Check it out

Using Technology to Find New Business Leads in 2022

Date published May 2, 2022

Technology has changed the way businesses operate. The Internet allows companies to reach their target audience with the touch of a button. Businesses can use social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to build relationships with potential clients. In addition, Google has enabled consumers to access information from anywhere.

The Internet has empowered us to connect and learn at a level never seen before. This massive opportunity can help companies looking to expand their reach. However, to expand your reach, you must be able to leverage the new technologies available. Luckily, many technologies exist that make it possible to find, connect and build relationships with new leads to help your business thrive.

Business Leads

What are business leads?

Business leads are potential customers interested in purchasing your products or services.

If you sell products online, a lead is a person who visits your site and buys a product. If you sell services online, leads are the people who sign up for your free trial or subscribe to your newsletter. If you sell information products, leads are the people you send emails to and ask to fill out a survey.

Finding leads is an essential part of any sales funnel because it’s the first step in someone becoming your customer.

What is lead generation, and why do you need it?

Lead generation is finding out who your audience is and convincing them to use your products or service.

Leads are the foundation of any business. Without leads, you’d have no one interested in your product or service. Therefore, using lead generation strategies can help businesses succeed in the long term.

How can you generate more leads?

Several essential marketing strategies allow you to generate new business leads. These include Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC), Social Media Marketing (SMM), Business Directories, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems. Behind each strategy, there are game-changing technologies that you can leverage to find new leads that will grow your business.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process of improving the visibility of websites in search engines like Google and Bing. SEO helps businesses attract more visitors through organic search results.

There are two main types of SEO: On-page and Off-page. On-page SEO focuses on optimizing content within your website. This includes meta tags, titles, headings, alt tags, and internal linking. Off-page SEO focuses on building backlinks to your site, which improves ranking in search engines.

To improve your website’s rankings, you need to optimize it for both on-page and off-page SEO. The better your website ranks, the more visitors and leads you’ll receive.

You can use many technologies to improve your website’s SEO performance. While there is a learning curve with SEO, there are many free tutorials to help you learn the basics of SEO and its tools. Below, you’ll find essential SEO tools to help you improve your website’s ranking in search engines.

Google Search Console – A free and easy way to see how your website performs. You can find out what search terms people are using to find your site, whether they’re finding everything they want, or if there are any issues with your site. You can also get insights into how well your pages rank for specific keywords.

Google Analytics – An easy way to track your website traffic and get insights into how people are using your site. You can see which pages are most popular, where visitors come from, and what they do once they arrive.

Ahrefs – An SEO tool that helps you find backlinks, track keywords, discover new websites, analyze competitors, and more. With over 20 million monthly searches, it’s the most popular link analysis tool.

SEMRush – An all-in-one SEO tool that helps you discover keywords, track backlinks, find out what your competitors are up to, etc. With SEMrush, you can get keyword ideas, analyze competitors’ backlink profiles, check rankings, etc.

Pay Per Click Advertising (PPC)

One of the most effective ways to generate leads online is through PPC advertising. PPC ads allow businesses to pay each time someone clicks on their ad. As a result, it’s a cost-effective method of generating leads, primarily targeting a niche market.

To set up a successful PPC campaign, you’ll need to choose the right keywords and create landing pages that convert visitors into leads. You can use tools like Google AdWords to help you manage your PPC campaigns. Once you’ve made a winning strategy, you can scale your efforts to reach more potential customers. Below, you’ll find a list of PPC tools and platforms.

Google Adwords – An online advertising service offered by Google Inc., allowing businesses to place advertisements on search engine results pages (SERPs). The ads are usually displayed above or next to organic search results.

Microsoft Ads – An online advertising platform that allows businesses to create their ads, manage them, and track results. Businesses can choose from thousands of ad units, including text, image, display, and video ads. In addition, they can target specific audiences based on demographics, interests, location, or behavior.

Spyfu – An easy way to monitor your competitor’s PPC keywords that they are using for their advertisements. You can also use Ahrefs and SEMRush to help with these strategies.
Unbounce – An easy way to create professional landing pages, sales funnels, and lead magnets for your PPC campaigns. With its drag & drop editor, it’s super simple to create beautiful, high converting designs in minutes.

Social Media Marketing

Social media has become a massive part of our lives. It’s where we connect with friends, share stories, and learn about current events. But it’s also a place where businesses can reach potential customers.

Whether you’re selling products or services, social media helps generate leads. For example, if you run a restaurant, you could create a Facebook group for residents who love your food. Then, you could invite them to join your mailing list and offer special discounts to members.

In addition to Facebook groups, other popular social networks include Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and TikTok. Each network offers different features and benefits. It’s important to choose ones that best fit your business.

