Life is what you make it. It’s something I tell my kids almost every day as they experience challenges, set goals, and make decisions. This simple truth is as applicable for adults and business owners as it is for children. The effort we put forth to proactively design our life and business will be directly correlated to the outcome.

As 2022 begins, many of our clients are working on marketing plans & budgets so we thought this would be a great time to offer up our top 5 proven lead generation strategies that produce REAL results.   As with any tips, strategies, or tools, they are only as valuable is how well they are implemented. What will you make of them?

1. Focusing on high-quality online reviews

With search engines constantly changing their algorithms, you may or may not be surprised to know that 45% of updates to local search engine results pages (SERPs) were related to reviews!*

In 2022, you must make it a priority to get more high-quality reviews, respond to those reviews whether they are positive or negative, and integrate them into all forms of marketing and sales.

Google has started placing a “new” tag by recent reviews. If your last review was months ago, your competitors with recent reviews are going to stand out even more. According to a blog by Qualtrics.com, 93% of consumers say online reviews influenced their purchase decisions**. No amount of money thrown at Google Ads or SEO tactics will drown out limited or old reviews. 

Offline, how are you delivering on your promises (your value proposition) at each touchpoint with your customer? From first impressions online to phone calls and in-person communication, how are you ensuring your brand image and reputation are being both upheld and improved? The strength of your brand is directly dependent on the aggregate experience of your value proposition***.

2. Automated Email Sequences & Remarketing

Did you know that web leads are notorious for playing “hard-to-get’? 

And your sales reps get a little queasy after calling for the umpteenth time… 

That’s where automation comes in to save the day! Structuring different email campaigns to prospects at different levels of your marketing funnel is a great way to keep in touch with highly valuable, educational, & relevant information so you’re staying top-of-mind and building trust.

You can also:

  1. Run Google & Facebook retargeting ads to people who have visited your site and not contacted your business. Retargeting, also known as remarketing, simply means showing ads to people who have visited your site on other sites around the web.
  2. Create a custom audience of leads that have been unresponsive and remarket through Facebook, Google, & Email.
  3. Create a custom audience of those who have had their water tested & received pricing but haven’t closed and remarket through Facebook, Google, & Email. *Ninja Tip – for this audience video testimonials used as remarketing ads work very well.

Click the button below to see a nifty infographic & learn more about how to automate your email marketing at each step of your funnel.

3. Use video to humanize your web presence

Since the dawn of civilization, people have used storytelling to communicate important information. Somehow, over the years, we’ve lost touch with this vital ritual. Our marketing has suffered dramatically, in the process.

People do business with people – not with websites, landing pages, ads, or emails. 

Even though we are more empowered than ever to communicate with the masses, so many times we opt for a quick text, tweet, or ad that rarely showcases our authenticity and expertise.

Here are a few ways you can highlight your humanity in your marketing and sales process:

  • Invest in a video that tells the story of your company 
  • Introduce yourself and your team through your website and social media to customers, prospects, and even future employees
  • Integrate a personal element through video into your marketing and sale

4. Work with Your Marketing Company to Track Leads & Sales to the Source

Easier said than done – I know.

It’s really hard to nail down lead attribution in a world where consumers are hit by so many messages every day. And although I’m the first to admit that we don’t do this perfectly, we are pretty darn good at it.

Here are a few ways you can get better at knowing what marketing works in 2019:

  1. Use unique call tracking numbers on ALL your marketing. We use a company called CallRail and they’ve been great to work with. They allow you to track calls from the source (Organic, AdWords, Facebook, Direct, etc), record and transcribe phone calls (great for training!), and they are quite affordable.
  2. Work with a marketing company that is able to tie leads and sales revenue back to the AdWords keyword/Facebook ad that generated the lead/sale. If they’re not currently doing this, ask them how they optimize your web presence for what’s generating real results for you.
  3. Meet regularly to share data & local market events with your digital marketer so you understand what’s working and they can better understand your local market.

5. Test Everything!

“Without failure, there is no achievement.” John C. Maxwell

Testing allows us to free our minds of preconceived notions and open us – and our businesses – up to a whole new world of opportunity. 

From testing different Google ads, value propositions, contact forms, calls-to-action, and even different marketing mediums, we start to uncover what the market truly wants so we can better deliver products & services they desire.

Our team also understands that it’s not enough to just consecutively test different variables – you must scientifically split test your ideas so the data wins and not egos – ouch.

The following comes straight out of one of our client’s dashboards. You’ll notice that core performance metrics have improved year over year. This is because of our strategic approach to testing and of course the client’s dedication to delivering on their promises to their customers! 

*For our clients, we consider a phone call or a web form submission w/ name, phone number, & email a “conversion” or “contact”. If that person has never done business with our client before and is interested in their products or services, we count that person as a “lead”.

Testing allows you to experience more leads for less money – pretty cool, huh!?

If you’re interested in learning more about how to grow leads in 2022, click the button below to schedule a free strategy call with me. You’ll discover some tangible ways to grow and steal market share in the coming year.

Our team wishes you and your team a year of success and growth!

To cost-effective lead generation,

Amanda Crangle