New Lead Gen: Where Should I Focus My Time & Energy?

Lead generation - the thing that we, as business owners, devote so much of our time and energy to. Without good leads coming in, you simply won’t have the business growth you’re looking for. 

When it comes to lead gen, there are so many tactics and strategies to choose from but the challenge lies in knowing which ones are the best fit for you and your business. 

The last thing any small business owner needs is to spend their very precious time, resources and energy on strategies that have little to no ROI. 

So let’s take a look at how you can take the necessary steps to creating a lead generation plan that works!

Step 1: Understand Your Business Needs

Before you can start generating those leads, you need to know and understand what your overall business goals are. 

Take some time and identify your goals, review past lead gen efforts and make sure you’ve set yourself up for success! 

• What do you want to achieve with your lead generation efforts? Do you want to  increase brand awareness, boost sales, expand into new markets, etc?

• Take a look at your existing marketing efforts and see what has been working and what could be re-worked.

• Analyze your past lead gen campaigns, customer feedback, and engagement metrics to identify successful strategies and areas that may need improvement.

• Use the insights you’ve gained from your audit to align new lead generation tactics with your business's specific needs.

Overall, you want to know that you’re being strategic in your lead gen planning and execution. 

Step 2: Understand Your Audience

Converting your audience into quality leads means having a deep understanding of not just who they are, but where to reach them and how to create messaging that speaks to their needs, wants and desires. 

A few things to iron out before you start your lead generation:

• Look at the data on your existing audience and pay attention to demographics, buyer behavior, psychographics, content preferences and main pain points.

• For your digital marketing efforts, know which platforms and channels your audience regularly uses.

• Using your customer journey, identify key touchpoints where specific engagement can turn your prospects into leads.

• Based on what you know about your audience, choose lead generation tactics that you know will resonate and reach them.

Step 3: Choosing The Best Lead Gen Tactics For You

There are many different ways that you can generate new leads into your business, so the next step is deciding which ones are the best fit for you, your business and the audience you’re trying to reach.

Here’s a comprehensive list of digital and traditional marketing lead gen tactics to consider:

Digital Marketing Tactics:

• Content Marketing

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

• Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)

• Social Media Marketing

• Email Marketing

• Webinars and Online Workshops

• Influencer Partnerships

• Affiliate Marketing

• Video Marketing

Traditional Marketing Tactics:

• Direct Mail

• Networking Events

• Cold Calling

• Print Advertising

• Trade Shows and Conferences

• Billboards and Outdoor Advertising

• Referral Marketing

• Sponsorships

• Public Speaking

• Radio and TV Commercials

Each lead generation strategy is going to look different based on your business’ specific needs, resources and audience. 

Here’s a simple way to think about it…

If your audience is on LinkedIn and potentially on your email list, don’t waste your energy and time on TikTok.

Choosing the right marketing mix, or combination of tactics, comes when you know and understand your business and audience very well. 

Decide which tactics you will focus on based on budget, audience info and team capabilities. 

Step 4: Allocate Your Resources 

Once you know the lead gen tactics you will focus on, lay out a plan with your team to optimize both time and resources. 

• Determine the budget available for your chosen lead generation efforts. Allocate funds based on the cost-effectiveness and potential ROI of each selected tactic.

• Assess the time required to implement and maintain each tactic and then align that with the team's availability and expertise.

• If the target lead generation tactic falls outside your scope, consider outsourcing or bringing in someone with the correct skill set and expertise to make it work. 

Step 5: Measuring & Analyzing Lead Gen Results

You won’t know if all your lead gen efforts are working if you don’t have a plan in place to track and analyse your results. 

Start with these few things:

Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Identify specific KPIs relevant to each lead generation tactic -  conversion rates, cost per lead, lead quality).

Use Tracking Tools
Analytics tools and CRM software make it much easier to track the effectiveness of your lead generation efforts. Set up dashboards or reports to monitor KPIs regularly.

Review and Adjust When Necessary
Schedule periodic reviews of campaign performance against your KPIs. Be prepared to adjust your lead gen tactics based on that data. Maybe you need to pause underperforming campaigns, optimize others, and scale successful efforts.

Step 6: Learn from Your Data 

As your business grows and scales, so should your lead generation strategies.

Make good use of the data, results and insights you gain from each campaign and apply that to future efforts.

Lead generation is a powerful business building tool but it is also an equally effective way to better understand the audience you’re trying to reach and the way you serve them. 

Lead generation becomes easier when you take a strategic, informed approach and understand the best way to invest your time and energy. 

At the foundation of your business are the customers and clients that benefit from what you do, so take the time to position yourself as the answer to their problems and the next step on the path to their desired outcome. 

When you are ready to really flex your lead gen muscles and start bringing in high quality, ready-for-you leads, reach out to us at Automation On A Mission! Supporting businesses in their marketing, sales and automation is what we do and we’d love to help you do it too!