Here are some tips to help with lead generation, regardless of your business size.
For a majority of managed service providers (MSPs), lead generation can be a struggle. As a business owner, you might think you lack the time and resources, but there are a few easy ways to get started. Below, we’ve put together a series of tips to help with lead generation, regardless of your business size.
- Create a Lead Generation Plan
The purpose of a lead generation plan is to create a list of potential clients and to determine how many clients you’ll need to meet your monthly recurring revenue (MRR) goals. First, consider your ratio of leads to closed deals. (For example, let’s say on average you close one deal for every 10 prospects.) Next, consider your average deal size. (Let’s say your typical monthly contract is around $2,000.) Now, use this information to calculate the number of leads necessary to meet your MRR goal. For example, imagine that your goal is $20,000 MRR. If your average monthly contract is $2,000, you’ll need to have 10 clients that month. If you close one in every 10 deals, you’ll need a list of 100 leads or more to reach your goal.
Want to focus on growth? Develop a lead generation plan that outlines the percentage of growth you’d like to see month over month. Then use the process above.
- Measure Your Goals
You can use a basic spreadsheet or a sophisticated CRM tool, depending on the size and needs of your business. Once you’ve selected your tools for measuring your progress, schedule regular meetings with all stakeholders to review your numbers and ensure you’re on track.
- Use Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing is the practice of using content to attract and engage a target audience with the objective of driving sales. For inbound marketing to be effective, you must offer relevant and informative content that builds a meaningful relationship with your audience. You can provide gated materials–such as eBooks, webinars or videos–that require a user to fill out a form with their contact information in order to access them.
- Use Outbound Marketing
Outbound marketing refers to the traditional use of external, paid channels to deliver a business message and content to an audience, rather than making your content available on your own properties. Examples include email blasts, tradeshow sponsorships, radio ads and television commercials.
- Implement E-mail Marketing
In a recent MarketingSherpa survey, 81% of marketers said email is the most effective channel for communicating with potential customers. Many email campaigns take a newsletter approach including topics such as:
- New services or technologies
- Customer testimonials
- Recent blog posts or other articles
- Upcoming industry events
- Recaps/photos from past events
- Leverage Social Media Marketing
Sharing your content on popular social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can drive readers to your website, boost traffic, and bring in new and quality leads. Ensure that your content adds value for your audience and isn’t only promoting your brand.
- Implement Website Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can be a game-changer for your company as it uses a combination of both technical and creative elements to improve a website’s rankings in search engine results. This drives site traffic and increases brand awareness. Search engines like Google crawl sites for keywords to find the most relevant web pages for a given search query.
- Consider Qualifying Leads
You need to learn more about the lead to determine whether a prospect could become a paying customer. This process is known as “qualifying” leads. Here are a few pieces of information you need to gather:
- Who is your ideal customer?
- Determine who is typically the technology decision-maker within these personas.
- Assess their specific technology needs.
- Determine the typical timeframe around closing the deal.
Don’t make the mistake of pricing services too low. Remember: People tend to get what they pay for, and you should make your value clear to potential clients.
Lead generation may seem like a daunting task, but these time-tested strategies should help you get started. Want to learn more? Download our Lead Generation Made MSPeasy eBook today!
Dory Viscogliosi is Senior Manager, Marketing Operations, Datto.
This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.