Part 1 – Lead Gen

There’s a reason that “may you live in interesting times” is more a curse than a blessing, and we’re certainly experiencing that. “Unprecedented” is more applicable than “interesting”, particularly for business owners and decision-makers attempting to navigate this roller-coaster economy, skyrocketing inflation, and rising interest rates. 

Your first instinct might be to lock down all “non-essential” costs and, all too often, marketing activities have that label slapped on them. The problem here is that without marketing, your flow of business will continue to dry up. The truth is that you need to double down on marketing activities during tight financial times, but you also need to be strategic with your investments. 

In this four-part series, we’ll cover the most critical areas in which to invest, why they matter and more. For our first trip down the rabbit hole, we’ll discuss lead generation. 

Lead Generation: What It Is and Why It Matters When Money’s Tight

No matter what your industry or niche might be, without a steady flow of customers, your business will eventually fail. You can’t count on customers to magically appear when you need them, either. You must invest in lead generation to answer questions, inform your audience, and position your brand as the solution to their pain points. 

Lead generation is crucial when money’s tight, too. When done correctly, you’re able to accurately target those most likely to convert and move them through the sales funnel, saving you time and money, while boosting your conversion rate and enhancing profitability when it matters the most.

Who Makes a Good Lead?

Leads can be defined as anyone who has expressed interest in products or services like what your company offers. Note that they do not need to have expressed interest in YOUR products or services, though. For instance, if you operate a sports shoe store and someone searches Google for “best running shoes for men”, they will certainly qualify as a lead, even though they didn’t search for your business specifically. 

But who makes a good lead? In troubled times like these, it’s tempting to cast as wide a net as possible, but that would be a waste of time, money, and other resources. Instead, it’s best to target those who are most likely to convert very quickly when you move them through the sales funnel. 

Creating a Lead Generation Funnel

A lead generation funnel must be carefully designed with your ideal audience in mind. It should begin by capitalizing on organic searches for solutions to the pain points your leads are experiencing. From there, the funnel needs to narrow, moving from general answers and education to positioning your products or services as the go-to answer. 

However, there is no one-size-fits-all approach that will work here. All lead generation campaigns must be customized to your business and your audience. They must match your brand personality, as well as your audience’s expectations, and then be continually refined and adjusted to minimize costs and maximize total value. 

For instance, by placing a Facebook pixel on your website, a lead generation company can strategically target and retarget visitors. Campaigns should make it simple for leads to provide their contact details through Facebook to build trust and minimize disruption, as well.

 Customized Lead Generation Is the Beginning

With expert lead generation solutions, it becomes a simple matter of targeting the audience members who are most likely to convert quickly, while also casting a wider net to bring in other audience members who are farther from the funnel. 

At Ballistic Arts, we take a customized approach to lead generation to ensure that we’re able to overdeliver while saving your organization time, money, and hassle. Contact us today to learn more about our lead generation capabilities, and make sure to check back for the second in this four-part series.