Local Lead Generation Strategies for Small Business

If you're a small business owner, generating leads is likely your top priority. After all, you can't make money if you don't have any customers! This blog post will discuss local lead generation strategies that are perfect for small businesses. These strategies will help you attract more customers and grow your business!

When it comes to local lead generation strategies, there are two types: Inbound and Outbound. 

What are Local Leads?

A lead is a potential customer who has shown interest in your product or service. A local lead is someone who lives near your business and is interested in what you have to offer. For example, if you own a construction company in Los Angeles, a local lead would be someone who lives in the area and is interested in contracting your services.

There are a number of ways to generate leads, but not all of them will be effective for your business. That's why it's important to choose the right strategy for your needs. Inbound lead generation focuses on attracting customers through content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), and social media. Outbound lead generation, on the other hand, involves more traditional marketing techniques like cold-calling and print advertising.

This article will break down the top local lead generation strategies for local business owners. These proven methods will help you attract more customers and grow your business!

Inbound Local Lead Generation

Inbound lead generation is all about attracting customers to your business. Inbound lead generation strategy focuses on getting found by customers. This means creating content that is relevant and interesting to your target audience. When you create valuable content for your customers, they are more likely to find you when searching for information online. Here is a list of inbound marketing strategies for local lead generation.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is another inbound local lead generation strategy. This involves optimizing your website and content for Google search. When potential customers search for businesses like yours, you want to ensure your business comes up first.

To find local business leads, you want to ensure your website is optimized for Local SEO. This means doing proper keyword research, adding city and state to your website's title tags, Meta descriptions, and H1 tags. You can add location pages to your website, and you should always add your business to local directories.

Optimizing your website for search engines is the ultimate local lead generation strategy. If your business matches the search terms of a qualified lead in organic search results, you'll earn yourself new clients in the form of paying customers.

Social Media

One of the best ways to generate leads is through social media. Your social media presence is as necessary as your physical business location. Platforms like Facebook and Alignable are perfect for promoting your business to a local audience and attracting new customers. Make sure you post engaging content and remain active on Facebook Groups and discussions.

Local Events

Numerous events are happening in any city that are specific to one industry. This is a great opportunity to meet potential customers and promote your business. Make sure you have promotional materials (like flyers or business cards) to hand out at the event. You can also use this as an opportunity to collect contact information from potential customers.

Not sure of where to start? Find your local chamber of commerce or business association. They can help you identify events that would be beneficial for your business to attend.

Networking

You cannot provide everything that one needs and have to ask for help. The same is the case when it comes to local businesses. A construction contractor may not have the expertise required for painting and would need a hand if this is some turnkey project. Nonetheless, being in touch with local businesses that are not your direct competitors would eventually pay dividends. Attend local networking events and meet other business owners in your community. You never know when you might make a valuable connection that could lead to new business.

Word of Mouth

Don't forget about the power of word-of-mouth marketing! If you provide excellent customer service, your customers will be happy to tell their friends and family about your business. This is one of the most effective (and free!) ways to generate leads.

Customer Referrals

Speaking of word-of-mouth marketing, you can also ask your customers to refer new business to you. This is a great way to attract leads that are already interested in what you have to offer. You can offer incentives for customers who refer new business, such as discounts or free products/services.

Free Guides and eBooks

People love freebies! Offer free guides and eBooks on your website to attract new visitors. You can use these materials to collect contact information from potential leads. Just make sure the content is high-quality and relevant to your business.

Local Media and Listings

Finally, don't forget about local media and listings. Make sure your business is listed in directories like Google Business Profile, Yelp, and industry-specific directories. These listings will help improve your local SEO, and your Google Business Profile will give you visibility on Google Maps.

Showing Expertise on Forums

If there are any popular forums in your industry, make sure you're active on them. This is a great way to show potential customers that you're an expert in your field. You can also use forums to collect contact information from potential leads.

Facebook and Community Groups

Facebook and other social media platforms are great for lead generation. Join local community groups and interact with other members. More often than not, people need help with something specific to your industry, and that will be your lead. 

Outbound Lead Generation

Outbound lead generation is the process of proactively seeking out potential customers rather than waiting for them to come to you. 

