All startups can agree on one thing. Business growth is at the top of mind at all times. After an incredibly tough two years behind us, businesses that have remained resilient are now starting to turn their attention to scaling their business. And one of the top ways of growing the company is by focussing on lead generation.
But, over time, lead generation strategies have rapidly evolved. Some companies are stuck with outdated strategies that no longer bring in the qualitative and quantitative leads. Others have simply not broadened their scope and started looking at other sources of leads.
And it really is about bringing in quality leads, is it not? So, we took a look at some of the more effective strategies that companies are finding success with. From simple hacks that you can start trying out, to new tools to consider, we took a look at what is dominating lead generation in 2022.
Focus on Organic Social Audiences
Cast your mind to a few years back. It was all about how many followers you had and were getting every week right? Metrics like the number of likes and comments you were getting dominated reports. The fact is, this is no longer the case. The truth is that there are so many bots and unqualified profiles out there, that those likes and comments just really don’t translate into actual conversions. Promises of thousands of followers from tools and agencies like Trusy simply resulted in a mass of unqualified followers.
It is time to start focusing on a qualified audience. Followers and fans who follow you and engage with you because they are actually interested in your brand. An audience who are more likely to convert. Now, this may be a lot more resource-consuming. Getting real-life interested people to follow you is hard work! If you don’t have the resources, we can always recommend looking for an agency to find you highly-qualified social followers. It is certainly worth the ROI.
But the fact is that it is something you can do yourself internally too. You will need to have the right content going out regularly on your socials that will actually interest your target audience. So, it is important to know where their interests lie and what their behaviors are. With that data, you can create great content, put a budget behind it, and start gaining some valuable followers. Sometimes, however, organic social reach just isn’t enough. This is where a larger budget comes in. Companies are often looking for reliable sources to buy health insurance leads from in order to boost the existing pool. More often than not, these sources have already filtered and qualified the leads, making it easier for your sales team to convert them into actual customers.
Automate Your Lead Generation Strategies
Brands globally are automating as much as they can in their businesses. Operationally, almost everything can be automated if you are looking for and using the right tools. From social media management to procurement and supply chain, there are thousands of platforms. But, surprisingly, not a lot of brands are automating their lead generation strategies.
Luckily, there are some great tools out there, and the list is actually growing. For years, there was a dominant platform for these, but over the years, tons of ZoomInfo alternatives have popped up that are more affordable, especially for startup companies.
These platforms assist companies in streamlining marketing campaigns, sales prospecting, email address acquisition, and background information gathering. No longer do you need to slog through the hours of extensive manual prospecting and lead nurturing. With these platforms, the relevant information is pulled from thousands of websites, and automated cold emails and triggered follow-ups get that grunt work done for you!
Generate and Put a Budget Behind Relevant Content
We have seen so many companies who simply do not understand the value of great content. Content is actually one of the most overlooked lead generation strategies, and if you are not investing in it in 2022, you will be missing out. The trick is to create content that will educate and inform your customers. So, once again, it pays to know who your customer is and what they are interested in. Keyword research is a great way of also staying on top of trends.
This content can then be posted across your various platforms. Blogs, emails, social campaigns and paid ads are your go-to when it comes to getting your content out. It then works in two ways. Firstly, it heightens your SEO, so boosting your chances of being found on search
engines, but it also helps establish you as a trusted authority in that particular field.
The problem is, and we have seen this happen repeatedly, companies don’t budget to actually market this content. You see, you need a budget for paid ads, especially to get those keywords and your company on the first page of Google search. You also need money for your social posts so that you can expand your audience beyond just your followers. So, when mapping out your 2022 strategy, add in that extra cash flow for these platforms.
The Bottom Line
Keep your customer in mind at all times. Don’t lose sight of who they are, what they are interested in and what they want. Strategize accordingly and don’t be afraid to spend some money on getting your brand out there.