steady flow of clients: 50% of the marketers polled in HubSpot’s State of Marketing report said lead gen was their #1 focus – for good reason. Leads are the lifeblood of any coaching or consulting business. 
2. Lasting beneficial relationships: Unlike an outdated outbound marketing strategy such as cold calling (which a whopping 97% of people ignore), this is a process of establishing trust and credibility as you build a rapport with prospects.  
3. Overall business development: The benefit of lead gen is obvious: expand your base of clients or customers, increase revenue, and grow your business. If it sounds easier said than done, you’re not alone: even content marketers agree the struggle is real (41% say lead gen is a top challenge).  

5 Popular Online Lead Generation Strategies 

1.General Content Marketing:
It’s a no-brainer that creating high-quality, valuable content is a powerful way to attract potential clients. Develop blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, and other content to address the pain points and challenges of your target audience, so you can position yourself as a thought leader in your industry and attract top-notch leads.

However, be sure to also create a promotional strategy or plan for your high-quality, high-value content in order to get it into the right hands. 

2. Offer free workshops, webinars, etc.:
This builds on #1 above – but is more targeted to a specific audience. For example, participants who sign up for a webinar are often already interested in the topic being discussed – making them highly qualified leads. Collecting contact information during the registration process enables you to later follow up with attendees after the event and nurture them through your sales funnel (which we’ll discuss more in a future post).

3. Social Media:
Get social! Stats prove what the experts already knew: Nearly 70% of marketers say social media marketing has helped them generate more leads (no surprises there). You too can leverage the immense power of social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook to identify potential leads, share valuable content, and engage with (and build) your audience.

4. Networking and Referrals:
Never underestimate the power of good old-fashioned networking with other professionals in your industry. Even asking for referrals from satisfied clients can be a very effective way to generate leads. Attend key events, participate in networking groups, and leverage your existing relationships to expand your network and generate new clients.

5. Paid advertising:
If the thought of paid ads makes you cringe, it might be time to reconsider. With organic traffic not exactly what it used to be (have you noticed lately?), paid ads can be a useful part of your overall marketing strategy. The main benefit is that you gain a level of control as far as WHO sees your content, making it a great way to target your ideal audience that you might not otherwise reach. 

Spotlight on the Process of Generating Sales Leads

At Marketecs, the process we use for lead generation focuses on the customer journey. We use that journey to complete a backward planning process around the sales funnel. (We’ll cover more about the sales funnel in an upcoming article).  

For now, here’s a quick example of a sales funnel outline:  

• Start with quality content marketing (blogs, podcasts, social, etc…) –>  
• Use targeted lead magnet(s) –>  
• Enter a low cost/entry-level/micro offer (1/4 program) –>  
• Suggest a medium (1/2)* program –>  
• Present your full program as a CTA (Call to Action) 

*Having both a 1/4 program and 1/2 program is optional. Sometimes, the CTA is a strategy session to sell any of your programs (depending on the price point). This will depend on your unique goals and the outcomes you envision.   

This map is built for EACH full program, with customized lower cost offers and lead magnets for EACH high-end offer.  

The Secret to Successful Online Lead Generation 

The money is in the details…and the follow-up! 

In brief, the results you achieve depend on how you follow up with your prospects. That’s where the opportunities are. If you leave everything to automated emails and SMS, you’re basically leaving money on the table! Who can afford to do that these days? 

We highly suggest someone scanning the list of incoming leads (lead magnet opt-ins) for potential ideal clients. Chances are, only 1-2 leads out of 10 are going to be a good fit (or have given you good info to follow-up on). But it’s still worth a quick glance at the list every few days.  

And for that reason, it’s essential to understand what qualifying information you need to collect up front: 

• Identify the specific details you need to know to determine if someone is a good lead or ideal client 
• Design just 1-2 questions that you can add to your initial lead form to help you narrow down the best leads to personally follow-up with.  

Then, create a follow-up process for your ideal clients. This could include a phone call, LinkedIn connections, personal emails, scheduling a meeting with their assistant, even snail mail – or a combination of efforts. 

This personal follow-up could make the difference between your next big client – and a (seemingly) failed sales funnel…  

The moral of the lead generation story is: don’t stop at visibility and list growth, be sure to make the most of your efforts by setting yourself up for a successful follow-up process. 

Wouldn’t you love it if lead generation was a one-and-done process? Ahh, if only it were that easy. But it could be…when you let our Marketing Architects handle the hard stuff for you! Contact us today & we’ll chat about your marketing goals.