Generating leads is a vital part of your business. 

Whether you’re a freelancer or a corporation, attracting and generating leads should be on top of your priority. 

So how do you find the right kind of leads for your business? And what do you need to do to keep the leads coming your way? 

Let’s find out. 

What is lead generation?

Hubspot defines lead generation as the process of attracting and converting strangers and prospects to someone interested in your products or services. 

Leads, as we call them in marketing, are any person who shows interest in your product or services in some way, shape, or form. 

The idea for generating leads is to use different marketing strategies to attract your ideal market. This can be done through direct marketing or digital marketing. 

Lead generation comes in many forms like an online survey form, a flyer, a cold call, or an email. 

It can also be done through websites, ads, content, and blogs. 

Generating business leads can be challenging especially if you don’t know who you’re trying to attract. 

That’s why the basic step of lead generation comes from identifying market segments that would benefit most from your products and services. 

What does generating leads mean?

Generating leads is the action you take to attract potential customers into your business. 

This also means investing in marketing strategies to get your target market’s attention. 

While it’s easy to give away flyers or do posting on social media, lead generation won’t matter until it reaches the right audience you’re marketing to. 

That’s why it’s essential to identify who your ideal customers are. 

Identifying your customer avatar is the foundation of your whole marketing strategy. Without it, your lead generation process can be a hit or miss. 

Check out this free customer avatar worksheet from Digital Marketer to get started.

Generating business leads can solve common problems in your business This includes getting higher volumes of high-quality leads. 

It also helps increase brand awareness, creates new relationships, and get you more sales and profit. 

Lead generation strategies can optimize your process and make it easier to run. 

A proper lead generation strategy can also help you pinpoint leaks in your revenue line. Reevaluating your strategy from time to time can improve your lead acquisition and amplify your sales pipeline velocity. 

How to generate leads for your business 

There are three steps you need to generate leads for your business. 

Whether you’re a freelancer or a small business owner, knowing these steps will help you attract the right customers and boost your sales. 

These three steps are as follows: preparation, implementation, and engagement. 

Preparation stage 

In preparation, you have to understand your goals and how lead generation can affect you. 

You need to see what you have in terms of your offer, target market, and unique selling point. 

This also lets you find the right resources and assess your current capabilities in lead generation. 

Implementation stage 

Once you’ve set your standards and identified your goals, the next step is to plan and execute. 

You’ll need to decide how to get in touch with the people and groups that fit into the avatar you set. 

Finding the right message and platform also plays a huge role in your plan’s implementation. 

Once you do, the next step is to create engaging content and reach out strategies to make sure that you catch your market’s eye. 

Engagement stage

Engaging with your audience is a key step in your lead generation process. 

This will test if your lead generation strategies work. 

The question is, how do you know if your strategies are creating interest and engagement in your target audience?

Five steps to an effective lead generation process 

Here are five steps to ensure your lead generation process works well. 

• Get leads by knowing where your target lives on the internet. 

Find out which platforms they hang out in. Then create content that they can easily find. 

These can be blog posts, social media posting, infographics, and even research papers. 

Create them according to your market’s desires and pain points. Once the content is ready, distribute it where they are. 

• Nurture your existing leads. 

Take care of those who are already in touch with you. 

Make them feel like they have an exclusive membership within your circle. 

Nurture them through emails and retain their interest by adding value to them with your email marketing content. 

Doing this will increase their trust and loyalty with your business. 

• Score your leads 

Not all leads are created equal. 

That’s why it’s important for you to qualify and group each lead. 

Segmenting your leads can help you find the best message for them as well. See which ones are cold, warm, and hot. 

Doing so will help you identify the right strategy to use in each group. 

Here’s a free lead scoring guide from Marketo.com.

• Send leads to sales 

Create lead qualifiers so you would know which leads are ready to be sent to the sales team. 

These standards may include their lead score, possible budget rates, and their interest in your products and services.

You also need to consider the timeline so you would know which leads to prioritize and close as soon as possible. 

• Check and evaluate your lead generation process 

The key to a good lead generation process is to test and measure the results. 

Whether you’re a freelancer or a small business owner, it’s necessary for you to check and see which strategies work for you. 

Check the numbers and statistics to see your conversion rates. 

Track which part of your lead generation process works best and which doesn’t. This way it will help you get a better understanding of how you should approach your lead generation process. 

Conclusion 

Whether you’re a freelancer or a small business owner, generating leads for your business should come as a priority.

Lead generation is the first step in making sure your business runs smoothly. It also helps make sure you have a profit to support the lifestyle you choose to live. 

Do you need help with your lead generation strategies? 

Connected by Humans can help you with setting up and implementing the most strategic lead generation for your business needs. 

Get a free 15-minute discovery call today. Schedule yours here.