We’re going to go over generating leads for your business without cold calling or knocking on doors.
Hi everybody, I’m Ryan Eldridge
And I’m Andrea Eldridge
Welcome to GROWTH MARKETER ACADEMY
This is the 1st podcast in our series: “How to Gain Leads without Cold Calling or Door-to-Door Sales.”
The only way to grow is to gain leads BUT it’s also the hardest part.
To Start: WHY SHOULD YOU TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT?
Introduction to Ryan & history:
- Started career in sales – gave an introduction to how to steer a customer from browsing to purchase
- Prior to moving to Northern California in 2010, I ran a direct to consumer marketing company
- Once we moved to Northern California we discovered a market need for in-home computer repair and networking
- Grew that business to 12 locations throughout CA, OR & WA
- Transitioned from print media (flyers) focused on design and copy to online PPC and now SEO and organic lead generation
- For the last 3 years – helping other companies to grow through web design, organic and paid search and social media marketing
Now the Chief Strategist at Squirrel Digital Marketing
Introduction to Andrea & history:
- After graduating from UC Davis I worked for Merrill Lynch for a number of years before joining Ryan at the Marketing agency
- When we moved to Northern CA Ryan and I developed Nerds on Call together
- Based on blog content that I was writing for Nerds I was approached to write a weekly column in our local Redding paper
- Soon after began writing a weekly syndicated column for Scripps Howard
- Began appearing regularly on shows like Good Day Sacramento, MORE Good Day Portland and Good Morning Arizona.
- Now I focus on creative development including content for clients, our own site, and segments, maintaining producer relationships
Now the Creative Director at Squirrel Digital Marketing
Present problem backstory:
After years in the business to consumer market, we decided to launch a business IT services, division
Biggest hurdle: how to get customers?
- Our experience was in direct to consumer
- Our normal paths to customers weren’t going to work
- Couldn’t just drop a flyer in the paper (dead media) or run a coupon offer on social media
Didn’t want to cold call or go door to door – no one wants to do that.
We were faced with the same problem all of you have:
HOW TO GENERATE VIABLE LEADS?
Our path to discovering the 5 steps to Lead Generation
Started with our launching of out IT services division
Was fine-tuned with the development of our digital marketing brand, Squirrel Digital marketing
All business to business companies have the same problem:
- How to reach the person with the power to buy?
- How to nurture that contact into a customer
Story 1: Ryan & Mike W. Cold Calling journey
- Saw company advertising on billboards
- Put together proposal
- Brought treats
- Stopped by gatekeeper
- Never made it to the decision maker
Story 2: Gavin’s Fake Diamond
- Sitting in client’s office one day
- Noticed a fake diamond on his desk
- “Want to make this real someday?”
- The client thought it was the coolest path to customers
- Truth: he never called that company and no one else did either
- Toys and baubles are a waste of money
These don’t work because you’re not reaching people at the right point in their purchase journey.
Let’s get to it!
In this series, we’re going to cover:
- Targeting & Prospecting
Identify who you want to reach
- Email marketing
How to use email to generate leads
- Paid & Organic Search
How to get your ad in front of the right person at the right time
- Social Marketing
How to use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter to connect with new leads
- Content Marketing
How to determine what content to create before you waste countless hours writing blogs your customer will never see.
Targeting & Prospecting
Why is this important?
Before you can develop a marketing plan you have to identify who you want to reach
Where are those people hanging out?
Are there social platforms they gravitate to?
What are the pain points of your customer?
To do this, you need to develop 3 key things:
An Audience Analysis
Identify a group of customers that you want to sell your products to
Identify the specific vertical you’re going after.
- Some products have a specific, inherent vertical
- A dental billing software application has a specific customer
- A company that sells a broader service – say digital marketing services – could apply to any number of businesses
- You need to isolate a specific target you want to reach
Who is the decision maker in the company you want to reach?
How do you get to that person?
Ex, the dental billing software would likely target a dentist (if the software is for small offices), the billing coordinator (for medium size offices) or the CFO (for larger dentist companies)
Your customer’s personas/avatars
Once you identify the people you want to target
Paint a detailed example of that person
- What are their interests?
- Get past just your vertical. Are they a sports lover? Into opera?
- What social media platforms do they frequent?
- What are their pain points?
You’re going to need to get creative here
Name your personas so they become real to you and you can speak to them with your marketing
A Keyword matrix
Now you need to identify the keywords each of your personas would use to find your product or service online
Identify your core general keyword.
Example:
You are a shoe distributor
You want to get your shoes in front of buyers for shoe stores
If you target the keyword “shoes” you’ll get a HUGE volume of traffic
BUT most traffic won’t be those you want to reach
Irrelevant traffic: consumers looking to buy hiking shoes, people looking for the best running shoe, etc
You need to take your general keyword and add on words to make them more relevant to your product/service & get high intent
Ex, “Plastic surgery San Antonio” is going to be a huge volume, huge cost
“Cost of tummy tuck in San Antonio” you’ll get more refined leads further along in their buying cycle
Now you know what you need to put together to target prospects
How the heck do you put these things together?!?
We are going to walk you through it.