Lead Generation for Small Business

Your digital marketing strategy could literally make or break your brand in 2022. In fact, your ability to generate new leads is what will determine the long-term future of your business. Your online presence will play an important role in your ability to attract customers. In fact, approximately two out of three people feel that their purchasing decisions are influenced by online reviews.

Furthermore, e-commerce is more popular than ever, and online sales totaled more than 4.2 trillion in 2020. So, it's essential to ensure that your business has a strong presence on the web. While there are many ways to promote your business online, some of the most effective lead generation strategies in 2022 are email marketing, search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, social media marketing, blog marketing, and cold calling.

1. Email Marketing is Anything But Dead in 2022

While many small business owners make the mistake of assuming that email marketing is obsolete, this is far from the truth. In fact, many experts feel that email marketing is one of the best methods of lead generation for small businesses in 2022. In a recent survey by Service Direct, 62% of respondents said they opted into small business email newsletters and 80% said they would take advantage of a promotional offer from a small business.

Also, there are numerous email marketing software programs that make it easy to send out a large number of promotional emails quickly. We feel that these are some of the best ones to consider as a small business owner looking to qualify leads and reach out to potential clients:

1. Mail Chimp
2. Constant Contact
3. HubSpot Marketing
4. Pardot
5. SendinBlue
   

However, it's important to make sure that you never send out bulk, unsolicited emails. That's because the CAN-SPAM Act prohibits this, and failure to abide by this legislation can lead to substantial fines. Luckily, this won't be an issue if you use a reputable email marketing software program and only send out emails to your subscribers.

In addition, it's important to make sure that you include contact information in your emails. This will help to ensure that your email marketing strategy leads to successful lead generation for your business.

2. Generate Leads Fast With Cold Calls

If you need to quickly gather leads, cold calling could be the answer for your small business. In fact, it could allow you to gather hundreds or thousands of leads in a matter of weeks. Here are a few expert-recommended tips for making cold calls as a small business owner:

Turn the Cold Call Into a Warm Call

If possible, you should contact people who have shown signs of interest in the products or services that your business offers. This will effectively turn your cold call into a warm one. One great way to do this is to contact people who expressed interest in your brand on social media platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Keep the Script Short and Simple

It's best to keep the script that you use for cold calls relatively short. This will make it easier to ensure that your pitch is as engaging as possible for your brand's unique target audience.

Use the Best Automated Calling Software Available

Automated calling software can make it easy to contact a large number of potential customers quickly. However, you'll need to pick the right program for your business. We feel that these are five of the best providers of automated calling software for small business owners:

1. Talk Desk
2. Genesys Cloud CX
3. PhoneBurner
4. ZoomInfo Engage
5. Aloware
   

3. Social Media Marketing is More Important Than Ever

As a small business owner, it's important to make sure that you effectively promote your brand on multiple social media sites, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Not only do you need to make sure that you regularly upload content to your company's social media pages, but you'll also need to ensure that you quickly respond to comments on your content. You can rest assured that our digital marketing experts will be able to improve the social media marketing strategy of almost any small business.

4. Pay Per Click Advertising Can Dramatically Improve Your Brand's Visibility

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is one of the most effective ways to increase lead generation for small business owners. In fact, you can place PPC ads at the top of search results pages for your chosen keywords. Also, you can place them on the sides of high-traffic websites.

PPC ads can also improve your social media marketing strategy. That's because LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and other popular social media platforms offer PPC ads at affordable prices. This can be a highly effective tool for anyone looking for a new small business lead online.

However, it's important to seek expert advice when you're creating a PPC campaign for your company. Luckily, our digital marketing experts can improve almost any brand's PPC campaign, which can make it easier to get your next sales lead on the web. In fact, PPC ads are often considered to be one of the most effective methods of lead generation for small business owners.

5. Remember That Content is King

Not only is it important to make sure that you optimize the quality of content on your website, but it's also important to consistently create exceptional content for your company's social media pages and blog posts. Ensuring that you consistently post quality content can improve your search rankings and conversion rate. Luckily, you can rest assured that we'll be able to help you optimize your brand's content, and this can make it easier to gather leads as a small business owner.

We'll be able to improve your home page, landing pages, and social media content. This will make it easier to qualify leads and grow your brand on the web.

6. Your SEO Strategy is the Cornerstone of Effective Digital Marketing

Your search rankings will determine how easy it is for potential customers to find your website. The quality and organization of your site's content will play a crucial role in determining your search rankings. Not only do you need to consider your site's overall search rankings, but it's also important to optimize your local SEO strategy. In order to do this effectively, you need to include the name of your region, city, or county in some of your keywords e.g. plumber near Tacoma, CA, etc. If you're wondering what are the different types of queries that can generate leads, the answer is different for every business. To find out, get in touch with a competent digital marketing agency that can help you figure it out. 

In addition to optimizing your own website, you should also apply these tactics to your business listing on Google My Business, Yelp, and other platforms.

Choosing an Experienced Digital Marketing Agency

E-Marketing Associates will help you develop an effective digital marketing strategy that will produce measurable results and give you the best Return on Investment (ROI). Whether it’s designing a small business website that generates more leads, running an effective pay-per-click ad campaign, improving your SEO, creating email campaigns, or growing your social media following, we can help you establish a new business or grow your existing one.

With more than 20 years of experience helping small businesses grow, let the pros at E-Marketing Associates help you achieve your business goals. To learn more about our online marketing products, or how we can help, schedule a 15-minute discovery call today!