How to Generate Thousands
of New Leads on the Cheap
(And a little contest)
Dear Business Builder,
Wow, it’s hard to believe another week has passed us by. Happy Friday and welcome back to In the ‘Net Trenches. I hope you have plans for an excellent weekend. But before you head out, let’s take a look at some lead generation tactics you can implement on the cheap.
Last week, a reader sent me an e-mail and asked “how can I generate thousands of new qualified leads without paying a ton to do it?”
This is not an uncommon question especially for people that are just starting out in their own business. But, with that said, it is also a challenge for long standing offline businesses that are just starting out marketing on the ‘Net. And, the tactics I’ll explain today should also be standard practice for businesses that are already established web marketers.
So today, everybody wins!
Before You Get Started
There are three things you’re going to need before you get started with the lead generation tactics I’ll explain next:
1. A bonus report: You’re going to need to prepare a short, but informative bonus report. This report should offer valuable and actionable information that applies to your market or area of expertise. So for instance if you sell lawn mowers or lawn care products, you could create a bonus report that explains step-by-step how to have the greenest lawn on the block. The point here is to showcase your expertise, not sell a product. Your bonus report should offer value. It should not be a sales letter. Your report should include your resource statement at the end.
2. A resource statement: A resource statement simply states who you are, what you do, why you’re qualified to do it and how to find out more information about your business. It also should include an offer for your free bonus report and a link to sign-up to receive your e-newsletter, a series of tips or notices of sales, special offers or any information that is pertinent to your marketplace.
Here is an example of a resource statement for the lawn care example:
Homer G. Hayseed is a lawn care professional with over 15 years experience. Homer holds a bachelors degree in horticulture from the University of Florida. He is the owner of Hayseed Lawn Care in Apopka, Florida. Hayseed Lawn Care is the largest lawn mower dealer in Apopka and has sold and serviced thousands of mowers in their 10 years in business. To learn Homer’s prized lawn care secrets, visit www.hayseedlawncare.com to claim a copy of his free report – Hayseed’s Secrets to the Greenest Lawn on the Block.
3. A Squeeze page: A squeeze page is a web page where you capture your new lead’s name and e-mail address. Your squeeze page should include the following: Copy that re-sells your bonus report, an image of the bonus report cover, sales copy about your e-newsletter, more information about you and your business, any testimonials you may have, a privacy and opt-out statement and it also should disclose what they’ll receive after they give you their e-mail address.
Here is an example we just created for a client you can take look at.
Your bonus report should be set up to be delivered automatically after someone signs up. Look into auto-responder services such as www.aweber.com to get it setup quickly and easily.
After you have these three things in place, you’re ready to start your lead gen.
Five Lead Gen Tactics
that Will Cost You Next to Nothing!
You ask and I answer. Last weeks reader was looking for ways to generate thousands of qualified leads on the cheap. There’s an inherent problem with this question … the more you can spend the more leads you can generate. And cheap leads don’t always equate to qualified leads.
But with that said, these five tactics if implemented in tandem can bring you a steady stream of highly qualified leads and for the most part they are absolutely free. That’s right; they won’t cost you anything but your own time.
1. Existing customers – The first place you should start in any lead generation campaign is with your own customers. Look for ways to get your free bonus reports, e-newsletter offer or savings and discount offers in front of them. All of these things will be delivered via e-mail.
Include a sign-up sheet at your point of purchase and make a point to tell every customer about it. Include information in your product catalog, in your fulfillment packages, on the phone when you’re taking new orders or doing customer service, in your advertising, in your hard copy newsletters, in your direct mail, in the signature line of all your business e-mail, on invoices, receipts, statements and on your letterhead. Look at every thing you do that ends up in front of a customer and incorporate a short punchy offer statement with your web address and incentive for existing customers to give you their e-mail address.
