The art of lead generation for small businesses has come a long way since the days of cold-calling and mail flyers. Flashy advertisements and one-size-fits-all sales pitches are no longer enough to attract new customers. Instead, consumers prefer to engage with high-quality content that speaks to them on a personal level.
The way people purchase products and services has also drastically changed. According to a survey, over 80% of consumers conduct online research before buying a product. Today, it is critical for small businesses to have a solid online presence. However, while you have the potential to reach more consumers than ever before, turning leads into customers requires a strategic marketing plan.
Keep reading to learn about the lead generation strategies that are trending this year and which digital marketing services to take advantage of in 2023.
Add a live chat feature to your website
While not a new concept, live chat has rapidly become one of the most popular digital marketing services for both businesses and consumers. This feature allows businesses to use their websites to communicate directly with visitors in real-time to boost sales and generate leads.
According to a study by Forrester, live chat can produce more than a 40% increase in overall website conversion rates.
Aside from being an effective lead generation strategy, live chat is a great way to showcase your customer service skills and nurture relationships. However, all of your efforts to deliver an exceptional customer experience could easily be overshadowed without a well-trained team. Here are some tips to ensure visitors to your website have a positive live chat experience:
Introduce yourself by name
Create a human connection by introducing yourself by your first name. Let the customer know you are a real person, not a bot.
- Don’t neglect grammar
- While it is important to keep live chats as personable as possible, don’t forget to be professional, too.
- Respond within 60 seconds
Customers use live chat for its immediacy. Most customers don’t like to wait longer than one minute for a response.
Incorporate video content into your strategic marketing plan
In 2020, 96% of consumers increased their online video consumption, and nine out of 10 viewers said they wanted to see more videos from brands and businesses. Businesses are taking advantage of this by using video marketing to increase sales, reach, and engagement on various platforms. Most marketers upload their content to YouTube, although LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter are also popular.
Webinars, tutorials, live streams, video reviews, and short informational videos are all creative ways to use videos to boost your lead generation strategy.
More companies are using video marketing than ever before because it gives businesses an opportunity to connect with potential customers and boost brand recognition on a global scale. Especially if your brand is new to the scene, taking advantage of video marketing will increase your chances of being discovered, gain relevance, and boost ROI.
Utilize social media influencers
Influencer marketing uses endorsements and product mentions from individuals who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche. This digital marketing technique works because of the high amount of trust that social influencers have built up with their followers. Recommendations from them serve as a form of social proof to your brand’s potential customers.
The use of influencers in lead generation for small businesses has grown in popularity over the past few years and is expected to soar again this year. The growth is attributed to the increasing popularity of short video formats on platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. In 2022, the influencer market is projected to expand to a $16.4 billion industry.
Consumers are more likely to interact with brands they can connect with authentically. Social media influencers can help bridge the relationship gap between businesses and potential customers.
Utilize search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) techniques SEO refers to the process by which websites are optimized in order to rank higher in search results for targeted keywords and phrases. On the other hand, SEM primarily refers to paid search advertising to appear higher in search results.
SEO, SEM, and lead generation work together because the more often your business shows up on the first page of search results, the more potential customers can find and interact with your brand.
Both SEO and SEM rely heavily on strong, relevant keywords to drive results. The first step in implementing SEO and SEM in your strategic marketing plan is to research some of the terms and keywords people use when searching for the services you offer. Then, you can incorporate those keywords into your page titles and develop content that contains targeted phrases.
Check out Hyport Digital’s SEO & SEM: How They Work Together blog for an in-depth look at combining these two digital marketing services to create a powerful lead generation strategy.
Increase your focus on customer experience
The “customer experience” encompasses all of the perceptions, emotions, and opinions held by a customer during the buying process. This includes how the customer feels and thinks when they discover a brand, research a product or service, and make a purchase. For your business to stand out, it is important that customers love not only your product, but the act of doing business with you.
Customer loyalty has been shown to increase when customers have a positive first experience. Putting in the effort to analyze customer behavior can encourage potential customers to learn more about your business and what it has to offer. This can include offering ideas based on previous purchases, potentially leading the customer to purchase additional products or services.
Speed and convenience are also valuable ways to influence customer experience and stimulate lead generation for small businesses.
Implement an email marketing campaign
One of the most valuable aspects of digital marketing for small businesses is the ability to reach the right people with the right message at the right time. With a targeted email marketing strategy, companies can send personalized content to different audiences based on specific data such as age, location, interests, and more.
Sending relevant content to consumers not only builds credibility but naturally encourages people to spread the word about your business. A carefully crafted email is more likely to be forwarded to friends and family, generating new leads from existing customers.
For a successful email marketing campaign, it is important to keep a close eye on how your emails are performing. A few key metrics to monitor include:
- Open rate: An open rate refers to the percentage of people who open the emails you send.
- Click-through rate: A click-through rate refers to the percentage of people who clicked on at least one link in your email message.
- Bounce rate: A bounce rate refers to the percentage of emails that cannot reach the intended recipient.
By tracking the results of your email marketing campaign, you can use your findings to better understand your target audience, build upon what works, and change what doesn’t.
Having an efficient lead generation strategy is essential to the success of every small business. As technology advances, the ways in which small businesses find and convert new leads are evolving. The future of lead generation for small businesses is predicted to be data-driven, highly personalized, and dependent on automation and optimization.
Businesses must embrace the constantly evolving digital landscape to remain competitive and relevant in their respective markets.
Hyport Digital provides comprehensive digital marketing services that help small businesses attract and convert leads through digital marketing techniques like SEO, SEM, live chat, email marketing, professional website design, and more.
Reach out to the digital marketing professionals at Hyport Digital to see how we can elevate your marketing strategy, connect you to more leads, and generate higher sales for your business.
