In this article I offer five steps for b2b lead generation for home based business owners.
This article is for you if you offer offer online business services to other home based business owners. (In case you are wondering, b2b means “business to business.”)
b2b services you can offer include web hosting, autoresponders, ad design, article writing, video creation, advertising and training services.
Why is learning lead generation for home based business websites so important?
Because most people won’t buy from you the first time they see your offer.
On the other hand, they are more likely to join your list if your website content interests them. You can use your autoresponder to build a relationship with them through an email letter series. Once they have learnt to “know, like and trust you,” they will be more willing to buy from you.
So put the selling on the back end, and only make your offer after you have delivered value.
Finding and engaging with the right people is what b2b lead generation for home based business owners is all about.
So if you are not getting plenty of targeted leads, you will not make any sales.
That’s because only a small percentage of your leads will buy anything from you. But, even with a low conversion rate, the more leads you generate, the more sales you get. And the more highly targeted your campaigns are, the higher your conversion rate can go.
Most importantly, you need a good lead generation plan to attract highly-targeted leads and convert as many of them as possible into paying customers.
Here are the five steps towards successful b2b lead generation for home based business owners:
1. Blogging
Blogging is the most powerful method of b2b lead generation for home based business owners.
If you don’t have a blog, you will need to spend more money on other marketing methods to get the same amount of leads that a blog does.
Today, it is very easy to set up your own blog. Here’s what I use to build free blogs and test out my ideas.
Use relevant keyword phrases to create informative and well targeted blog posts. Your blog posts will attract people who are searching for the keywords you have used.
Blogs are highly interactive, which makes it easy for you to see signs of interest in your offers. Add an opt-in form in the side bar of your blog. Make a nice offer and start building your list of targeted leads directly from your blog.
2. List-Building
Building a list is quite simply the best way to generate leads and sales.
If you’re not using an autoresponder to add leads to your mailing list, your lead generation process will be a waste of time and effort.
If you are not building a list, each lead you generate is “one-time-only.” You have to keep on generating fresh “one-time-only” leads. Yet, as I said earlier, it is well known that most people do not buy the first time they see an offer. So you need a way to keep your leads with you and help them get to know, like and trust you.
The key is to follow-up with your leads and build a relationship with each of them.
It takes too much time to do that one-to-one with every single lead. An autoresponder automates the process of following up with your leads for you. That’s why you need to have a professional autoresponder service. Once you have set up your email letter series, you can “set it and forget it.” It saves you time and effort and converts more leads into buyers for you on autopilot.
Nothing beats getting your leads’ approval to send messages directly to their inbox. Online marketing doesn’t get any more intimate than that.
If you don’t have an autoresponder yet, here’s what I recommend.
3. Targeted Advertising
Targeted advertising is not just about advertising in the right spots, but also about how you frame the message.
I’ve already said that people do not usually buy the first time they see an offer. That means your ads should match where people are in the buying cycle.
- Are they are simply clicking ads on a traffic exchange or safelist? Send them to a squeeze page with a free offer.
- When they’re researching a product on the search engines, send them to a product review on your blog.
- If they’re ready to buy, offer a discount, a free trial or a free bonus product.
You see what I mean? Never underestimate the power of targeting your advertising!
4. Tracking and Monitoring
Imagine visiting a city for the first time and driving around without a GPS device. You are likely to get lost unless you stop to ask for directions.
If you’re advertising or sending traffic to your affiliate company without tracking the traffic, you are like that driver.
Having a tracking system like LeadsLeap and traffic analytic software like Stat Counter is what I like to call my GPS for clicks. Those tools show me whether I am on the right path with my advertising or need to change course.
Tracking and analyzing your traffic helps you identify where your ads are performing well and where you need to focus your resources. Otherwise, you’re simply shooting in the dark or wasting your money on ads that don’t work.
5. Online Joint-Ventures
Joint Ventures (or JVs) are when two or more business people work together for mutual benefit. A JV with a recognized and trusted online marketer is a good way for you to boost your reputation. A good reputation will make it easier for you to attract higher-quality leads to your offers. It will also help you to improve your conversion rate.
Why?
Because trust is the key to converting leads into customers.
In this way, a less experienced marketer can use the knowledge and resources of a more established one. It is an good way to achieve faster b2b lead generation for home business owners who are just starting out.
