You must admit, there are plenty of lead generation tactics available for everyone. However, not everything is going to work especially if you own an SMB (Small or Medium Sized Business). In this article, we will be discussing the five basics of lead generation for SMBs.
This should provide you with enough coverage in order to start doing something about the tactics that you are currently employing.
Knowing Your Market (And Yourself)
The first thing that you have to realize is the size of the company that you own. SMBs do not usually seal the biggest contracts but rather use them as a stepping-stone for bigger contracts along the line. This means that you need to set up what kind of clients you need in order to move to the next step – growth.
Once you know your capabilities, it is important to know what kind of market you appeal and can appeal to.
Ask these questions:
- What sort of companies should I be reaching out to for B2B deals?
- What do my customers expect from me?
- What do I expect from potential customers?
- What kind of customers have I been attracting in the past?
- Do I want to change this in the near future?
Industry Partnerships
Mostly all SMBs and SMEs once started out as smaller companies have depended at one point depended on word-of-mouth advertising to drive sales. This means it’s time that you also start doing things that work again.
Do not be afraid to reach out to your current industry partners and start reaching out again. Sometimes it’s best to stick with the things that do work and multiply those parameters in order to achieve better results.
Talk to your current clientele and find out how they can help you drive more business and how you can help them with theirs.
Personalized Email Marketing
Stop thinking of email as a marketing and start thinking of it as outreach. You want to be able to reach people and solve specific problems that they have. This means knowing who your audience is and creating a plan to reach them.
Proper email outreach involves you getting to know your audience and combining it with proper testing in order to ensure that you are getting proper results and maximizing the use of the resources that you have.
Make sure you follow-up as well. A lot of industry leaders fail to get through the front door properly because an email was lost somewhere in between. The habit of following up ensures you do not lose potential customers accidentally and helps you be more efficient with the leads that you have.
Email will still be a powerful tool in generating leads. However, if you do not do it properly it can be a complete waste of time for you and your business.
Proper Social Media Exposure
Proper social media use is dependent on the audience that you wish to secure. Make sure that you have a proper system in place so that you may be able to determine where your customers are “lurking”.
Some specific leads you will only find on LinkedIn, so this means you should have a proper systemic campaign to target these particular customers. This would entail releasing content for a targeted set of individuals to establish your relevance as an industry leader before you invite them to do something.
Facebook appeals to a different set of people and this allows you to be able to more direct with your approach.
Every social media platform requires different types of content and appeals to different crowds. Understanding this will enable you to create personalized content and make efficient use of the marketing resources that you have.
Localized Lead Generation
Using directory networks and Google My Business will help you be more geo-relevant when you are trying to acquire new leads. Think about Google My Business, having a branch in the center of the city that you are trying to reach will allow you to be able to make your services hyper-localized and appealing to potential customers.
A hyperlocal approach can also be used for directory networks such as Yelp and the Yellow Pages; you will be able to create customized ad campaigns that target specific individuals in a location. This allows you to be more personal with the approach that you have.
It can also give you great results when you’re running a campaign that you know has specific parameters in mind.
At the end of the day, it is important to note that resources are not unlimited and given the size of your business, you’ll have to make sure that you’re using your resources in an efficient and effective manner.
By employing these strategies, you will be able to make sure that you are making the most of your resources.
