Lead generation is always at the forefront for business owners and entrepreneurs. Determining the path of least resistance for your potential clients and customers is an evolving process. With expert strategy and oversight, you can succeed. Doing so means answering some fundamental questions and planning accordingly. Let’s dig in.
- Do Cold Calls Still Convert?
Short answer: yes. Longer answer: yes, but… strategy matters. Remember, cold calling is still a conversation, and there are still people who prefer a personal interaction. Plus, it’s a direct line with immediate feedback. Neither you nor the prospect has to jump through hoops (or, as we might say, move through funnels). Cognism found that the key is making connections.
They learned that, while a baseline success rate for cold calling is just under 5%, letting people know why you’re calling increases the likelihood of success by 2.1%. Ask how they’ve been, and your chances of success increase more than 10%. Mention a common thread (in their study, it was having a LinkedIn group in common), and your chances of getting a warm lead from a cold call could increase by up to 70%.
Take the time to personalize your scripts, your calls, and your follow-up, and cold-calling could remain a viable lead generation tool.
- Is Paid Search Worth It?
Absolutely. Love it or hate it, paid search is critical to getting on page one of search engine results. Using it to complement organic search efforts (like creating original content and optimizing it well) can help you gain ground more quickly and be seen by the right people.
Success rates vary by platform, but range between 5-7%. It’s important to note that paid search is a high-investment strategy. Diving in without a nuanced understanding of how it works (or a clear plan to avoid wasting money) is a fast track to frustration and shrinking margins.
- How do I Stop Losing Leads?
The answer to this question is multifaceted. Knowing how to stop losing leads requires understanding your current approach as a whole. What does the data say? Where is your digital marketing strategy leaking leads? A clear answer to that requires more questions.
- Are you noticing a lot of unsubscribes from your email lists?
- How are your webpage bounce rates?
- Are people seeing and engaging with your blogs and other web copy?
- Is your CRM up to the challenge of staying in touch with a variety of customers at various stages of their buying journey?
Auditing your digital marketing strategy and gaining a firm understanding of analytics are essential to an accurate knowledge of where (and why) you’re losing leads.
- How Much Do I Automate?
There’s no one right answer to the question of marketing automation. We suggest looking at automation as a tool that frees you up for the customization and personalization your customers need to maintain trust in your brand. For example:
- Using an updated customer relationship management tool allows you to personalize your marketing communications without manually completing every step of the process.
- Building a strong organic SEO + paid search strategy means you’re continuing to create valuable content for your audience, and making sure they can find it easily.
- Creating original content is a best practice that maintains customer trust, while automating content delivery keeps you on track
- Where Do I Start?
That’s an easy one. Call in the experts. SharpShell Digital understands the complexities of marketing analytics, paid search, content marketing, customer relationship management, and more. We’ll help you analyze and assess your marketing strategy, and get you set up with the personalized, expert oversight your campaigns need to succeed. Ready to get answers to all your lead gen questions? Book a consultation with SharpShell today.