5 Paths To Lead Generation Solutions

Marketing is the forward approach to create customers for a product or service. Just because you may have developed the greatest widget to make life easier than ever before does not mean that customers are going to beat the proverbial path to your door or your webpage.

Let’s just imagine that it is your expectation to deal with the door-beaters. How do they know you have the greatest widget? And where is this anxious-to-be-beaten door? Who told them? If you did not, you may not have told anyone. If you are depending on word of mouth, someone must start that cycle. Good luck with that strategy.

Let’s rethink the strategy and imagine that you know you must start the cycle. You must tell someone. Most likely, you have a contact list, but there are lists and then there are lists. If your contact list was developed for your last generation doohickey - and that is an entirely different product than your new widget - the contact list must be modified to meet the needs of people who need widgets. Some on the list may need both products, but the point is, re-think your contact list and develop one that is geared specifically to answer the needs and wants and features and benefits of your widget.

Personalize those features and benefits of the widget to your targeted contact list. Why does the widget answer their needs? Don’t just tell them; show them. Your story must be compelling because consumers are brand and features loyal; it is a difficult paradigm to break, particularly if your widget breaks new ground in features and benefits. Show them how they will benefit and why it benefits them and maybe not even their next door neighbor.

If your widget really has the wow factor of features and benefits you think it has, offer something free to attract the fence-sitters who may not yet be convinced that the widget answers what they lack. Not two-for-one; that kind of offer will cheapen the value of your widget. Maybe a coupon for a discount on another product will do the trick, or for free accessories if your widget has them; perhaps a free movie DVD with another DVD showing the use of your widget by a happy customer.

Use the capabilities of the Internet with social media, SEO, back linking from other websites and your own website to attract a volume of traffic to your site. Use the above suggestion as a feature on your

site and as a back link from other sites to be the trigger that shoots them to your site to learn about your widget.

Strategist each of these elements and test your developed solutions with a focus group to gauge success. Refine accordingly based on results until you have marketing strategies that will offer the best lead generation solutions. Launch them. Then, if you still insist on letting word of mouth do its ubiquitous job (and it will if your widget does what you say), how are you ever going to stop it? Talking among ourselves is still a free institution. Bank on it.