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Acquisition marketing is another trite marketing term for getting new business. Every resource used to acquire new customers through marketing, whether it is a paid website or relationship building, falls into the acquisition net. A company using this type of marketing is simply acquiring customers through whatever marketing means necessary.
This might seem simple enough, but acquisition marketing doesn't stop at focusing on growth. An acquisition marketer must always be be on their "A" game acquiring new knowledge. This type of marketing moves beyond researching who uses the company's products; the marketer is also learning as much as possible about the industry as a whole. Companies similar to the one with which the marketer works are of utmost importance. The marketer must always know what the other companies are doing in regards to advertising then must proceed to learn how to do it better. Keeping an eye on the competition will help align the needs of the current market with the business goals to help an acquisition marketer stay on top of necessary advertising.
Looking to the future is the final big step in acquisition marketing that will help line up the company goals with the marketing strategies. The marketer or marketing team needs to have a vision for their own department. Where will marketing be in a year or two? Will they remain in a position to continually help the growth of the company? The future of the marketing team is as important as the future of the company in terms of growth. If the marketer or marketing team does not have a plan to help the company reach its growth potential, the reasons to continue with acquisition marketing diminish.
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One sure fire way to improve your lead generation is by publishing online content. This can be in the form of blog that you host. It can also be on a social networking site, such as Facebook or LinkedIn. However, there are some basic principles that you should follow when delivering content to potential customers.
What follows are 3 simple tips for lead generation with online content.
1. Keep it timely. Make sure that your content is in line with contemporary thought and contemporary news. There's not much that will turn people away from an online posting more than something that is as stale as last week's newspaper. Your content should be as fresh, relevant, and noteworthy.
2. Don't sell. This may seem like a contradiction, but it might be the best kept secret about producing online content. Don't try to sell your services. What you want to do instead is to speak to your target market and explain their problems while providing helpful advice. It's a way to establish yourself not only as someone who is knowledgeable about your discipline, but also as someone who can help.
3. Keep it frequent. Make sure that you are posting content periodically, preferably at least once a week. This is how you stay consistently in front of your target market. To build yourself as a brand, you'll need what every other brand needs: brand name recognition. An excellent way to do that is with frequent, relevant updates specific to the industry that you serve.
If you're interested in learning more about growing lead growth, feel free to contact us. We'll be happy to provide you with further insights.
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So you're offering a great service but it's difficult to attract new business? As almost anyone in sales knows, lead generation can be a daunting task. However, it does not have to be an impossible task. There are proven practices that you can use to build new leads.
Here are three great ideas for lead generation.
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Offer free analysis. An excellent way to generate leads is to offer a free analysis or initial consultation. Attorneys do this all the time. It's a great way to introduce yourself to the prospective client, and demonstrate to that prospect that you are a subject matter expert. You can also take this time to "wow" the prospect with an initial assessment of how things could be if your services are rendered. For example: you can tell the client how much money will be saved by using your services. Then, closing the deal becomes a win-win. You get a new client, and the client saves money.
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Write an article that demonstrates your expertise. You may have some knowledge that your prospective clients simply don't know about. Demonstrate it to them with a well-written piece that is either a) published by a reputable magazine or b) goes viral on the web. This is a great way to gain exposure for your business. It's important to ensure that the article is both practical and well-written. Consider obtaining the services of a ghostwriter if you are not capable of crafting a well-written piece.
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Obtain partnership referrals. If you are offering a great service, then chances are that your prospects are using the services of another business that complements yours. For example, if you are an accountant, then your prospects might be using the services of management or marketing consultants. Why not partner with those non-competing consultants and obtain referrals that way? Of course, you would be expected to refer them to your clients as well. But, once again, it's a win-win.
Make your content marketing and lead generation programs go further with a RegReady membership. Contact us for more information or visit our FAQ section.
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As a result of more sophisticated spam filtering, it has gotten exponentially more difficult to get your email messages delivered to your subscribers, let alone have them opened. Below are some email best practices that can help make the most of your email campaigns.
