There is nothing like the pressure and the panic of realising that you need to close more sales and yet there is little or nothing in your pipeline. Most of us understandably go into panic mode and try to do everything and anything we can to generate enquiries, meetings and sales. Often the consequence is that we end up spending a lot of wasted time speaking to the wrong people or wasting money marketing to the wrong people. If you can relate to this then this one’s for you and if not, it’s always worth checking that you aren’t missing a lead gen opportunity.
- You’re using the wrong strategy
You might simply be using the wrong strategy. For example, maybe Google ads just isn't the right platform for your business. Maybe fliers no longer produce the results they used to.
There are essentially two marketing strategies that you can implement to drive leads. The basic rule of thumb is, if there is a social media advertising platform that your customers use to search for your product or services, then start with social media advertising. This can be Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram etc.
If your customers don’t search for your product or service on any of these platforms then you need to use content marketing, social media and email marketing to reach out to them and educate and engage them. You can read more about these two strategies here.
If you don’t have a strategy other than marketing to everyone all of the time then get a strategy. The scatter gun approach to marketing doesn’t work and never will. You waste so much time and resources for little or no return.
Figure out your strategy and test it to see it’s the right one.
- I don’t understand what you are selling or to whom
Even with the right strategy, if you have the wrong message you still won’t generate leads. This is a really common mistake a lot of us make (us included at times). One of the most common reasons is that we are trying to market it to too broad a customer group. You don’t want to turn off one person or put off one opportunity so your marketing tries to appeal to them al,l but in fact fails to appeal to either.
Your message of what you sell, and to whom, has to be crystal clear. Remember you have 4 seconds to capture my attention and convince me to keep reading. Your services also have to be absolutely clear. Coming up with catchy names or titles for your services might be fun, but the chances are they will just confuse me.
If you’re in an industry where you are selling the same services as your competitors, then you need to be clear about what makes you unique and why I would buy from you.
Finally, being clear about who your ideal customer is, is critical. This in some cases will determine whether you get any enquiries or leads at all, or the quality of those leads.
- Focusing on quantity not quality
This is really about the potential customer’s intent to buy from you. It might be they are at the very beginning of the buying process and still doing their research and shopping around. If that’s the case, don’t waste a lot of time on them. Keep in touch appropriately, for example by email or social media.
It’s easy when you are looking to drive leads to rush out networking or in to a new marketing campaign without really thinking through if that will attract the right quality of leads for your business.
Quick story - a chiropractor I know signed up to a WOWcher campaign offering a reduced price for their services. This strategy did indeed generate more leads and people booking for their discounted treatment. However, virtually not a single one booked to return. It meant their books were full for a month which made fitting in their regular and new clients much harder. The result was a lot of time, effort and money for little or no return on new clients.
Quality not quantity.
- Your marketing and content doesn’t resonate with me
I think this is going to increasingly become a challenge. As we are all bombarded and surrounded by content, it's even harder to cut through the noise. Even when you do achieve that, you still have the challenge of engaging with them which is key to them taking the next step and getting in touch with you.
Just churning out someone else’s content or writing the next 10 top website tips isn’t going to cut it. Your content and message has to resonate with me. This is particularly important if a feature of your target audience is a particular mindset.
Take marketing for example. Not every business owner wants to grow their business. Not every business owner will take what they perceive as a risk of investing in professional marketing. It’s a particular mindset and type of business owner that takes that step. That’s who I need to resonate with and engage in our marketing. Everything I write and every aspect of our marketing needs to deliver that (hopefully I am doing that…)
For your blogging, email and video marketing to convert more of your audience to leads, it has to be truthful, honest and really add value to them.
- The wrong call to action
A call to action (CTA) is what you ask that person to do next. The most common CTA you will see is the “Get in Touch” contact form on the website. Others include “Book a Meeting” or “Complimentary Consultation”, but what’s the issue with that? If, as a potential customer, I am very early on in the buying process, still shopping around and weighing up my options, that’s a step too far for me. I’m not going to book a meeting with you for fear of wasting your time and my time. The problem is, with no other option available I simply don’t make contact at all.
Introduce a softer call to action such as “Book a 15 minute Call for Further Information’. Offer information they can download, something that allows them to take a step forward which isn’t just making direct contact immediately.
The contact form? I personally find contact forms impersonal and cold. It’s often hard to know what to write in the form as well. By all means have it on your website but offer your visitors more options.
