How to Generate More Leads for Your Small Business

Do you want to generate more leads for your small business? If so, you are not alone.

Believe it or not, 61% of business owners say generating leads is their biggest hurdle. It all starts to make sense when you think about why this is such a problem.

There are more online businesses than ever before, which means competition. Now, couple this with the fact that there are many marketing strategies and tools. People aren't sure what to do, where to turn, or how to compete.

It's no wonder marketers across all industries struggle to build their lead lists and skyrocket engagement.

My goal today is to set the record straight and share several actionable ways you can start generating leads for your business. We've used the following strategies for the last few years and have found tremendous success. I'm confident you can achieve similar results.

Let's begin!

Create Shareable Blog Posts

Think about the last time you signed up for an email list or bought a product from a new company. What did you do first?

Most first-time subscribers/customers start their journey by reading on-site content, like a blog. Content marketing is an excellent tool that will help you connect with more prospects and turn them into leads.

An impressive 72% of marketers say producing high-quality content boosted brand engagement -- including email signups and sales.

Writing about things that matter to your audience is the key to creating compelling content.

If you run an online pet supply store, you'd want to write about caring for cats and dogs.

The owner of a marketing SaaS should have plenty of content on their site that discusses lead generation and various marketing strategies.

I recommend building customer personas that identify your audience's goals, needs, and pain points. Publish content that fits these themes, and you're more likely to attract prospects to your site. If someone is impressed with your post, they will share it with others, which is a great way to improve your reach organically.

Stay Active on Social Media

Next, let's talk about how staying active on social media can help your lead generation efforts.

Let's start with some facts about social media as a whole:

• Nearly 5 billion people use social media

• Users spend 2.5 hours on social sites every day

• 43% of people use social media when they want to research new products

As you can see, there are plenty of exciting opportunities to grow your list via social media. You can maximize your strategy by honing in on your intended audience's needs.

One easy way to ensure you're appealing to potential customers is to share articles and videos from your website. We found that articles shared on social media see 22% more engagement than those without.

More engagement translates to more opportunities to turn visitors into leads.

Another way to get involved is to find groups or hashtags focusing on your industry. For instance, the team behind a marketing SaaS might include hashtags like marketing, CRO, and lead generation in their posts. These hashtags mean anyone else searching the term will see their post.

Companies using Facebook or LinkedIn may want to find relevant groups. There are tons of niche groups on both platforms. Search for one that has a lot of active users. Spend time in these groups engaging with people and sharing helpful content (when applicable). Before long, you'll see a stream of new traffic and leads coming from social media.

Use Popups to Convert New Visitors

You've probably heard at least one person say that popups are the most annoying thing ever. In a way, they're right. Bad popups are very irritating and can drive visitors away from your site.

However, a well-placed popup can do wonders for your brand.

There are a few things you should remember about popups if you want to keep visitors engaged and convince them to join your lead list or purchase a product.

First, if you're going to show a lead magnet popup, offer something valuable to your audience. For example, a business can win over new visitors by offering discounts on their first purchase.

If someone is eager to make a purchase on your site, they will have no problem signing up if it means they get a discount. You can use email marketing to keep these users engaged long after their first purchase.

I recommend placing the popup on specific blog posts or landing pages. Users are far more likely to accept your offer if the popup is personalized and relevant.

Another clever way to use popups is to capture email addresses right before someone leaves your website. These popups are called exit-intent and can help you get visitors to take action as they get ready to exit your site.

Set Up Monthly Events

Did you know that over 90% of shoppers are looking for interactive, relevant content? Events are the perfect mix of interactive and valuable, which can help you dramatically grow your lead list.

The amazing thing about this strategy is that you can choose from hundreds of events to host on your site and social media.

Here are a few we've had success with in recent years:

• Giveaways

• Online courses

• Webinars

• Live streams (AMA, interviews)

• Product demonstrations

Each method allows you to teach your audience about your product and actionable industry tips. Viewers also like having the opportunity to see the faces behind their favorite brands.

I like to hold 1-2 events monthly. We've found that this is the right balance for keeping users engaging without overwhelming them.

Use your buyer personas and listen to feedback on social media. You're bound to come up with plenty of clever event ideas.

Consider including an event calendar on your site. If someone arrives after the announcement, they can easily see what's coming up by looking at your calendar. When people know what's coming, they can take action and join your email list or subscribe to your brand on social media.

Show Customer Reviews

Finally, let's talk about customer reviews. A whopping 72% of people refuse to take action on a site (including signing up for email newsletters!) until they read reviews published by existing customers.

Users are looking for this information because they want to see social proof. In other words, they want to make sure that people who've joined your list or bought a product are happy with their choice. New visitors are more likely to engage with your brand if they see engagement from tons of satisfied customers.

Showing reviews and testimonials on your homepage and product landing pages are a great starting point. Anyone who visits your homepage will see that existing customers are happy with your service.

You can also contact your customers through email and social media and ask them to share their thoughts. If someone is genuinely happy with your brand, they will have no problem giving you positive feedback.

Use their reviews to highlight the benefits and features of your product. You'll have a much easier time winning over new visitors by strategically using social proof on your site.

Final Thoughts

There you have it! These tips helped us convert more visitors into subscribers, and I think they'll help you too. Here's one thing you should remember: tweak these strategies to match the needs of your audience.

Every brand is different, even within the same industry. Put your customers' needs first and set up ways to offer value to first-time visitors, and you'll have a better chance at generating high-quality leads for your small business.