If you haven’t been using any of these five lead generation tips, you should seriously consider doing so. These strategies for better b2b lead generation for home based business owners will work together to catapult your business to the next level.
David Hurley
Top5Programs.com
#InspiredFocus
I agree with you that blogging is one of the best lead generation tools. Finding the right audience is probably more crucial than just getting an audience. Though the process may be slower at the beginning, over time, it becomes rewarding as I get to engage with like-minded people or audience who is potentially looking for what I’m offering. One area which I’m interested to explore in future is JV. By combining resources and skills, more can be done and a win-win situation as a result.
Thank you for your valuable tips on Tageted Advertising. I’m creating a brand new website were I’ll be selling my own range of products online.
This is my first attemp of doing this and appreciate your advice.
Can you tell me the best Free Autoreponders that I can use and how often should you send the automated offers to my mailing list?
Thanks, Jeff.
Hi Jeff,
Thank you for popping by and posting a response.
I’d advise you to do everything to get your first attempt right, right from the start. There is NO free autoresponder service that I recommend. An autoresponder is one of the most important online business tools you can have, along with your blog. Looking for a “free” solution is a false economy if you are seriously aiming to build an online business.
I talk about why you should choose a professional (paid) autoresponder over a “free” (false economy) one in more detail in this blog post:
https://top5programs.com/premium-vs-free-autoresponder-services-for-list-building
All the best,
David Hurley
#InspiredFocus
Hello David. I enjoyed reading your article. I agree with you, about the importance of creating and maintaining your email list. Thanks also for sharing on the other tracking methods.
Just a question though, do you acquire your leads through organic search or paid advertising? Would be interesting to know.
Most of my newsletter subscribers join my list through squeeze pages that I promote on safelists, traffic exchanges and other ad networks, but especially through ads posted across the LeadsLeap network. I’m upgraded in LeadsLeap and it is an excellent source of leads.
I also get leads via the capture pages on my blog, though not so many at this stage.
Another source of newsletters subscribers comes from my Tripleclicks e-book and PLR customers. Those are good leads as they are already customers when they join my list. 🙂
Hope that helps.
David Hurley
#InspiredFocus
Thank you for the informative article. I have a blog that I have been working for about 2 years now. I am thinking about the list building but something holds me back. Perhaps this is the frustration I feel each time I those pop-up windows appear inviting to subscribe when I visit other websites. I get really annoyed by this and don’t want that happening when others visit my blog. But on the other hand, I suppose people are less likely to subscribe if there is just a subscribe button, aren’t they? What is your opinion on this?
Hi Arta,
Every study I have read about the comparative performance of pop-up windows and side bar optin-boxes on blogs finds that pop-up windows are much more effective in getting people to subscribe to your list.
The reason why is simply because a pop-up box focuses attention on a single offer. The KEY is to make sure the offer is RELEVANT and VALUABLE to your visitors. A good example of that is on a merchant site, where the pop-up box appears a few seconds after you arrive on the blog, and offers a 20% discount coupon if you opt in to the newsletter.
So, if the only thing that is holding you back from building a list is your feeling, set your emotions and fears to one side and create a powerful offer for your visitors. Tie it into a pop-up opt-in.
If you’re not building a list, you are wasting the potential of your blog. Autoresponders and blogs work well in tandem. Blogs generate list subscribers, and your newsletters send your subscribers back to your blog. At the same time, you have the opportunity to build a strong relationship with your subscribers. That will make it easy to generate sales, and then to turn first-time buyers into repeat customers.
In short, get an autoresponder and start building your list. 🙂
Hope that helps.
All the best,
David Hurley
#InspiredFocus
Hello,
I read through your article and it is very interesting how a blog can work as a marketing channel. I think like that you can safe a lot of money. I have a question regarding to the traffic analysis. Where is the difference between Google Analytics, Trck me and Stat Counter?
Hi Simon,
Stat Counter is similar to Google Analytics, but with a free and an upgrade option. I started using the free version of Stat Counter to monitor traffic to this and another blog simply because I find it more user-friendly than Google Analytics.
Stat Counter send a weekly email update of hits to your site, but you can drill deeper into the stats if you log into your account on their site, pretty much like Google Analytics.
With Trck.me you can convert URLs to tracking links and track hits to those pages and measure the clickthrough rate. You can also rotate several pages on a single URL, so it’s good for split tests, ad co-ops and so on.
Hope that helps.
David Hurley
#InspiredFocus