Lead generation is the process of attracting potential customers (leads) to your business and nurturing them until they’re ready to buy. This process takes place between the awareness and consideration stages of the buyer’s journey, right after they realise they have a problem they need to solve. At this stage, potential customers are at the stage where they are mapping solutions to their needs. This entails making sure they find your business, regardless of where they’re searching. And when they do, it should cause excitement about trying out your business.

How does this work for small businesses? 

To start with, identify your audience and talk directly to them, know your buyer persona and the problem points they want to solve.  Then, play to strengths. Big businesses may use their brand visibility, but you must be more ingenious. You can try different lead generation methods and change quickly to better your chances. And if you happen to find a way that works for you, you can just go doubling up without the red tape and bureaucracy that slows down big corporations.

Small Business Lead Generation Strategies 

Here are some best lead generation strategies you can use. Some will work, some will not-it depends completely on your own distinct business and your audience. Sweep up with the ideas that invite you and your team, then double down on what really works. 

1. Sweeten the Deal with Irresistible Opt-in Offers 

Leads can be attracted by enticing offers they just cannot refuse through the website or through paid advertising. This call to action is to sign up or gain access to particular information that they want. Think out of the box-a little bit more than just a simple email subscription, like some downloadable content, easy to use templates, free trials, or even free how to do webinars that really provide a lot of value. 

Use this for your own business: Create a quick offer closely tied to your small business activities, make it very appealing for your target market to hand over their numbers and lead them naturally into buying more services in the future. This will be part of the process.

2. Master the Art of Discounting

Who doesn’t like a good discount? A successful discount strategy can help you spike lead traffic when it is badly needed. But you should always be very careful. Too many discounts and ‘free plans’ can really downgrade your brand and cost expectations that are much higher than what it is capable of.  Use discounts sensibly, like rewarding first-time buyers in a subscription service or make referrals to avail of them, so not only do you get leads, but also the profit margin. 

This has been a strategy that works quite widely. Around 80% of clients refer through current and past clients, so really, she hardly casts a net. 

Use this for your own business:  Identify what scenarios would warrant a discount for your business (e.g., new customers, referrals, industry associations) and brainstorm a discount amount that you can bear, don’t sign up for something too steep that you’ll end up regretting. 

Set up a discount which is a win situation, e.g, get me a client and you get $100 off your next order. You will both be winning more in the discount plan. 

3. Share Your Expertise on YouTube 

YouTube is full of potential leads who would be just delighted to hear your extremely niche domain knowledge. You attract loyal followers using informative videos that demonstrate your effectiveness and the value-add of your business while generating leads. Seeing you on screen, hearing your voice, and learning directly from you becomes an excellent interest building exercise for trust and puts your leads in a highly qualified position. 

Use this for your own business: Identify what problems your business solves or how it tends to work with other businesses, which can be presented well in video format, makeup tips, caring for an automobile, or how to set up Google ad campaigns.

Research your competitors in your niche and see what type of videos are becoming successful. Also, be sure to get some practice with video editing or plan on hiring someone to help you.  Create videos that show your customers how to solve problems in your special way and be consistent. It may get slow at first, but in the long run, it will bear fruit.

4. Keep at it with Retargeting Ads

Retargeting ads calling back lost visitors are a huge changer. External ads featuring previous visitors to your website remind them to think of you while persuading them with a call to action to return to your site. It is like saying, “Hey, remember us? We have what you want.”

Use this for your own business: The setup can be done by using retargeting services like Adroll of the various platforms like Facebook ads or Google ads. Use very simple ad copy, and use current images of your products. Keep them brief and not complicated. Track performance and pivot to maximise ROI with time. 

5. Get More Eyeballs with Local Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is not just a technical term, it is your ladder to the top of search results and is a huge asset in your lead generation toolbox. Enhanced with “right” keywords and quality content that Google loves, your website becomes visible, draws more visitors, and converts them into leads. It’s like putting up the “Open for Business” sign on the largest billboard in town!

Local SEO entails so much for small businesses besides writing keyword rich helpful articles. Suppose you are seeking to rank for search words that include the terms “Plumbers in Dayton, Ohio” or for “Yoga Studio in Tucson, AZ.” Ensure that your home page and service pages are clear regarding these terms, plus ensure they are getting indexed by Google. 

And don’t continue slacking off on Google Maps and Apple Maps; get your business submitted to those map apps so that people can easily find them using search. 

Use this for your own business: Stay on the fundamentals of SEO, engage an agency or optimise your site for SEO yourself and you might also want to add SEO-optimised blog content to your site; for that, you can either outsource or keep it DIY. 

6. Stay Fresh with Engaging Email Marketing

Email marketing has stood the test of time for lead generation. But you are building relationships, not just searching for clicks. When able, think of the times that you clicked on something because of a brand’s email. You could even keep a ‘swipe file’ of emails you love from favorite brands and try to mimic that. To send bulk marketing email messages, you can manage email lists directly from your customer relationship management (CRM) system. 

Use this for your own business: Set up your email marketing from your CRM (this can be done on Close). Make personalised email campaigns for different customer segments (think 3-6 emails in each sequence) and track your performance with a view to improving over time (you can do that on Close too).

Elevate Your Lead Generation Game

Lead generation is the lifeblood of any small business. Implement strategic methods such as irresistible opt-in offers, smart discounting, YouTube expertise, retargeting ads, as local SEO, and email marketing and you can pull in, engage, and convert potential customers. It’s all about being flexible: experimenting and testing different methods, tracking results, then refining your approach to ensure it grows steadily.

However, the small business owner can look around and find that they really need that “expert assistance” for an edge. London’s Premier Hub of Training and Consulting is the best consultancy and training center worldwide, offering customised solutions that can help businesses to become masters in lead generation and accomplish much more. Go for professional insights and propel your business forward.