I have been a business owner for about 10 years. I had many different types of businesses, and with each one of them I learned many different things. But there is one thing that I learned with all of them—any type or size of business needs one thing: LEADS/SALES. Without sales, the business will eventually close its doors, and no business owner wants that. Fortunately, there are many different ways to get more leads to your business.
There are simple ways and not so simple ways, but we all know that great things do not come easily, so of course the “not-so-simple” ways are the ones that bring more and better results. But if you need leads right now and do not have the time or skills to go big, then start with these 4 simple ways, and once you get more sales you might be able to pay some professional to go big for you.
I know you already have a notepad and a pen and are pumped to start this and start bringing leads to your business, so I will get right onto it.
Google My Business
Our first simple way to get leads is through “Google My Business” account, which is an amazing tool for local businesses. You probably already have one, but you just may not know how to use it to your benefit. To find out if you already have an account, you just need to Google your business’s name, just like on the screenshot below.
If you see this box on the right with your business info on it, then yes, you do have a Google My Business account. Now the next step is to access it. If you see the “manage this listing” link, just click on it, and things will be much easier. If not, just go to: https://www.google.com/business/, Then try to sign in (usually the login is your Gmail or gsuite email address and same password). When it doesn’t work, you might have to contact Google support and have them help you figure it out. Once you get into account, the magic begins. This is what a Google My Business account dashboard looks like:
The secret here is to use all its features. Make sure you fill in all your business info, business hours, right address, insert posts, photos, all your services or products, download the app on your phone, and enable messaging so your potential clients can text you when they find you on Google. When you keep your Google My Business up-to-date, posting often using your services as title of your posts will help your website come up when someone Googles your services. Also, when people are looking on your Google My Business box to the right of their screen, they will be able to simply text you (no need to call or email—isn’t that amazing?). Aren’t we all looking for things that will make our lives easier?
Now, if you don’t have a Google My Business account at all, go to https://www.google.com/business/. Create a new account and add your business, and then Google will send you a postcard in the mail to verify that your address is real. Once you get the postcard and submit the pin code on it to your Google My Business account, your business will be verified and start showing on Google. Then you will be able to use all the tools I mentioned above.
This is a simple thing—it does not require a lot of computer skills and will bring your business to the most powerful search engine in the world.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization, wait, what? Yes, that’s what SEO stands for. I know, it didn’t help, right? So, let’s start from the beginning, shall we?
Search engines are what we use to search for everything. I call it, “the dummies’ best friend.” The most widely used search engine is GOOGLE. A few people also use BING, BAIDU, YAHOO etc.
So, when you enter searches on these search engines, thousands and thousands of websites come up.
How do you think these search engines decide what comes first, second, or third?
Google Algorithms
They use algorithms to sort the results. Here are some features the algorithm prioritizes:
- Speed Websites that load faster will rank higher
- Keywords Websites that contain the word or term that was searched
- Outbound Links Websites that have links to other websites of similar content
- Backlinks Websites that have other websites of similar content linking back to them
- Third-Party Profiles Businesses/People that have created accounts or profiles on websites such as: Google My Business, Hotfrog, Yelp, Trip Advisor, BBB etc.
Wait again Yolanda, this is not SIMPLE. . . . Yeah, you’re right. Let me try to simplify this. If you have a website, someone had to build it for you, right? If it was yourself (which is pretty common), then you have enough skills to apply what I am going to suggest. But if not, then you might want to contact your web developer and ask him/her to apply the things I am about to suggest. If you don’t have a website at all, then my friend, I feel obliged to let you know that if you don’t get one as soon as possible, your business will fade away pretty quickly.
There are many ways to create a free website or to get one for very little. Just use Google to find free website’s tools, and you will definitely find something the suits you. But if you are willing to invest something on it, I am more than happy to help. Just contact me.
So what is it that you need to do to turn your website into a better lead generation tool?
- First you need to make sure you have some keywords on it. Keywords are what people are typing into Google when they are searching for something. I would say they are simply your services + your location. Let’s say that you have a pest control business. Your keywords would be your services + your location, which would look something like “pest control in St. George” or “termites exterminator in St. George, UT.” Once you figure out at least 5 keywords you know people are searching for, insert those words on your website content. They have to be in H1 or H2 (H= heading).
