5 Ways To Generate New Leads For Your Small Business

Created By: NeuWeb Marketing 

What Is a Lead
What Is Lead Generation
Top 5 Ways To Generate New Business

Before We Get Started

As business owners we all know that feeling when you look at the numbers and wonder why you’re not making enough sales. In a panic you begin to think of ways to get new leads. Maybe you can go to some networking events, place business cards in gas stations, or ask your friends and family and even your employees if they know anyone. Some businesses even go to the trouble of creating a newspaper or radio/television ad in search of new prospects. There is one thing all these methods have in common… They simply don’t work. Not like they used to anyways.

The modern buyer no longer makes decisions based on the traditional channels. Everyone is tied to their smartphones and computers and whether you like it or not, that is where they make the decision about who they are going to work with or purchase from. 

The good news is that you can use the methods outlined in this guide to start reaching new people and generating fresh leads and prospects. Stop banging your head against the wall and double down on your digital marketing efforts and you’ll be surprised at how many people will take interest in your brand.

 A good example of time intensive is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). In this method your goal is to show up highest in search ranking for the terms your ideal customer is looking for. It takes a lot of time to build but has a massive ROI. On the other hand, paid methods may pique your interest. Running ads on Google or Bing provides a quick return on investment but requires a monetary investment. 

In my opinion you should be pursuing booth methods at the same time to see maximum results. Let’s dive into the top performing methods.

1. Digital Advertising

Digital advertising comes in various forms and on various platforms. Display ads, Google Ads, Bing Ads, Facebook Ads are all examples of running digital advertisements. I placed this method at the top of the list because it is the fastest way to get qualified leads and close sales. You will earn massive Return On Investment through advertising because you can target your ideal prospects with your offers. Consider some of these statistics as to why Google provides such high quality leads.

• 3.5 billion Google searches are made every day. (Internet Live Stats)
• The volume of Google searches grows by roughly 10% every year. (Internet Live Stats)
• 90% of searches made on desktops are done via Google. (Statista)
• 35% of product searches start on Google. (eMarketer)
• 34% of “near me” searches done via desktop and tablets result in store visits. (HubSpot)

What we can gather from these statistics is that anyone you could possibly want as a customer is searching on Google for services and if your ad shows up in the top three results, there is a high likelihood that you will win their attention. 

Success Story

We recently finished a campaign for a local tree service company using Google Ads. In just a period of one month, they were able to be seen by over 4,000 people with 72 of those people landing on their website and 7 of them filling out a request for a quote. They ended up closing several of those prospects and generating around $10,000 in new business. The best part about it is that they only invested $550. If that’s not a fantastic ROI, I don’t know what is. So you tell me… does it work?

2. Reviews & Listings

Now you may not think that reviews can play that much of a factor in generating leads but let me show you how important it can be. When you type into Google a search query for “plumbers near me” you will see a list of businesses that fit that description. 

EXHIBIT A

Now you tell me which of these businesses you would call first? I think the obvious choice would be “Advantage Plumbing and Drain. Why? Because they have the most reviews with the most positive sentiment! 

The implications of this is that if you are able to get more positive reviews more frequently than your competition, then you will get more phone calls and click throughs to your website. This ultimately results in more leads for your business. The best news for you is that a lot of local businesses aren’t quite aware that this is a key factor in their search ranking and lead generation tactics. So if you can get on this early you will have a major advantage in your local area. 

Success Story

Back in February of 2019 we worked with a local property management company that had a 1.7 star rating on google. That’s a pretty ugly situation for someone offering housing to people searching for a better place to live online. Using an exclusive process that we have at NeuWeb Marketing, we were able to increase that rating to a 2.7 in just 3 weeks. A massive improvement! As we continue to work with them we expect to have them back up to 4.7 within the next 6 months. 

You may not see results right away but getting creative about encouraging your customers to leave reviews will be a game changer for your marketing efforts.

3. Social Media

You know it had to be in here somewhere. Social Media IS the new networking event of today’s culture. Everybody is on Facebook and Instagram with twitter and LinkedIn following close behind. If you are looking for a cheap way to get your message out. This is the answer. Social Media is free and if you can produce content and engage in conversions that spark excitement and interest around your company, then others will share that content thus maximizing your reach. The key to growing any business is exposure and that is exactly the job that Social Media does. 

Okay, that sounds great but I bet you’re asking how does that generate leads? It doesn’t. At least not right away. However once you’ve consistently produced value, pushed new people to your pages, and are starting to gain traction, then you will see the pay off. You will notice people commenting and sharing your posts. This is the kicker for finding leads. When someone leaves a comment it takes quite a bit of trust for them to do that. It is a key indicator that they are ready for marketing. You need to monitor these interactions and then make personal follow ups with those people in a private chat to see if there is anything you can help them with. That gets the conversation rolling and before you know it… they are a happy customer sharing your page with all their friends. Botta Boom, Botta Bing your off to the races with digital word of mouth referrals.

Real World Example

Network and affiliate marketing professionals use this method as their primary sales and marketing system and it works. They grow to $100,000 incomes within 8months to a year just by doubling down on social media prospecting. The key is to simply be consistent and add value. Piece of cake!

4. Email Marketing

We get a lot of blowback for suggesting this method but we can’t in good conscience let it slip under the table. Email marketing works no matter how you feel about it. The trick is to do it the right way and not come across as spammy. 

The best way to grow an email list and begin marketing to them is to create a downloadable offer on your website that gives away value to the prospect. Help them solve a problem. When they discover your free offer they put in their name and email to get the download. As they read through that helpful guide they are seeing you as an authority and an expert. If the value you provided them actually helps them take action towards their problem, then you’ve built trust. That’s step one.

Step two is to create a series of follow up emails that also helps them solve that problem, introduces them to your brand, and shows them success stories of other people you have helped using your products or services. These things in combination build that trusting relationship and show the value you bring to the table. Now the prospect is reaching out to you for your help and you didn’t do anything but give away some free information!

We help a lot of clients at NeuWeb create this kind of a system and on average we see each business generating between 4-5 qualified leads every month just through this method alone. What would you do with 5 extra sales?

5. On Site Tools

The final method of lead generation that is hitting it big is the creation and use of online tools. Rather than blogging and sending downloads and all that other stuff I mentioned before, This method sets you up as a gatekeeper and authority in your industry. It’s also quite expensive. 

Imagine you are a homeowner looking to find the best fertilizer for your lawn. You go online and type in “best lawn fertilizer.” In the search results you see a listing for a Free Online Fertilizer Recommender Tool .  You click on it and next thing you know, you are answering all sorts of questions about the condition of your lawn and at the end a few choice products are offered to you as a result. You are now feeling confident that one of these recommendations is the right solution. You click buy now and next thing you know your outside spreading fertilizer. 

Now this is kind of of a crazy example but I don’t think it’s that far fetched. What you didn’t know going through the recommender tool is that the company that created it was a lawn and landscaping service provider and supply store. They now have exact information on the condition of your lawn. You bought fertilizer from their store, and soon you’ll be receiving periodic emails and or mailers with tips for improving and where to buy. 

A tool like this can generate twice as many leads, build trust faster, and get people to point of purchase faster than anything else online. Many brands both large and small are finding unique ways to do this and having great success. It’s new, it’s growing, and it’s the right time to consider building if you’ve got the financial means.

Conclusion

Lead generation is an integral part of marketing and the digital space is ripe for the picking using any or all the methods above. All that’s left for you to decide is how will you go about it for your business? 

One thing we hear a lot from business owners is that they just don’t have the time to do these things. They want results now but are tied up working with traditional methods. If this sounds like you, we at NeuWeb Marketing specialize in creating these systems and strategies to bring you those qualified leads without the hassle of managing the work yourself. 

Feel free to reach out to our strategists on our website, social media or email and we’d be happy to craft an affordable and beneficial system for you. Implement these strategies and watch your business grow.

THANKS FOR READING!