This is the golden era for small business. In only the past twenty years, technology has changed everything about how small and large companies marketing themselves, leveling the playing field for both. Web searches and mobile apps have made it faster and cheaper than ever to jump start your enterprise. There are plenty of problems yet to be solved, but opportunities remain abundant.
As recent as the 90’s, few had even heard of this newfangled “internet”; there were no search engines to speak of; smartphones didn’t exist; and social media would have sounded like a dream. Back then, marketing was expensive, time-consuming and limited for start-ups, especially in states like Oklahoma. To get national exposure, they would have needed angel investor funding for TV ads and billboards or be unique enough for news coverage.
Things have changed quite a bit and for the better. Launching a promotional campaign is no longer a major undertaking. Today, if you can afford to file your LLC, you can afford to set up a website. Creating company pages on social media websites is an equally easy way of reaching out to a very specific target audience and engaging them with creative content.
In addition to social media channels, business owners can post articles on a blog and distribute press-releases through numerous reputable online outlets. Honing in on a very specific niche is easier than ever thanks to how personalized social media has become. Put simply, the internet has made it possible for small and new businesses to gain a global footprint and get qualified leads while spending a fraction of the time and money. Here are our top five lead generation tips for start-up businesses.
1. Make irresistible opt-in offers!
Whether it’s a live demo, an educational webinar, a free report, a recipe or some other token of your offerings, people love free stuff! Just be sure to make such an offer in exchange for a bit of information like an email address or phone number. There are many landing page and form builder web apps such as ClickFunnels.com or LeadPages.net. These make it very easy to create conversion-optimized landing pages. They even allow the signup form to show up as a pop-up after a link has been clicked. Surveys have shown that pop-up boxes can improve conversions by as much as 32%. When a visitor clicks the “View the Free Report” or similar button, they’ve already shown a sign of commitment; why not toss in an email address?
2. Never stop testing!
Marketing experimentation is no longer limited to expensive focus groups. Forums, blogs and social media groups can offer valuable insight into techniques to try out for better lead generation. Don’t be afraid to try new ideas, use different wording, colors, images, and layouts. Split test your options and improve on what shows the best results. The smallest things can have a big impact on how people respond to a landing page. For example, instructing users to “create ‘my’ account” rather than “create ‘your’ account” has shown to nearly double conversions.
3. Keep the language clear and simple!
Landing pages with concise, punchy wording gather more leads than those with lengthy reports or text blocks. We are all too aware of the shrinking attention span of today’s netizens. Speak in the language of your audience “Too Long; Didn’t Read” is a recipe for a high bounce rate. Videos are a very engaging form of content, but make sure they aren’t too long and get to the point quickly.
4. Write compelling ads!
Higher click-through rates and lower cost per click depend on writing great ads. All too often however, business owners simply try to state what they’re selling without much thought about what actually gets someone to click. Obviously, ads can’t be ambiguous; there is too much going on in search results pages and newsfeeds to bother with mystery links. On the other hand, salesy ads and clickbait are liable to be ignored. A search engine ad should read and look exactly like the result the user is looking for, offering information rather than a sales pitch. Likewise, social media ads should read like an article a friend would share for the viewer’s benefit.
5. Hire a professional!
Digital marketing companies in Oklahoma have invested a lot of time and effort in understanding the local market, online tools, and how they can best be used. If your conversion rates seem to plateau at 2% or below, there’s a lot of room for improvement and an online marketing professional can help make that happen at rates much lower than conventional marketing firms.