Online Lead Generation Strategies

To grow profitably every business needs to generate enough leads to grow profitably no matter how small or big the empire is.Creating prospective consumer inquiry or interest in one’s products or services is not a cakewalk. Signing up for an advertising offer needs to be handled smartly, because it’s difficult for someone to give away his/her contact information and demographic information to total strangers and affirm their faith in him. Whether you’re doing Internet lead generation to win future prospects or for list building or newsletter list acquisition purposes, is it working wonders for your company? Are you instituting the appropriate techniques in 

• Do reciprocal linking with other business websites in your niche with whom you share common interests, but are not your direct competitors. The purpose of this technique is that their visitors would see your link there and might be interested in what you offer, therefore generating targeted traffic for your site. However, exchanging links with your competitors will do you more harm than good, since your competitors’ products, services and customer service might be better than yours. So, stay away from linking to your direct competitors.
• Offer free consultation sessions. Offering free consultation sessions help businesses to inculcate trust in prospective customers. This is because studies have proved that people hardly buy anything from business sources they don’t know. Familiarizing yourself with them through free consultations will enable them to trust you, as well as see their benefits of signing up for your advertising offer.
• Create an affiliate program on your site. Many successful businesses have programs that enable other individuals to sell their products and/or services. Affiliates help a product or service to have a wider reach, a better sales force, and diversified promotional techniques. Just make sure you pay affiliates a commission for every sale made and also pay extra amount of money to those who surpass average sales expected, to keep them happy. Apart from affiliates selling your products and/or services, they’re promoting them for free. Isn’t it great?
• Mailing list – Ask your web designer to put a mailing list box on every web page of your site. This lead generation technique will make it very accessible and sometimes tempting to visitors. Some of your site’s visitors might end up signing for your newsletter. But making your mailing list box to be so much on-the-face is very distracting and often disgusting to visitors. So, put your email alert box where it rightly belongs, to avoid pursuing away valued individuals who might have willingly subscribed.
• Newsletters – After people have signed up for your newsletter, it is now up to you to use finesse and give them more information about your business, so as to cultivate a relationship with each other. Do not be in a rush to push them to buy your products and/or services. If mutual friendship flourishes, they will most likely buy from you, when the need arises.
• Testimonials – Having testimonials from happy customers in place on your site will help your business to generate leads. Satisfied customers are mostly willing to vouch for your products and/or services. So, go ahead and ask them to write testimonials, in order to promote your business. As a rule, a testimonial should not be fictitious. It should include the names, pictures and if possible websites of your real happy customers. Using stock photos as pictures of those who write testimonials about what you provide leads to failure in business. keep your testimonials short, straight to the point and should be written in a well-structured grammar.
• Vote of thanks – Studies have also proved that a customer feels more appreciated when he/she receives a card or an email from a product or service seller thanking him/her of the purchase after some weeks. In your vote of thanks include a special incentive on his/her next purchase. This helps to keep your business relationship waxing strong.
• Free Courses – Offer free courses online to interested people to prove your authority in your field of endeavor. Internet trends have got people addicted with free stuffs. So, lure people in to sign up for your newsletter by offering them free online courses that would help them to solve their minor issues.
• Press release – If you’re not into publishing press releases for your business, you’re missing out on something very rewarding. It is another way of generating free exposure for your business. Make sure you have a press release published every time your company has a new service or product.
• Article submissions to top article directories is one of the best ways to get free exposure and traffic. These great article directories have very large reader base. Write articles to share your expertise in your field with readers. If you don’t have the gift of writing content with good power of conviction, there are many content writers on the web waiting for whom to hire them. I personally suggest submitting your articles to Ezinearticles.com, Ehow.com, Goarticles.com and Articlesbase.com.

Source :- www.seotreats.com/28/07/2010/lead-generation-techniques-that-work-well-for-businesses.html

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Online Lead Generation Techniques that Work

Professional services firms have been relatively slow to adopt online lead generation techniques. It's not surprising given that many commonly used online lead strategies such as contests or sweepstakes are simply inappropriate for many professional services firms and their clients.
Further, many professionals still hold the mistaken belief that the only way to generate new client leads is through referrals and networking. Hello… the world is changing! A new model of business development is already generating significant flows of qualified leads for many professional services firms.

