11 Ways to Generate Fresh Leads for Your Business

Business Leads
Leads are the lifeblood of any good business. When leads dry up, so does the business. But on the flip side, when leads flow, the revenue follows suit. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the top ways to generate fresh leads for your business in 2023 and beyond.

Try These 11 Lead Generation Tactics

What follows is a list of 11 different lead generation tactics that are working in today’s digital marketplace. You certainly don’t need to implement every single one of these; however, you should pick a few that you believe can start working for you right now as you promote your business.

1. Content Marketing

Creating valuable content like articles, guides, blog posts, and eBooks can attract leads to your website and social platforms, which in turn can put your brand top of mind when customers make a purchase decision. If nothing else, it positions you as a thought leader. This is a highly-effective option for generating leads by providing valuable information that your target audience is searching for.

While you can always post content directly to your website’s blog – which is definitely recommended as a core strategy – you should also consider leveraging the power of lead magnets.

Lead magnets are enticing pieces of content that people must request access to. Generally speaking, this means putting your name and email address into a form in order to get the link to the PDF, video, or resource. The beauty of this approach is that it allows you to collect contact information that can then be used to follow up with drip phone or email campaigns.

2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Optimizing your website for Google, Bing, and other search engines can help increase your brand’s online visibility and drive more clicks and eyeballs to your site. This can be done via numerous methods and techniques, including keyword research, meta tags, and backlinks. This will help your website to appear higher in search engine results and attract more potential customers.

While there are certainly some organic do-it-yourself SEO techniques you can use, this isn’t a strategy you want to attempt in-house. SEO is a highly-technical field that requires a very specific skill set.

It’s highly recommended that you hire an SEO company. More specifically, you should partner with a local SEO company that understands your local search market. For example, if you’re in Bakersfield, California, you’ll want to work with a Bakersfield SEO company. This ensures you get better results from the get-go.

3. Social Media Marketing

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok can be great ways to connect with potential customers and generate leads. By creating engaging content and participating in social media conversations, your company can build relationships with potential customers and encourage them to engage with your brand.

The challenge with social media is to hone in on one or two platforms that you can focus your full energy and effort on (rather than spreading yourself too thin by focusing on five or six platforms). The one you choose will be highly dependent on your target market.

For example, Facebook is great for going after Baby Boomers, while TikTok is much better suited for millennials and Gen Z. Instagram lies somewhere in the middle, while LinkedIn is best suited for B2B companies or those offering financial services.

4. Email Marketing

Email has and always will be king of the digital marketing space. In a world where social media platforms come and go, advertising regulations change, and technology evolves, email is a constant force to be reckoned with.

By sending regular newsletters or promotional emails, you can keep your company top-of-mind and encourage potential customers to take action. Once someone enters your database (i.e. email list), you should have automated nurturing campaigns that drip on them over a period of several weeks to months.

5. Referral Marketing

If you’re in a service-based business, referrals can support a large percentage of your business. But in order to win with referrals, you need a specific strategy in place.

Organic referral marketing happens by providing good service and then trusting that those satisfied customers will tell their friends and family. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with getting organic referrals, but you also need a more targeted referral outreach strategy in place.

Don’t be afraid to ask satisfied customers for names. The key is to be very specific when doing so. In other words, don’t say something generic like, “Do you know anyone else who I could help?” Give them an idea of the exact type of person you’re looking for – e.g. “Do you know any other single moms who have children in high school?”

6. Trade Shows and Events

Participating in trade shows and events can help generate leads by meeting potential customers face-to-face and building relationships. This is often an effective way to showcase your products or services and generate interest in your company. Look up events in your industry and area and try to register for at least one per quarter.

7. Paid Advertising

Paid advertising, such as Google AdWords, Facebook Ads, and LinkedIn Ads, is another option. Yes, it requires a budget, but it’s also highly effective. It's a high-ROI way to generate leads by targeting specific audiences and increasing visibility for your company. Yes, it costs money, but the acquisition cost is almost always offset by the revenue from generating new clients. Just keep your eye on the numbers and make sure you’re optimizing for maximum profitability.

8. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing works especially well when you have high-end products and services with high price points. The basic premise is that you pay a commission to anyone who refers a paying customer to your business. There are software programs that make it easy to track affiliate data and commissions so that you never have to worry about which customer came from where.

9. Community Building

Building a community around your brand can help generate leads. This isn’t a “get leads fast” approach, but it provides sustainable long-term results by fostering relationships with potential customers. This can be done by creating a forum, hosting events, or starting a loyalty program. Facebook groups are another excellent avenue for cultivating community.

10. Partnership Marketing

Partnership marketing and/or influencer marketing can help you generate leads by working with other businesses or organizations to promote your products or services. This is done via cross-promoting with complementary businesses, co-branding, or offering bundled services. When influencers are involved, you typically provide payment and/or free products in exchange for having them promote your products to their social media followers.

11. Re-targeting

Finally, re-targeting can be a great way to generate leads by reaching out to potential customers who have shown interest in your products or services. This is done using cookies or other tracking methods to display ads to users who have previously visited your website. Certain data companies are cracking down on the amount of data you can legally track these days, but there are still some fairly competitive ways to do this. You may need to partner with a re-targeting expert to get started.

Give Your Business a Fresh Injection of Leads

What would it mean to your business to have another 25, 50, or 200 leads coming in every month? Would it mean the difference between barely scraping by and finally scaling your business to the point that you can take a decent salary? Whatever the case may be, a fresh injection of leads is sure to help you grow the bottom line. Use these ideas to get moving in the right direction.