2. Referrals – After you’ve incorporated your lead gen offer into everything that ends up in front of your existing customers, look for ways to get those customers to then refer you new leads. Include a forward to a friend button on all e-mail correspondence. Include a reprint rights statement on your bonus reports (as long as they don’t remove your resource statement) so that customers are free to pass it along or offer it to their own customers and leads … encourage this and consider this free publicity. Reward customers that refer leads that become new customers … offer discounts on future purchases, free products or services, prizes or even cold hard cash.
3. Reciprocals and Swaps – This is a great way to get your lead gen offer in front of tons of qualified people. But, you must have generated at least a small list of your own for it to work properly. Look for synergistic opportunities to swap e-mails or e-newsletter ads with another business. Going back to my lawn care example, a lawn maintenance company could do a swap and e-mail an offer for a lawn care store. And in turn the lawn care store could promote the lawn maintenance company. Since they are not competing it is a win-win situation for both.
4. Forums and Blogs – This next tactic involves becoming a part of a web community and positioning yourself as an expert. My guess is that for every market and interest you will find an online community of people talking about it. Become a frequent visitor and participate in the conversations that take place. Offer good solid information to people seeking help and advice. Include a short tag line and your web address in your signature line. Drive people that are interested in finding out more information about you and your business to your squeeze page. Consider starting a blog of your own to further position yourself as an expert.
5. Online Article Directories – Now that you’ve written your free bonus report, get in the habit of writing short 300-500 word articles and post them to article directory sites. A quick Google search will turn up tons of them but, some of the most popular are www.ezinearticles.com and www.goarticles.com. Article directories allow you to post your articles for free under many different business categories. Publishers can then go to the article directories and pick up your article and reprint it to their own e-newsletters as long as they include your original resource information. If you offer good, informative and well written content, it is not uncommon to find your articles (and your contact information) reprinted all over the web. Make sure the web address you include in your resource statement takes people to your squeeze page so you can capture all those new leads.
Where you are in the stage of your business will determine where you can begin with these five tactics…
If you’re just starting out, start with blogs, forums and article directories. Make a list of everyone you know that works in your market and send them a free copy of your bonus report. Let them know you’re looking for feedback and appreciate their opinion. Ask them to forward the bonus report to people they think might benefit from it. After you’ve generated a small list of leads, then start to look for opportunities for reciprocals or swaps.
If your business already has an established customer base, then start with #1 and move down the list. The goal is to implement as many of these tactics as possible in tandem and keep them going … together they’ll start to generate hundreds, if not thousands of new leads for your business on an ongoing basis.
Hope that Helped the Contest!
The truth of the matter is this is by no means an exhaustive list of ways to generate free or very cheap leads. I’ll bet our savvy readers could come up with dozens of other ways to generate new leads on the cheap. And, we’d love to hear them… post a comment and give us your best cheap lead gen tactic. If I get enough quality suggestions, I’ll pick one and the winner can write an article explaining their tactic, with their own resource statement (can you say lead gen opportunity) … and I’ll publish it in an upcoming issue of In the ‘Net Trenches!
Until next week,
Julie McManus
Editor, In the ‘Net Trenches
THE TOTAL PACKAGE
And Web Media Goddess
P.S. Are you in the ‘net trenches? Do you need help? Send
me an e-mail to AskJulie@MakepeaceTotalPackage.com and
I just might answer your question in an upcoming issue.
P.P.S. Have you checked out The Total Package affiliate program lately? We’ve added tons of new creative to help you earn cash on any new subscriber you refer and we’ve opened our archives up for the pilfering… Click Here to check it out NOW!
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2 Comments »
Join the Discussion!
Let us know what you think. Or ask us anything. Or offer your own sage advice.
The only rule: RESPECT THIS HOUSE! Postings that contain abusive language and/or personal attacks will be cheerfully VAPORIZED. One cross word and – POOF! – your well-thought-out post will be gone in a puff of smoke.
– Clayton
Comment by Paul Guyon — August 3, 2007 @ 10:31 am
Once you have the 3 steps done try using small ads offering your free report on craigslist.org and postaroo.com.
The are both free and get quite a bit of traffic.
