Like so many new start-ups know, even those with a top-notch business plan and a product or service that has huge potential, it’s all too easy to crash and burn if you don’t get your marketing strategy right.
It is important to plan and strategize your marketing efforts, because you simply don’t want to waste your marketing budget on a campaign that is both ineffective and inefficient.
Marketing Doesn’t Equal Sales
If your existing marketing strategy is finding thousands of leads but the conversion rate is non-existent, then either too many leads are bad, or your sales team need an overhaul.
So how can you acquire more qualified leads?
Email marketing
Emailing potential customers should be part of every company’s campaign. However, there are some big no-no’s you should avoid at all cost. One example is email marketing using purchased list. They are ineffective and will actually damage your company reputation and danger your business brand.
Instead, it is advisable for you to build your own list using various legitimate tools and techniques. Using email marketing software from a reputable company, like MailChimp, you can capture email addresses via an online form embedded on your company website or landing pages.
Please note that the number of your subscribers don’t necessarily reflect the number of business leads. Yes, getting sign ups is one thing; engaging your list is a whole different thing: Be sure to offer value to your subscribers and address their issues.
Expos, Events and Conferences
If you want a non-virtual platform on which to launch your service or product, you could try booking space at exhibitions. The days are long and you have to keep your game face on at all times, but you could gain a lot of good leads.
The problem with this platform is costs. But there’s a way to minimize them: If you sign up for several events close together, companies such as TNT, can offer event logistics, where they’ll dismantle, transport the gear and set up at the next destination. Companies who run these events vary tremendously, so do some research.
These events are almost always expensive and if people don’t turn up, you won’t get your money back.
Social Media
Having a presence on Facebook and Twitter is essential and doesn’t have to cost you a penny. But you need to budget resources (read: time and money) to grow your presence into a significant one.
Considering the rapid changes in the social media scene, you need to keep updated with the trend, such as the decline of reach and the emergence of “new” social media platforms, such as Pinterest and Instagram. You need to respond to the changes by adopting new social media strategies and tactics.
Generating leads from social media is tricky, simply because the nature of social media itself, which places engagement at the top-most priority.
While using social media tools and services such as Hootsuite Pro can you to manage your entire social media presence, personal touch is more important today than ever.
Takeaway
Starting up, please bear in mind that your business depends on your ability to convince your target market about your product/service quality. Fortunately, there are cost-effective things you can do to achieve your goals.
If you are looking for more ways to generate leads, here are some resources that can help you out:
