5 Lead Generation Ideas for SMEs

Lead generation is the key to the success of any small business. Satisfied customers mean more sales, more growth, and more new leads.

Here are five ideas that you could try to generate fresh leads for your business.

1. Social media

Think of your social media accounts as ponds; throw a stone in and the ripples spread far and wide. Provide great content that engages your network of people and encourages them to share it with their friends online. This creates ripples of interest, which in turn attract more new fans, friends, and leads.

Usable content is very important if you want to encourage sharing; tips and reviews, etc are always popular. Witty and amusing photos or videos also go down well, as do polls and surveys.

You might like to create a competition giving some of your products as prizes or offer promotional freebies as an incentive for people to attend forthcoming events you have planned.

2. Referrals from existing clients

If you consistently provide a quality product or service, together with excellent customer service, you will be rewarded with a constant flow of client referrals. Put in place a system for automatically asking for referrals upon completion of every order.

Competitions are a good way of getting your existing clients talking about your business with their contacts. In this way, your clients are effectively promoting your business and creating leads for you, without you having to ask them to do so directly.

3. Joint effort

Team up with a local business in a similar field and work to build a relationship with them based on mutual interest and benefits. Work together to generate leads that both parties can use; split the cost of promotional activities and advertising, and run joint marketing campaigns.

4. Community influencers

Seek out influencers in your business community and support them in their causes to establish a relationship with them. You can then create a relationship where you refer clients to one another for your mutual benefit. This exchange of prospects will enable you to access their network of contacts to find new leads for your business.

5. Regular catch-ups

Make a regular date on your schedule when you meet customers, online friends, influencers and other local business contacts for coffee, lunch or a social event. If you organize events like these on a social footing, you will build relationships of greater depth and this, in turn, will naturally generate leads as your contacts talk about you in their own social circles.

These are just a few of the ways in which your small business can utilize social media, your local business network, and your existing customer base to generate more sales leads and new client prospects. But there’s a vast world of data out there just waiting to help you tap into your target market. Want help getting started? Contact us at Market Joy today.