How the Interview Method Can Work for Lead Generation
Leads and sales are the mainstay of all business whether your are B2C or B2B. And hoping that new prospects are going to come in with your marketing efforts will never produce results.
In order to attract new leads and customers your business can use two different methods. The first is called “Outbound Marketing,” which is the original advertising used by television, radio, and print ads, which has been one-way communication. This type of marketing may or may not generate a response. The other and more progressive method today is called, “Inbound Marketing,” which uses relationship building and communication to draw in customers.
If your business is still utilizing the traditional outbound plan do not despair. Bring inbound into the mix in order to generate high quality leads, which will produce more sales and loyal customers.
To start great relationship building with your leads and customers the “Interview Method” is a perfect place to start. This will produce warm leads built on trust, which will later turn into sales. When a client is pleased with your company word of mouth referrals can turn into gold, and the need for cold calling no longer applies.
Use the interview method in a B2B situation to invite a prospect to your existing website and showcase their expertise. This will not only build a good relationship with them, but also provide more incentive for your product or service offerings. In a B2C scenario feature favorite ‘fans’ from social media or reward top commenters on your blog with a gift such as a free eBook, product sample, coupon, ect.
In order to be successful in reaching out to your leads and customers here are several ways your business can use the interview method effectively:
● Give your website a makeover – The first impression of any business is a landing page. Not only should this be simple, up to date, and clean, but also clearly show what you have to offer. WordPress is one of the best platforms that offers thousands of customizable templates and plugins to automatically view well on mobile devices. A professional website builds trust, and will enable you to secure more interviews.
According to a study by InsideSales.com websites were at the top of the list for lead generation:
● Consistently produce stellar content – Whether you are a B2B or B2C your articles should be original and capture your readers’ attention in order to establish authority in your market. The more website traffic that is generated from your articles the more likely people will be interested in being showcased there.
● Reach out for your first interviews – Once credibility and a great website presence is established it’s now time for your business to get moving on securing interviews. The best place to start is to write out a list of those already following you either on social media and/or through your subscribers list. Initially this should be a small in order to stay focused on your target market. A good initial approach is to write a mention in one of your blog posts or comment about something they wrote on social media. A happy customer for example, may have written a favorable review about your company. Next, contact them through a direct message, email, or telephone call if their number is available. Be open, friendly, and flexible in your approach, but with a reasonable deadline in place to create a sense of urgency and importance to the interview.
● Follow up the interview with incentives – Now that your business has a good response and have conducted your first interview you will want to send a thank you to your customer or lead. Invite them to share the post on their networks, and create a very special offer for their time spent with you. The best kind are products or services that meet their needs and are of high value.
The interview method is a great marketing tool for your business to use as it helps generate more leads, establishes trust as relationships are built, and opens the door of opportunity for word of mouth and sales. Once a few of these have been established on your website your customers will become even more eager to be featured.
Susan Gilbert
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