Top tips for lead generation Clive Reddihough FCIM

Lead Generation 3 questions you should ask before you start

1. “How does what you do / what you’re doing add value to customers lives?” Identifying, anticipating and satisfying the needs of your customers (profitably). 2. “What’s unique about you/what you do? How do you communicate it in one simple, easy to understand phrase?” Establishing how what you offer, what you do, or how you do it, stands out from the crowd. 3. “What’s the best way to talk with the people who are/who might be interested in what you have to offer?” Reaching out to and engaging with the right people, with the right message at the right time

Have a clear relevant message - getting your message right first will pay dividends later Be clear on how your proposition adds value to customers’ lives Differentiate your offer from competitors – give customers a reason why they should come to you Communicate your proposition in one simple easy to understand phrase Aim for a headline that can be tweeted

Determine your target audience – have a clear idea of who you’re targeting and why you’re targeting them Profile your existing customers – identify your best customers and target more of the same Segment your customers and focus on core segments Ask some simple questions to see who your proposition might have most appeal to Think about your market and consider targeting specific individuals / job holders, locations or industry sectors you want to work in / with Simple questions: What problems do you solve? Which businesses are most likely to encounter these problems? What companies / kind of companies will gain the most value from what you offer?

Set realistic objectives that are aligned to company goals before getting started. “Management by objectives works - if you know the objectives. 90% of the time you don’t.” Peter Drucker Carry out a breakeven analysis as the minimum benchmark for any activity Set objectives using sales patterns, industry trends or average response levels so that targets are realistic

Take a multi-channel approach – aim to engage with customers wherever they touch your brand Work out which channels are most relevant to your customers Make sure all your messages across all your channels are clear and consistent Target each segment with an offer relevant to them Ensure your activity takes into account that people are individuals with different tastes Lead generation should be ongoing – plan follow up messages to every campaign you send out

Implement - Evaluate – Improve: Plan, implement and monitor your lead generation activity Divide activity into campaigns or time segments (e.g. quarters of the year / financial year) Build a timetable of activity for each campaign which clearly sets out what will happen when Monitor each campaign using (where relevant): Campaign tracking codes for online activity Google analytics / adword statistics / reports Email campaign reports Social media statistics A unique telephone number / telemarketing feedback Response cards for direct mail Evaluate each campaign and use any learning from it to improve future activity

Have an ongoing plan for business development – continued growth will only come with continued effort Aim to have a rolling 12-month plan for lead generation activity ensuring that for each phase of the activity you: Have a clear, ‘relevant’ message. How does your product or service add value to customers lives? What’s different about it? Determine your target audience. Be clear on who you should be targeting, and why you’re targeting them. Set clear, realistic objectives. Ensure that the objectives are aligned with company goals and that the targets set make an achievable contribution to the bottom line. Take a multi-channel approach. Give customers the choice to Interact with you in a way that’s convenient for them. Implement - evaluate - improve. Build a timetable of activity. Evaluate activity from each campaign and use any learning from it to help improve future results.

LinkedIn for business

LinkedIn Why use it? 562m users The top-rated social network for lead generation Personal profile (network & connections) Company page Completed Company Pages generally receive twice as many visitors than those with incomplete pages Organizations that post at least monthly generally gain followers six times faster than those that don’t

LinkedIn Company Pages Cover image (1536 x 768 pixels) & logo (300 x 300 pixels) Company description 2,000 characters of important text First 156 characters are key (this is what will appear in the Google preview of your company page) Underneath your company description, you can add up to 20 company specialties (act as ‘tags’ / ‘keywords’) Use showcase pages to highlight specific products / services

LinkedIn Tips and ideas – top tips for success 1. Build a strategy which has smart goals What do you want to get from LinkedIn? e.g. Build a network for social selling Thought leader Recruit talent Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals 2. Encourage your employees to connect with your company’s LinkedIn Page Employees are your biggest advocates - tap into their networks & expand your reach LinkedIn, employees have on average 10 times more first-degree connections than a company has followers

3. Publish valuable content The best way to grow your audience and keep your followers is to provide them with value Adding value Thought leadership Posting useful articles or company updates on a regular basis 4. Include rich media LinkedIn figures show that posts with an image included get 98% more comments. If you have a YouTube channel, try linking to your videos from LinkedIn (YouTube videos play automatically in the news feed, and can generate a 75% higher share rate

5. Take advantage of LinkedIn Groups Being an active participant in a LinkedIn Group helps network with other professionals and businesses in your field (especially outside your immediate circle) Participating in a Group discussion will also attract views to your Company Page 6. Try Showcase Pages Spotlight specific areas of your business, like a particular brand or ongoing initiative Helps cater for / tap into the specific interests of followers

7. Learn from LinkedIn Analytics LinkedIn’s research - posts tend to get the most engagement in the morning, followed by posts published after business hours But what works for an average business may not work for yours LinkedIn offers detailed analytics Find out what kind of content your followers are most likely to engage with, understand your follower demographics Track traffic and activity on your company page To find analytics: Me icon (at the top of the page) Choose your company page under the Manage section. Click the Analytics tab and choose Visitors, Updates, or Followers.