- Another thing you need to do is test your website for speed. A slow website will not make it on Google results, because nobody likes a slow website. I detest getting stuck trying to navigate a slow website (actually, I do not navigate it at all; I immediately close the tab and go find a faster one). Nobody has time to lose, so you want a fast website so people can have a good experience on it. The longer someone stays on your page, the more likely that person will be to contact you. But now you are asking me, how do I do it? Well if you are using WordPress, just use a plugin called EWWW Image Optimizer, Smush It, or Autoptimize. The plugin will compress and resize all your images, making your website much lighter and faster. Of course, there are many other things that can be done to speed a website up to Google’s standards, but if I mention them all, I would have to change the title of this article to “3 Simple and 1 Very Difficult Way to Get More Leads!”
- One thing that is very simple and brings good results is “citations.” That means to list your business on the main business directories. You can use a software to distribute your information to all directories for a fee or you can do it manually. All you have to do is to go to their website, create a business account, and list your business. Here is a list of the main directories you can list your business on:
- Google My Business
- Yellowpages.com
- Yelp
- Local.com
- WhitePages.com
- Manta
- SuperPages
- CitySearch (Must be added via InfoUSA’s ExpressUpdate.com)
- Patch
- City-Data (operated by Advameg.com)
- MerchantCircle
- Yellowbook.com
- Yahoo Local
- Mapquest
- Topix
- DexKnows
- BBB.org
- ServiceMagic
- Angieslist
- AreaConnect
- Foursquare
- AmericanTowns
- BizJournals
- LocalGuides
- 411.com
- Yellowpages.aol.com
- Insider Pages
- MagicYellow
- Hotfrog.com
- LocalStack
- Switchboard
- Demandforce
- MojoPages
- Metromix
- Yellowbot
- ShowMeLocal
- LocalPages
- Best of the Web Local
- Yellowise
- GetFave
- Tupalo
- ZipLocal
- EZLocal
- CitySquares
- USCIty.net
- LocalDatabase
I know it looks like a lot of work to do it manually, but as I said before, you can use some systems where you only need to insert your information once, and they will distribute it for you. Here are the main ones I know. I use SEMRUSH for my clients.
- MOZ local
- Yext
- SEMRUSH
- Bright Local
Alignable
There is not much to say about Alignable because there is no secret about it. Alignable is a local business network. Go to alignable.com and create your account. Then create your business profile, and for free, you can make up to 10 local connections per month. They also have other plans where you pay a monthly fee and you get to send more than 10 connection requests per month. All you have to do is connect with your local businesses and let them know who you are and what you do. I always send a personalized message for each person that accepts my connection request. I have many clients through Alignable, and I always recommend it to everyone. It’s worth it. I suggest you start with the free plan and once you get the hang of it, you can upgrade and grow your network.
Email Marketing
Lastly, my favorite tool to get more leads is email marketing. The definition is simple, and the execution is almost as simple as the definition. Email marketing is simply sending offers, news, promotions, updates etc. for a list of contacts. These contacts can be our clients or other people. The important thing is that these contacts need to agree to receiving the emails, which makes things to seem too hard sometimes. But it’s really not too hard.
You can build a contact list by offering some type of giveaway. There are some prizes drawing software you can use for a small fee. You can create a campaign on Facebook or in your physical store to get people’s email and permission to use them. Once you build a list, you send them your offers, promotions or news. You can use Mail Chimp, Constant Contact, Sendgrid, or Getresponse, among others. There is so much more in the art of email marketing. When it’s done right, email marketing is one of the most powerful tools in the marketing world.
Conclusion
I could keep going, but this article is getting way too long, and I am at the risk of losing your attention. If this whole article was totally new for you, or if you felt like I was speaking Greek, I dare to say that you should get someone else to do it for you. These tools might be simple, but there are some things, that no matter how simple they are, they are just not in our reach. Contact me to get a free consultation. I will analyze your business, your current situation, and your expectations, and then I will put a strategy together for you. I have solutions for every pocket, so no matter how much you’re willing to invest, I will find a solution that fits your budget and brings you results. Obviously the more you invest, the more and better results you get.