Online Lead Generation Techniques that Work

Like traditional lead generation, the new model is founded on demonstrating expertise and building trusting relationships — but these goals are accomplished online. While online marketing will continue to evolve, here are ten proven lead generation techniques that are working for professional services firms today.
1) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Many potential clients want to learn how to solve the challenges they face. If a prospect is even remotely computer literate (and these days what executive doesn't have a computer or a smart phone?) one of the first things they do is Google their question, problem or issue. SEO gives you the tools to match qualified clients with your online content. And if you play your cards right, you'll end up on their short list when they are looking to purchase services.
2) Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising
Another proven way to get on your prospects' radar is to buy your way onto search engine results pages for relevant key words. This technique gives you greater control over the key words whith which you want to be associated. As the name implies you only pay when someone clicks on your link. Many times, PPC leads are of higher quality because the potential client is often searching for a specific solution. In addition, PPC is completely trackable and typically less expensive than traditional print advertising. That’s an attractive combination.
3) Lead Generating Website
Most professional services websites are not designed to generate leads. As a matter of fact many are almost "anti-lead generators." Jargon-filled, firm-centric website abound in the professional services — and they are completely passive and unhelpful. If visitors do not understand what you do or what problems you can solve for them, they will go elsewhere. Contrast this with a lead generating website that is designed to make it easy for clients to understand your value proposition, download valuable information and request a proposal. The impact on online lead generation can be dramatic.
4) Online Networking
I could have called this technique "social media," but I wanted to make a point. The essence of social media is not which platform you choose. It's the quality and reach of the networking you do. While the style of interaction may vary greatly from Twitter to LinkedIn to Facebook, it is still about making the right connections with the right people. Online networking can produce the reputation and referrals associated with traditional business networking. Expect to get results in proportion to the level of your investment of time and attention.
5) Webinars
A webinar is the online equivalent of a seminar or other educational event. The lead generating webinar is typically offered free of charge. Because it requires registration, you can collect basic information on a session's attendees. Like its offline cousin, a webinar should be educational — not a thinly veiled sales pitch. The key to a successful webinar is to select topics that are of great interest and value to your ideal target client. Over time, attendees come to trust your firm and will be likely to consider you when they have a relevant need.
6) Industry Research Reports
A proven online lead generating strategy is to offer executive summaries or full research reports on the industries you serve. You benefit in two ways. First, these documents are an excellent lead generator. Second, they boost your credibility and strengthen you online brand. Be sure your research topics are of exceptional interest to your target client group. In addition, these research studies can be an excellent vehicle for partnering with a trade association or a noncompeting firm to reduce your marketing cost and increase your credibility.
7) Online Marketing Videos
Video is everywhere today, and for good reason. It is an ideal marketing medium for professional services firms. Nothing builds credibility like a flagship client explaining how your firm solved their problem. It's almost like automating the referral process. Video can be used to present your firm, explain complex services or introduce your team. In each of these roles, video can play an important lead generating and lead nurturing function.
8) White Papers or e-Books
One of the most common online lead generating techniques, white papers can establish credibility and generate qualified leads. You can offer the white paper on your website (either available free or behind a registration screen), or you can distribute it through third-party services. White papers also make great pay-per-click offers. A variation on the white paper is the e-book. Typically longer than a whitepaper, it serves a similar function. If you e-book goes into great depth on a subject, it can generate a great deal of buzz and establish your reputation.
9) E-newsletter
If your e-newsletter offers high-quality, educational content, you can generate a significant number of new leads when people sign up. And your e-newsletter is a great way to nurture the existing leads on your list. Many firms also use e-newsletters to announce new services and make specific offers. To build your subscriber list, offer a free e-newsletter subscription on your website or in your email signature block. Just remember, the better your content, the more people will read it and remember you — and the less likely it will be deemed spam.
10) Blogging
I left blogging for last because of its unique role in online lead generation. To be honest, blogs don't generate a lot of direct leads. But blogging is probably the most effective driver of leads to your website. Because a blog allows you to create a wide range of keyword-laden content that can be found in the search engines, it can draw a lot of qualified prospects to your website (this assumes that you host your blog on your website — which I strongly recommend). You can further promote your blog posts on Twittter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Without a blog, your SEO efforts will be handicapped.
These ten online lead generation techniques alone could become the cornerstone of a robust marketing plan. Add in traditional marketing tactics, such as face-to-face networking and tradeshow marketing (if appropriate), and you have a formidable strategy for building preference in the markeplace. Online marketing and traditional marketing make a powerful combination.

Souce :- www.seotreats.com/28/07/2010/lead-generation-techniques-that-work-well-for-businesses.html

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