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Every business owner needs to generate leads for their company, but for many, the whole lead generation process feels tougher than ever. That’s especially true for business owners who are trying to run a solo venture. After all, those professionals can’t just tell their sales team to create a lead generation strategy and hope for the best.
But even if a business owner is acting as their own sales team, there are still ways they can generate leads in their target market without a ton of effort. Sounds magical, right?
Thankfully, by following some basic principles of a good marketing strategy, many business owners can turn potential customers into brand loyalists. This guide walks through some essential tips that any entrepreneur can follow to help attract leads.
1. Create a powerful message that appeals to the brand’s ideal clients.
One common reason that small businesses fail is that some owners don’t attract potential customers who actually align with their brand. And that’s because they don’t highlight their unique selling point (USP) as part of their lead generation approach.
A unique selling point is essentially the solution a business provides, but from the perspective of the company’s ideal client. For example, suppose someone is a business coach. Those are a dime a dozen, and if they simply pitched their business as generic coaching, they probably wouldn’t find many potential leads. Prospective customers wouldn’t necessarily see how that business coach could help them tackle their pain points, and they wouldn’t call for an initial consult.
But suppose that same business coach highlights their unique selling point as part of their lead generation messaging: they specialize in helping women entrepreneurs overcome roadblocks to making money in their business. That messaging is much more powerful than someone simply saying they’re a business coach. It’s more likely to resonate with the target audience, and ideally, generate leads that turn into long-term clients.
2. Present the message consistently to help generate leads.
Building a brand identity is challenging; it requires a business owner to present their message consistently at every turn. And part of that means that the marketing and sales teams (or the business owner themselves) need to be consistent in the messaging the present when they’re creating and presenting lead magnets to potential customers.
While no business owner should sound like a robot when they’re pitching to potential leads, it is important to stay consistent. Once a professional has nailed down their message (and ideally, tested it to know that it actually attracts ideal clients), they need to spread the word. They should resist the urge to get overly creative about it.
But what if a marketer or business owner finds themselves tired of saying the same message over and over again? Even then, it’s best to keep the messaging consistent. That helps maintain the power of it, even if they find themselves getting tired of saying the same pitch over and over.
And most business owners can rest assured that repeatedly presenting the same message isn’t as “annoying” to their target market as they think. That’s even true for their most loyal customers who hear their message often. That’s because most people don’t really “hear” a message every time they encounter it. Look at it this way: people are busy with their own lives. Even if they hear a radio advertisement or read a social media ad, the message might not sink in every time they encounter it. So if a business owner doesn’t repeat their message often (and consistently), they run the risk of missing new leads.
3. Present the message frequently to qualified leads.
A big part of promoting a business is just old-fashioned repetition: getting the word out, time and time again. But there’s only so much time in a day for marketing efforts, right? That’s why business owners should also take some time to consider who they’re presenting the repeated sales messages to, including leads that are at different points in the sales funnel.
Presenting the brand message frequently is essential; that’s a big part of how lead generation works. But cold calling and direct mail aren’t always effective strategies, especially for busy entrepreneurs. Generally, it’s best practice for businesses to target specific leads, including marketing qualified leads, product qualified leads, and sales qualified leads. Here’s a quick note on what those leads are.
Marketing Qualified Leads
A marketing qualified lead refers to a person who has already engaged with the brand’s marketing efforts in some way, but they might not be ready for a full sales pitch yet. For example, maybe a lead has encountered one of the brand’s social media platforms, or they’ve read a social media post. Perhaps they’ve engaged with content marketing efforts, such as reading a blog post or opening a brand email. That person has been exposed to the brand’s messaging somehow, so they’re more likely to become a customer than someone who’s never heard of the brand to begin with. Or perhaps the person attended a webinar that the brand hosted. Essentially, these leads have somehow engaged with the brand’s marketing efforts.
If a business owner wants to ensure that their messaging is getting presented to marketing qualified leads, they might take time to improve their search engine optimization to help ensure their content is actually getting seen. They might also take time to create dedicated landing pages that can help convert those leads into customers.
Product Qualified Leads
Product qualified leads take it a step further: they’re people who have somehow engaged with the brand’s product in some way. For example, someone who tries out a free sample of a new protein bar while shopping at Costco or Sam’s would be a qualified lead for the protein bar manufacturer. A product qualified lead might also be someone who signed up for a free trial of bookkeeping software, audiobook subscription service, or something similar.
Sales Qualified Leads
Sales qualified leads are the most likely to turn into customers because they’ve directly requested some form of sales pitch from the brand. For example, a sales qualified lead (sometimes called a service qualified lead) might have asked the sales team for a consultation, a proposal, or a quote. These leads have the means to purchase the business’s product or service, and they’re highly motivated to do so.
Smart marketing teams don’t always focus on generating more leads, especially when they’re strapped for time. Rather, smart teams dedicate a wise amount of time to different lead generation channels. Understandably, it’s usually prudent to prioritize the genuine sales leads that could lead to actual purchases (those efforts are the most likely to have a good return on investment). And if a business owner doesn’t have a bunch of active leads, then their priority is to score leads of any quality.
For example, suppose a business owner has a few dedicated customers, but they’re looking to take things full-time, so they need more customers. That business might decide it’s worth it to hire a lead generation company for a while to establish a larger client base. Meanwhile, a business with lots of followers on its social media channels might focus on messaging that helps convert those leads into customers. Maybe that business owner might spring for paid advertising on Instagram to target the users that are most likely to actually buy their product.
Long story short: the more often a potential client sees a business’s marketing messaging, the more likely they’ll be to turn into a lead, and hopefully, a satisfied customer later on. But the savvy business owner strategizes exactly who they’ll promote their messaging to in order to get the word out to the right people.
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. For specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