Getting permission from your email subscribers is not an option. It is important that each person you send an email to has given you their explicit permission for you to do so. These days, your company's reputation can be damaged by sending unsolicited email. Regardless of how relevant you think your message is, purchasing a list exponentially increases your chances of being blocked, or your messages being flagged as spam. Therefore, explicit primary permission is really the only way to build your subscriber list within the email channel.
Quality is more important than quantity. A common misconception amongst neophytes is that the law of large numbers applies to email marketing: thinking they will find success by sending to a large list. The opposite is true. The smaller, more targeted the list is, the better the performance.
Keep your messages as focused and relevant as possible with a prominant call to action. If you wish to grab your readers’ attention immediately, you should communicate to them swiftly and clearly. Subscribers who are pressed for time will not have much patience to read through lengthy messages. You need to convey your message within the first few paragraphs and have an attention grabbing call to action.
Setting the expectation in the signup process is important. As soon as your subscribers’ signup for your offers, you are beginning the first stage of a relationship. If you get this part right, your subscribers will be anticipating your email messages. But if you fail at this, they most likely will not open your messages. You need to start the process by communicating with your subscribers what they can expect from your messages. This might sound obvious, but too many marketers get this wrong. Not only should your opt-in form be clear on what you are sending, but how often as well. Also, after the signup process, subscribers should be greeted with a thank you page that tells them what is coming and what to expect in the future.
Email marketing, when implemented correctly, strengthens and builds the relationships you have with your subscribers. Contact us here at Gold Lasso for more advice on email best practices and to help you grow your list.
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The old style of marketing, known as “outbound marketing” required businesses to attempt to warm up fresh leads through cold calling, print ads, trade shows, and other means. All were attempts to get the leads to come to them. Not only did this process require a lot of time and patience, but the cost of acquiring one qualified lead was very expensive. Many businesses have taken a completely opposite approach – why not have the leads initiate the contact with us? Lead generation through what is known as “inbound marketing”, or “permission-based marketing” has been shown to produce more sales-ready leads at a lower cost per lead than any traditional form of marketing. Let’s look at some ways to reduce your cost per lead with inbound marketing techniques:
Business Blogging Will Expand Your Inbound Marketing Efforts
By creating an effective business blog, you can greatly expand your inbound marketing efforts while also improving SEO. The major search engines reward sites with fresh content by giving them a better position in search results. By providing fresh and relevant content on a regular basis, you can establish yourself as an expert by providing information people want and need. Your blog gives you one more place to use promotional tools like free giveaways, webinars, and social networking. You can place your message in front of interested consumers who will actually come to you, rather than being forced to chase after them. Creating a blog and keeping it current does require time, however. Since time may be your most valuable asset, you may consider outsourcing your blog to a business blogging service.
Social Media Builds Relationships Before And After The Sale
You are probably using social media sites like, Facebook, Twitter, Google +, or LinkedIn already, but you may not be using these sites to your maximum marketing advantage. Just as your inbound marketing efforts are focused on converting leads to customers, you must also understand that a good lead management program must also focus on keeping the customer after a sale is made. Social media should be used to build relationships with customers before and after the sale. You are building brand awareness, exchanging ideas, and establishing trust and confidence in the minds of consumers. If people like what they see, there is a strong possibility they will share their experience with their friends. Word-of-mouth is some of the best advertising and will likely result in permission-based leads that are absolutely free of cost.
Content Marketing Is The Cornerstone Of Inbound Marketing
Great content must always be the cornerstone of your inbound marketing and lead generation efforts. You must have current, relevant, and informative content that will bring people into your sales process, instead of you having to go after them. Your website must be optimized to close leads and engage visitors once they arrive. Your content marketing efforts must leverage your best writing in ways that provide information people are looking for in the ways they want to receive it. Once people opt-in to an offer, you can deliver your message in a way that is important and relevant to them.
Inbound marketing allows you to create a useful informative website, blog, and social media presence in ways that aren’t interrupting your audience to get their attention. Instead of reaching out to cold and potentially unqualified leads, leads come to you.
RegReady is a transparent, fair and balanced customer acquisition community helping you develop true opt-in marketing lists and sales leads. We are advocates of quality customer relationships developed through permission-based marketing and education. We help you find prospects motivated to ask for more information. Contact us today to see how it works.
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