15 Cost-Effective Ways to Generate Sales Leads

Cost-Effective Ways to Generate Sales Leads

In the world of business, leads are a valuable commodity. The more leads you can generate, the better your chances for success. Unfortunately, generating leads is not as easy as it seems and often requires heavy investments of time and money. That’s why we’ve compiled this list of 15 cost-effective ways to generate sales leads that won't blow your budget!

1) Have an Expert Speak at Your Event

If you want to attract potential clients who are already in the market for your services or products then having an expert speaker at one of your events is a great way to get their attention. By speaking on behalf of your company they will be able to showcase all that you have to offer while also answering any questions or concerns the attendees may have.

Showcasing an expert in your field demonstrates to potential leads that you're connected to the pulse of your industry, and that you're respected enough to host high-caliber talent. Your credibility will get a boost from the association, which will help you realize higher-value leads more frequently.

2) Host a Webinar

If you’re not familiar with webinars, they are basically online presentations that allow you an opportunity to educate and inform your prospective customers or clients. You can create a free account at GoToWebinar which will allow you to host the presentation and also send out invitations to your potential customers.

Webinars are essentially seminars hosted virtually on the web. These information talks help to establish you as a thought leader in your industry and provide an opportunity for leads to seek you out. Be sure to offer free talks on topics of interest to your target demographics, and then promote them through every channel available to you.

3) Use a Lead Capture Page on Your Site

If you want to obtain more leads without spending too much money, then the easiest way to do that is by having a lead capture page on your company website. These pages are very simple and straightforward and will allow visitors to submit their contact information in return for whatever it is that you’re offering.

Common methods for pointing people to your lead capture page include:

Free eBooks or white papers
Free trials or demos of your product or service
Discounts or coupons for your product or service

What's important is that you offer something of value as an enticement for people to visit your lead capture page, or to give you their information once they're there. Once they're on the site, direct all of your language toward establishing your credibility and convincing your prospect to leave their information.

4) Sign Up for a Lead Generation Tool

There are many lead generation tools out there that will allow you to connect with potential customers in a very short amount of time. Some examples include HubSpot, Prospect.io, Hoovers, AeroLeads, and more.

Lead generation tools help to automate some of the time and labor-sensitive elements that go into the lead generation process. Some are generalized tools while others are built for specific purposes.

For example, Leadfeeder is a website visitor identification and website personalization tool. It helps you to see who visits your website, even if they don't bother to fill out a contact form. Hunter.io, on the other hand, is built to find email addresses. All you need is a name and a company.

5) Utilize Handwritten Direct Mail

Direct mail is still a powerful force in the marketing world. If you want truly dramatic results, use the handwritten variety.

Handwritten direct mail involves sending handwritten cards, notes, or letters to your mailing lists in an effort to establish a rapport and provoke a response. Handwritten communications are effective because they stand out against the background noise. In a given stack of mail, the handwritten envelope will rise to the top every time. To put that into perspective, handwritten notes are opened 99% of the time. You simply can't find that kind of engagement anywhere else.

Simply Noted elevates handwritten direct mail to an art form. With our service, you can send thousands of handwritten cards automatically, with all of the subtle details that convince the eye they're looking at a real handwritten message.

But they aren't. Our cards are created by the most advanced handwriting robots on the planet using real ballpoint pens. You can connect your automation software to our servers, allowing you to trigger personalized handwritten campaigns as easily, and the same targeting abilities as email.

6) Use Social Media

If your company is already active on social media then this is a great way to generate some potential leads. Being active on networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter will encourage people to interact with your company and become more familiar with the brand.

Consider where you target audience spends the majority of their time and focus on those platforms. Create engaging content for them to share among their contacts. Not only will this create deeper engagement with your existing customers, but it will also expand your sphere of influence and help you tap into wider markets.

7) Create a LinkedIn Company Page

If you want to reach out to millions of potential customers, then creating a company page on LinkedIn is definitely the way to go. This huge network of professionals is also one that would be open to doing business with your company if they like what it has to offer.

Each company page has the option to include an overview of your company, what you can provide them with, and how they can contact you. People will also be able to follow your company page which means that new leads will be generated every time you post something new or share someone else's content.

8) Answer Questions on Quora

Quora is a Q&A website that allows you to post questions and get answers from other users. The best part about this site is that it’s completely free to use and will allow your company to interact with the people who have the same problems as you do, which makes them a prime candidate for purchasing your product or service.

