How To Generate New Leads Online

Have you tried all the traditional marketing routes but still can’t seem to generate the volume of new leads necessary to take your business to the next step?

If so, you may not have spent enough time looking into all the possibilities the Internet has to offer when it comes to winning new business. Luckily for you, there are literally hundreds of methods at your disposal. To help you get started, here are just some of the simplest and most effective:

Newsletter: Releasing a regular newsletter is a great way of staying in touch with customers – but it’s also a way to reach new ones. If you make sure to include a newsletter sign-up link in several places on your website then your number of new leads is sure to increase. Once people have signed up you will have their details and a captive audience. All you have to do then is make sure the newsletters are packed full of useful information, special offers and so on – they shouldn’t just be a tedious brag-fest about how wonderful your company is.

Social Media: If used the right way, Facebook, Twitter and so on can be a constant source of new leads. After all, any existing followers can share your posts with all their followers so if your content is fresh and exciting the potential market is huge. Think different with your posts, making them witty and thought-provoking. And of course, it’s not just about your own posts. You can seek out your own leads by following potential customers and getting into conversations with them. Just remember not to be too pushy – this is a big no-no for social media.

Blog: This is another one of the simplest and best lead-generating tools out there because it gives you a chance to establish credibility. You have complete control over the content of your blog posts, so if they are well-written and address genuine issues or problems within your sector in an informative way then you can quickly build up more interested customers. And of course, there should always be a newsletter sign-up link located close to your blog.

Webinars: More and more companies are recognising the benefits of hosting their own webinars – and it doesn’t have to be too much of a hassle. Having cottoned on to this, there are now many providers that will allow you to broadcast your webinar quickly and surprisingly cheaply.  Just make sure you ask around first to find out which are the most reliable. All you have to do then is come up with a great idea that is going to generate a bit of buzz and promote it using social media and your newsletter. Encourage your followers to share it with their followers and you have a valuable new source of leads.

How To Build A Content Marketing Strategy

Content marketing is a strategic approach to promoting your business online, focusing on creating valuable, relevant and above all consistent content to attract your target audience. It’s not about selling – it’s about communicating with your customers and establishing a bond of trust. But whilst this can be an incredibly effective tool for growth, it’s a skill and it does take time to get it right. If you’re new to the world of content marketing, here are some steps you can take to go about putting together a coherent strategy:

Establish Goals: You will only be able to keep an eye on your progress and track your ROI if you know exactly what your content marketing goals are from the outset. Whether you want to bring in more leads, increase your website traffic or boost your social media following, all of the following steps should be tailored towards this.

Connect With Customers: You should remember that your content marketing strategy begins with making a personal connection, so make it social. For example, use social media platforms to start a conversation, draw attention to trends in the industry or simply offer an entertaining article. People are far more likely to be drawn to and want to read content that makes them laugh or cry. People are far more likely to share your content with their own followers if it resonates with them on a personal level.

Be Informative and Consistent: With your content, you should aim to make it valuable and to really tell your customers what they want to know. Think about common problems your clients might face, or particular trends that are of interest. Can you build an article or blog post around these? You will find that the more relevant your content, the more likely it is to interest your target audience. Also, be consistent: people tend to trust things more if there are no surprises. Make sure you update your content on a regular basis and don’t vary your tone too much. If you’re going for informal and it seems to be working, then stick to that as far as possible.

Make It Accessible: Ensure that your entire team is aware of the strategy you have set out and that it is easy to follow. This doesn’t just mean your marketing team (if you have one). All employees should be able to participate, whether that is sales, human resources, admin or anybody else. Encourage the use of social media to promote your key aims, for example, and welcome any suggestions or feedback that anybody may have.

Measure Your Success: Whatever your goals might be, make sure that you know how to track metrics so you can find out whether your strategy is working or whether it needs a tweak. If you’re not sure how to do this, think about hiring a content marketing expert for a short time. They will be able to show you how to measure your results accurately on a monthly basis.

Making the Most of your Marketing Budget

If you’re a small business or a start-up then you’re likely to have a very limited marketing budget. As such, any success you have in this area may well reside in your ability to develop a creative marketing strategy that makes the best possible use of your resources. This involves identifying your core strengths, understanding the importance of customer relations and knowing when to outsource and when to do things in-house. Here are some key things to think about when you’re planning your marketing activities for the next year:

Trade Shows: It’s important to keep networking in order to build new business contacts, and one of the most efficient ways to do this is to attend trade shows. At these events you will be able to meet large amounts of potential customers in one single place, as well as finding out what your competitors are up to. But in order to make the best use of your budget, you have to do your research thoroughly first: look at which shows have the best attendance, who will be attending them and make sure they are definitely relevant to your particular niche.

