Lead Generation: The Key to Increasing Your Company’s Sales
By: Andrew Hall, Copywriter Intern
Michael Scott, the renowned fictional regional manager in the TV show, The Office, said a lot of foolish things about business. But he did say something somewhat profound about business sales.
“Make friends first, make sales second.” – Michael Scott
There is a great deal of truth in that statement. In this blog, we will talk about why most customers will not go into business with you right away. Rather, we have to make friends with our potential customers over time before we ask for the sale.
Sales are the engine of business. If leadership, customer service, workplace productivity, and perfecting your product or service are the macronutrients of business, sales represent the health of your business. Without customer sales, your business is NOTHING. Understandably, sales are typically the biggest source of worry and anxiety for business owners and CEOs.
Soooo, what is one main strategy businesses can use to increase sales?
Lead generation.
A lead is a person who has in some way indicated that they are interested in your business. Some ways that a customer can become a lead are by…
- Submitting a form on your website
- Signing up for an event or webinar
- Signing up for your e-newsletter
- Following you on social media
- Giving you a business card at a networking event
Here are Tingalls’ top 3 tips and strategies to increase lead generation.
1. Launch an inbound marketing strategy
Inbound marketing is creating valuable content that is tailored to your target market. Examples of inbound marketing include…
- Blogs
- Newsletters
- Social Media
- Videos
- Webinars
This graphic from Hubspot creates a nice visual of what inbound marketing can do for your business.
2. Create niche content
Once again, the key to a successful inbound marketing strategy is to tailor it to your target audience. One valuable question to ask yourself is, “what are some mistakes that your customers don’t know about my industry?”.
For example, for a…
- CPA firm … blog addressing 5 things customers don’t know about filing taxes
- Grocery store … create a video guide to making homemade pizza
- Contracting company … run a webinar for 10 things to know before you build your dream home
Many businesses try to appeal to an oversaturated customer base. Instead, market your product or service to the smallest viable audience, and create specific content for them.
3. Create Solid, Engaging Social Media Content
I’m sure you know it by now, but social media is a pretty big deal. Never before have businesses had direct access to their consumers with the click of a button. Email marketing has a similar type of access, but social media allows for a variety of mediums (photography, video, text, etc.) that give your audience a diverse view of your business.
Many businesses simply post things that will help their bottom line, like posting special deals and sales for their business, or an event they’re having at their brick-and-mortar store. But the key to optimizing your social media content is providing value to your customer. Post videos, photos, and texts that will build your brand’s personality and let them know what your business is truly about. Inform your customers about how you are living out your company’s mission statement, values, and goals. Show your followers how your business is making a positive impact on the community.
Let’s check out the story of Illinois-based custom frame contractor, Kyle Stumpenhorst. Kyle simply posts clips about various parts of the construction process, from breaking ground to finishing the final touches on a new home. Kyle works in a pretty niche industry, right? Well, after posting for nearly 5 years, he has accumulated over 777,000 YouTube subscribers, 1.7 million Tiktok followers, and 416,000 followers on Instagram. His local contracting business, Rural Renovators, is BOOMING with sales. This allows Kyle to increase his contracting rates, selectively choose his projects, and increase his revenues.
The bottom line is that customers are driven and motivated by a story. Invite your followers to join the story of your business. Don’t be afraid to reach out to leads. Whether through a phone call, an email, or sending a direct message through social media, customers are much more likely to do business with you when you personally reach out to them.
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