The key is that new consistency. As new ads are posted yours drops down the list. So post frequently.
On postaroo.com you can post the same ads in different cities.
Put your opt-in your 404 error pages. You\’d be surprised how often people reach that page. Why not take advantage of that space.
Put your opt-in and forward to a friend on your order thank you page too. (Don\’t forget to upsell too!)
Comment by John C. A. Manley — August 4, 2007 @ 5:57 am
Hi Julie,
Great article! And I\’m always glad to enter a contest.
Here are three methods I\’ve been working with to develop online leads at zero cost or a very an insignificant cost. I\’d be me than happy to write articles on any or all of them for you in exchange for a resource box…
Multiple Your Leads: Tell a Friend Script on Sign up
——————————————————-————-
This is really a way to multiple leads. I\’ve just started using it in on a website I have which promotes to niche entertainment market.
After someone\’s clicks their confirmation email after signing up they are first directed to a page — \”hosted\” by my 6-month old son (who can say no to a cute baby?) — saying something to the effect, \”Before I send you to the Free Gifts Download Page, is there anybody else you\’d like share these free gifts with?\”
Then I use a free Tell a Friend script (I improved the code dramatically) to collect names and emails and automatically send out invitations.
I put a lot of detail into this and will be adding a new feature to it that will increase referrals.
If 20% supply a friend\’s name and 50% of those friends signup, that\’s a 10% increase in subscribers — for free — doing absolutely nothing. Once it is set up it works forever. If you get 1000 subscribers a month, you\’ve just added 1,200 subscribers to your yearly total. If each subscriber is worth $10/year, you\’ve just made an extra $12,000.
I\’d could put an article together showing the multi-step process I use, screenshots of my 6-month old asking for names (he\’ll keep on asking until they stop submitting), and also provide the script that I use.
10 CENT Offline Leads for Local Businesses
————————————————————
I do a lot of work for naturopathic doctor\’s clinics. I have them all putting out a weekly email to patients and prospects. One of the easiest ways we\’ve found to build the list is via inexpensive black and white flyers that we distribute to other non-competing businesses were prospects patronage (e.g. chiropractors, gyms, martial arts schools, dentists, massage clinics, health food stores.)
I was actually surprised how willing other businesses were to make our \”flyers\” available. In fact, they have tear sheet on the front, with a mock newspaper article talking about the new ezine by the local doctor. On the back are fascinations from past emails (regulatory board won\’t let us use testimonials). Whenever possible (which is almost always) we are able to customize the flyer with an endorsement from the shop owner and his signature.
It costs 5 cents to make a double-sided copy. Almost everybody who takes one home with them will sign up. At least half. So you getting leads at 10 cents a piece. To me that\’s cheap. Anybody can afford that. Especially when these convert into $250 initial consultations, plus a yearly value of $200-$500.
If only 1% of those leads become patients, that\’s 100 x 10 cents = $10/patient, with an average $450 return in the first year. I believe that\’s a 1:45 return on investment.
I could provide an article showing step by step how we set this up and keep it in operation, plus show a sample of the flyer used, including the newspaper tear sheet plus a link to the sign up page (which is pretty impressive in itself).
Viral Tool With Incentive
———————————
With one of my sites (again the niche entertainment site) it\’s completely affiliate driven (for the moment), so I can\’t offer commissions for referring people to the site. Many brick n\’ mortar business face the same situation.
Instead, what I offered is a free ebook that I wrote to joint venture partners. They are welcome to distribute it to their lists WITH their URL on every page (along with mine). So it says: \”Published by : mysite.com\” and \”Distributed by theirsite.com.\”
This way they have great incentive to pass this out to their list. I get leads, and they have a valuable ebook that they can use an incentive for sign ups on their site, as well as create viral leads for both of us when their subscribers passing it along.
All of these strategies I enter in your contest, and would be quite willing to supply a high-quality articles with examples and, where needed, technical explanations/code.
John C. A. Manley
jmanley@wightman.ca
(519) 273-7969