To build a strong following on social media, focus on quality over quantity. For example, posting too many times per day can turn off followers, so try to limit yourself to no more than three posts per day. Also, remember that some platforms have limits on the number of followers you can gain each month.

Once you’ve built a solid base of followers, you can promote your business by sharing news articles, videos, and images related to your industry. This strategy will allow your followers to learn more about your brand and convert them into leads. Below, you’ll find a list of social media platforms that you can leverage to build your audience organically or with the help of ads.

Facebook – An online social networking service created by Mark Zuckerberg in February 2004. The site has more than 1 billion active users as of January 2016.
Twitter – An online service where people can send messages called Tweets. You can follow other users and receive their tweets as well.
Instagram – An easy way to share your business with friends and family through photos and videos. With over 300 million people using Instagram every month, it’s a fun and creative place to connect with others.
Linkedin – An online professional network where people go to advance their careers. You can connect with your contacts, learn about companies and industries, and find new opportunities.
Pinterest – An online pinboard where people can save ideas, recipes, DIY projects, fashion trends, etc.
TikTok – An app that lets users create short videos. The app has over 500 million downloads worldwide.

Business Directories

A good directory will utilize all the strategies above. When looking for directories, go to a search engine and search for keywords about your business vertical as if you were your ideal customer. You will likely see high-quality directories at the top. These would be good options to sign up for to generate new business leads.

Getting listed on business directories is a smart way to connect with potential customers. There are many different business directories available, including local and industry-specific ones.

Local business directories are usually free to join, while others charge a monthly fee. These local directories are typically focused on businesses within a certain radius of a particular location. These directories tend to be very popular among consumers, so if you’re trying to reach a local market, these are great places to start.

Industry-specific directories are designed for specific business types that aren’t easy to find using local directories. For example, if you own a metal forging company, you may have more success listing in an industry-specific directory over a local one.

Below, you’ll find a list of popular local and industry-specific directories that you can add your information to.

Google My Business – Helps businesses get found online. With over 1 billion searches per month, it’s easy for customers to find your business when they search for local businesses or services.
Yelp – The world’s largest business directory. This directory helps people find great local businesses like restaurants, hotels, salons, shops, services, schools, theaters, etc.
Houzz – An online business directory where homeowners can find everything they need to improve their homes. Houzz also connects consumers and local pros. For instance, if a consumer wants to have their house painted, and a painting contractor is looking for painting leads in the same town. Houzz will attempt to connect the two.
WeddingWire – An online wedding directory where couples can find everything they need for their big day. WeddingWire makes it easy to search through thousands of vendors ready to serve your needs.
Wellness.com – An online directory of health and wellness products, services, and information. This directory helps people find the best health care providers, products, and services available.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems

CRMs are software programs designed to manage customer relationships. These programs allow businesses to track leads, follow up with customers, and automate repetitive tasks. CRMs are especially useful for small businesses that lack the resources needed to handle these tasks manually.

Many different CRMs are available today, each with its own features. Each program has its pros and cons, so it’s important to research which type of CRM would work best for your business. Below, you’ll find a list of popular CRMs that can help you convert more leads into sales.

Salesforce – Salesforce has over 20 years of experience building customer relationships. They have created many tools to manage your customers effectively.

Zoho CRM – Zoho CRM is an easy-to-use business management software that helps businesses manage their sales, marketing, customer service, accounting, project management, human resources, and more.

Hubspot – HubSpot CRM helps salespeople close more deals faster. They have powerful tools for lead management, email marketing automation, social media monitoring, and reporting.

Marketo – Marketo is an integrated marketing automation platform that helps companies build better relationships with their customers.

Once you’ve decided on a CRM, it’s time to implement it. Start by creating a lead form on your website. Include fields for basic contact information like name, phone number, and email address. Then ask visitors to fill out the form and submit it. Once you receive the data from your form, add the information to your CRM.

After implementing your CRM, you’ll be able to easily track your leads, send emails, and create reports. It’s easy to forget about leads after submitting their information, but having a CRM system will remind you to follow up with them.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking to find new customers, you should consider using technology to your advantage. There are many strategies to generate leads, but SEO, PPC, SMM, business directories, and CRM systems are proven methods to find new business leads. These strategies have different technologies that will allow you to connect with potential clients and customers. They also provide a platform from which you can build relationships and generate leads to help your business succeed.

Author Bio

Jamie is a professional content writer passionate about digital marketing and entrepreneurship. Jamie has been building online businesses for over the last decade. But, life isn’t all about internet marketing for Jamie. Taking trips to the dog parks with his two Boston Terriers occupies most of his time.