Outbound lead generation can be a great way to reach new customers that you wouldn't otherwise have access to. However, it can be time-consuming and expensive. If you decide to use outbound lead generation, make sure you have a solid plan in place. Here is a list of outbound lead generation strategies.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a great way to stay in touch with potential and current customers. Send out monthly newsletters, special offers, and other updates to keep people interested in your business. You can also use email marketing to nurture leads and turn them into customers.

Social Media Advertising

Social media advertising is one of many great local lead generation tools. Using custom audiences on Facebook can get your local business in front of thousands of people in your local community for a price you can control, which is great for paid advertising.

A lead generation strategy that works for many businesses using Facebook Ads is giving out "freebies" like a free guide, quote, or consultation, depending on your business model. This is a great way to attract new leads and customers.

PPC Advertising

Paid ads are typically considered outbound marketing, but many experts will argue that PPC ads are actually inbound due to the search interest of the local leads.

PPC (pay-per-click) advertising is a great way to generate leads on a national or local level. Google Ads is the most popular form of PPC advertising because it generates high intent leads. These are people specifically searching for your product or service and looking to buy.

PPC advertising allows you to target potential customers based on their search queries. For example, if someone searches for "plumbers in XYZ city," your ad will appear in the results. When done correctly, PPC can be a great way to generate leads for your business.

With the Google Guarantee, businesses that sign up for Local Service Ads can become verified to build trust for their clients. If you pass Google's background check and receive that green checkmark, Google will reimburse customers who are unsatisfied with your work (at their discretion).

Local businesses who receive the Google Guarantee will appear above the Google Map Pack in local search results. Prime real estate for any business appearing in local searches.

Local Sponsorships

Local sponsorships are a great way to get your business name out there in the community. Sponsoring a little league team, 5k race, or other

Video Marketing

In this era of short attention span, a wall of words is most likely to lose attention than a video. Platforms like YouTube and Vimeo are perfect for sharing your business story and engaging potential customers. 

Cold Calling

Let us not forget the decades-old but still effective way of lead generation. Cold calling is still effective because it is a lot easier to convey your message in a few seconds and even answer any queries, all in a couple of minutes. However, it can also be very time-consuming and expensive. If you decide to use cold calling as a lead generation strategy, make sure you have a solid plan in place. 

Now that you know about both inbound and outbound strategies, we highly recommend inbound lead generation strategies. Because with inbound lead generation, you're attracting people who are already interested in what you do and are already looking for a service provider. And that's always going to be more effective than interrupting someone's day with a cold call.

Direct Mail

Direct mail is a great way to reach out to potential customers in your local area. You can send out postcards, flyers, or even promotional items to get people interested in your business.

To make sure your direct mail campaign is successful, we recommend using a tool like Every Door Direct Mail from the USPS. This allows you to target specific neighborhoods with your direct mail campaign, so you're not wasting time and money sending mail to people who are not likely to be interested in your product or service.

In a world that continues to go more digital, direct mail can still have some merit for finding more leads, although it may be more expensive.

We recommend always including a QR code on your mailers that links to a trackable landing page. That way, you can better track the success of your direct mail campaign.

Qualifying Your Leads

Once you've generated a list of leads, it's time to qualify them. If you have been focusing on outbound lead generation, chances are some of the leads will hold no value. This process will help you identify the best leads that are most likely to convert into customers. There are a few different ways you can qualify your leads:

Contact Information

Make sure you have the correct contact information for each lead. This includes the name, email address, phone number, and mailing address.

Demographics

Find out as much as you can about the lead's demographics. This includes their age, gender, location, job title, and income level.

Needs 

What does the lead need? What are their pain points? How can you help them solve their problem?

Budget 

Does the lead have a budget for your product or service? If so, what is their budget?

Timeline 

When does the lead need your product or service? Do they need it now, or are they looking to purchase it in the future?

Once you've qualified your leads, you can start working on converting them into customers.

Some common questions that will help you qualify your leads are: 

• What is their budget for this project? 
• When do they need the product/service? 
• What are their qualifications? 
• How did they hear about you? 
• Do they have any objections?

Conclusion

Generating leads is essential for any business but can be especially challenging for small businesses. Luckily, several lead generation strategies can be used to attract new customers. Try out a few strategies we've listed above and see what works best for your business. And remember, always focus on quality over quantity when it comes to leads. It's better to have a smaller list of high-quality leads than a large list of low-quality leads.