Online Marketing: One of the best things about taking the time to develop a really well thought-out online marketing strategy is that many of the avenues available t you here are completely free. Twitter and LinkedIn, for example, are great ways to extend your network or reach out to new customers. Think of them as just another weapon in your marketing arsenal – a chance to communicate with your audience on a more informal basis. You might also want to consider thinking about SEO, online advertising and blogging.

Email Marketing: As an extension to the above, it’s worth spending time on your email marketing. Again, it’s about working out a strategy rather than any large outlay which is great for those with a small budget. The most important thing to bear in mind when sending out marketing emails to those on your mailing list is that they should be targeted to their needs. To this end, you need to break your clients down into separate categories so they aren’t being bombarded with emails that have no interest for them.

Know Your Weaknesses: Another aspect of cost-savvy marketing is understanding when a certain amount of outlay is appropriate in order to get the best results. In short: outsourcing where necessary may save you money in the long-term. For example, it’s well worth paying a professional web design company to put together a really well-functioning website to begin with. Your website is one of the most important marketing tools at your disposal so it’s something that shouldn’t be rushed.
Measure Results: Lastly, in order to make sure you are spending your marketing budget wisely you need to make sure that every campaign you put in place can be tested for results. For example, with your email marketing, keep track of the responses you get so you can begin to build a picture of what works best and for which kinds of customers.

5 Essential Tools Your Business Needs To Boost Your Online Presence

Let’s face it, if you are still not marketing your business online than you are not reaching at least 80% of your total potential customers. With the internet evolving every day and most people having internet access, you cannot afford not to market your business online. By building a good online presence and building your brand, you can reach millions of customers from all parts of the world! It’s time to get educated! Read on…


You absolutely need a website!
It all starts with your own company website. You can easily register a domain name for your website and preferably use your company name as the domain name. Showcase your company brands and services offered on your site. Give more details and information about your company and make sure your contact details are on your site for potential customers to be able to reach you.
Your website will enable you to even sell your products online. Just add a shopping cart and online payment processer on your site and you are good to go. Your website can make sales for you 24 hours a day, while you sleep!

Once your website is up and running, it is important to update it regularly. You want to encourage your website visitors to be repeat visitors and to do this you need to always have new content on your website. Whether you update your site with your latest products, latest company news, products specials, related articles, anything! Just make sure you always have fresh new content on your site to make people come back for more. You want to use your site to build a loyal reader base that will later convert into customers.

Add a Blog to your site!
A blog is a great way to add fresh content your site. You can add just about any content in a blog, preferably articles relating to your company and products. The great thing about having a blog is that it allows reader engagement and allows your readers to comment on your blog posts. This interaction will help build a relationship with your customers and increase repeat visitors.
Not only will this be good for returning customers but this will help you get new customers. The more your online presence improves, the more likely your website will start appearing in search engine results such as Google, Yahoo and Bing. Just make sure your blog is easily located on your website so that your readers know where to access it. Similar to your website, make sure you add fresh new blog posts on a regular basis to your blog so there is always new content for your repeat customers.

Add Social Media to your site
Make sure that you add links to social media accounts of your company on your website. Yes, you have to create social media accounts. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and even Instagram. They all work in building your brand online. Create these accounts using your brand or company name so they can easily be found on these sites.

For Facebook, you will have to create a Facebook page with the same name as your company. The content on here will be similar to a blog and very simple to run. Social media is powerful as it allows people to share posts and content. This creates the possibility of information about your company going viral. Your company will be reached by more users on these platforms.

More importantly you will be reaching potential customers who are using mobile devices. As technology is evolving, people are becoming more comfortable in using their mobile devices in buying products online. By aligning your business with social media you are tapping into those customers that do not use computers to access the internet. This places you 10 steps ahead from your competitors.

Go Viral with YouTube
Like social media, YouTube has also become very social. YouTube videos get shared everywhere! From blogs, tweets and Facebook even on instant messengers. Did you know that YouTube has over 1 billion users? How many customers do you think you can reach on YouTube…Thousands!
Make sure you create a YouTube channel with your company name and upload videos on a regular basis. Upload cool videos that people will like and share. Even YouTube videos end up in search engine results. This will boost your online presence.

Email Marketing
Email marketing on its own has been a successful way of converting leads into customers. There is no reason why you cannot take advantage of this. By adding an email submit form on your website, you can easily build a database of potential customers who are interested in your service or products. You can send them regular newsletter about your latest products, special and useful information. Just make sure that you do not spam them.
Building an online presence may seem like a difficult task for any small business but by implementing these 5 tools, you will be known to the world sooner than you ever imagined!