Lead Generation - An Inexpensive Way To Have Customers For Life
In order for your business to thrive you need a fresh supply of leads on a regular basis. The problem is that obtaining these leads can be expensive so it is a challenging task when you are first starting out and don’t have much in your budget to spare. Here are some things to consider that might lower the cost of getting business leads.
A lot of websites are set up just to sell a product. While this can be a lucrative approach, it does little to help you gain future prospects. Although a name and email is usually collected with each sale, there is no further contact or follow up with the customer.
This type of sales process is singular and contains you to a single sale to a single customer. What you want to do is design it so you have a way of selling other items you have for sale to that same customer. Now, sales letter type pages require an effective text that drives the customer to hit the “Buy” button at the end. Sales copy is a skill that not all people have, so having it written for you is the answer.
Copywriters do not come cheap, especially if they are good and have a proven track record. That is the major cost of sales letter pages. In essence, you are relying on a set number of sales to offset that cost and lead into profit. This is known as overhead or initial outlay and we all have been there at one time or another.
Other expenses you will have to consider are related to the website itself. Not only do you need professionally written copy, you also need an appealing website, domain registration, and hosting. With the first business model, you will have to cover all of your expenses from single sales and will always need to keep ahead of your costs.
On the other hand, a site that generates leads on a continuous basis will pay for itself over and over again. Believe it or not, this does not have to be elaborate or flashy. A simple offer of a free item like a report or white paper can be made in exchange for a little information. Usually this is a name and email address. So for the cost of $0, you now have a contact that you can market to as long as they remain on your list.
Since the people agree to receive email from you when they request your free report, there is no risk of spamming, especially if you use double opt-in. This means that when someone enters their email address for the report, they must first click on a link and confirm their email before the report is sent. This prevents people from entering false email addresses or addresses that belong to someone else. Double opt-in confirms that your prospect is aware of what you are offering and has willingly asked to receive it.
This is why lead generation is so important. You add new people to your list every day and have an ever growing list of people to market to. It only takes a few minutes to implement and compared to hiring someone to craft a sales page and design a fancy website, the cost is minimal. Treat the people on your list well in order to build trust and you will have customers for life.