This accomplishes a number of things. First, it sets you up as an authority in your field. Not only will the people asking questions look to you for future advice, anyone that visits the Quora question will see you as an expert. When they're ready to make a purchase, they'll look to the companies they know. If you've established yourself sufficiently, they'll be more likely to send you their contact information.

9) Develop a Survey

Another great way to generate leads is with a survey that you can post on social media sites such as Facebook. By developing a survey that asks people questions about their spending habits and what they would be willing to spend on certain products, you’ll get the direct information you need in order to make the most appropriate business decisions.

Once the questions have been answered, you can compare them across all of your demographics and figure out what kind of product should be targeted next. This is a highly effective method for coming up with new product ideas that your audience will actually be interested in buying. Surveys can help bring in leads while clarifying and defining the value you're providing to customers.

10) Advertise on Google

If you’re looking for a fast way to generate some leads, then simply advertise on Google. This is one of the most popular search engines, which means that it will be able to drive traffic towards your company website in no time at all.

Google provides mainly pay-per-click (PPC) ads. With PPC, you only pay when someone clicks on your link. This makes it very cost-effective. You can establish a budget, and Google will stop showing your ad once you hit your target spend. You'll never risk spending too much if your ad becomes popular. But of course, that's a good problem to have!

11) Post on Craigslist

If you want to generate some leads while staying within your budget, then simply post an ad on Craigslist. This is a great site for companies of all sizes to advertise their products or services while also being able to receive feedback from potential customers.

Craigslist ads have the benefit of being free for all but a few categories. The venerable classified service doesn't have quite the reach it did in its heyday, but it's still commonly used by consumers and businesses of all kinds. Craigslist isn't a tactic to use on its own, but as a complement to other strategies, you can generate considerable extra leads.

12) Make Use of Retargeting Ads

If you’re already using Google Adwords to generate leads, then this is another feature you should take advantage of. Retargeting ads will allow you to follow up with people who have been on your website in the past and show them relevant products or services they may be interested in based on what they’ve previously viewed.

Retargeting follows prospects as they travel around the internet prompting the to action while reminding them of your presence. Retargeting can be included as part of a holistic marketing strategy using automation. Your prospects are more likely to convert when they see your messaging scattered around their digital worlds. To capture them you need to be there when they're ready to make a move.

13) Ask for Referrals

If your company already has a large number of loyal customers, then this is the best way to generate leads. By simply telling them about what you’ve got to offer they may be more likely to introduce their friends and family members who are looking for these particular types of products or services.

Referral marketing is a potent source for quality leads because the people that see your messages are prequalified. They've already been warmed to you by their friends, family, or colleagues, so you don't have to work as hard to win their trust. This means higher quality leads for a minimal investment.

To capitalize fully, make a habit of asking for referrals whenever you interact with customers. You could place a request in each of your communications, and include a link to your lead capture page. Just like anything, the more often your existing customers see your referral requests, the more likely they will be to move into action.

14) Use Social Media Ads

Another great way to get your company in front of potential leads is through social media ads. These will allow you to reach out to people who have interacted with your brand in the past and target them based on what they’ve viewed online.

Social media ads are very similar to Google ads, but they more specifically target particular demographics. You can integrate them into existing social media campaigns, pairing paid ads with natural content and boosting opportunities.

Doing so will expose your brand to a wider variety of potential customers and help generate leads. Since Facebook and Instagram have such a sizable user base, it's smart to experiment with their paid ad platforms.

Try setting up ads on Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube. Wherever your customers spend time. If you target the right people in the right way on social media platforms, you'll get conversions with little to no effort.

A runner at the starting block, ready to spring into action.

15) Have a Clear Call to Action

By creating a clear call to action it will make it much easier for someone to take the next step and convert into a lead. This means that you should always include contact information such as an email address or phone number and use wording that makes people want to click through and learn more about what you’re offering.

CTAs are more effective when they're specific, actionable, and when you include everything prospects need to take action in the moment. If they have to put it off until later they're more likely to forget or change their mind. You want to capitalize on the momentum your ads build, not push off action until later.

The cost of generating sales leads can be high. That's why it pays to use a range of tactics, including the ones we've discussed in this article. If you're not sure where to start or how best to utilize these strategies for your company, don't hesitate to get in touch with us today. We can discuss how handwritten cards can complement and carry the rest of these tactics.