Generating leads for your financial services business is essential for continued success. But it’s not just generating a name and email address. You want quality leads that are more likely to take the next step and eventually become a sale. However, it can be a daunting task to come up with new and innovative ways to find great prospects.
The most important thing to remember is that marketing is not magic. It takes time, commitment, and compelling content to gain the trust of prospects - especially as a long term care specialist or other financial services professional.
We've put together a list of five practical ways to generate leads for your business. From creating valuable content to forging partnerships, applying one or more of these strategies in a consistent way can help you generate the leads you need to keep your business growing.
Webinars
Webinars can be an effective way to generate quality leads for your business through great content. They allow you to share valuable content and provide a more engaging experience for an audience that truly shares an interest in it.
The power of webinars to attract quality leads, reach a more targeted audience, and educate and interact with your prospects in real time is also what makes them harder to pull off. Not only do you have to create the content for the webinar, but you also have to attract an audience. BuddyIns makes it quick and simple for our partners to take advantage of our public webinars through BuddyIns Webinar Sharing.
The BuddyIns hosted webinars are a great way to get the benefits of webinars without having to do all the heavy lifting yourself. With just a few clicks you can offer a professional webinar experience to prospects and benefit from insights about their interest in the topic - and that gives you another opportunity to connect.
Benefits of BuddyIns Webinar Sharing:
- Webinars are created and hosted by BuddyIns six times per year
- Receive a custom URL that tracks registrations back to you
- Take advantage of a simple process - no content to create
- Receive a report of those who registered with your URL - this gives you a chance to reach out to them and start a conversation
Take part in BuddyIns Webinar Sharing Click here to learn more about this valuable and free program.
Online Communities
Getting the attention of prospects involves telling your story, building your brand, and meeting your prospects where they are. One great way to engage prospects, connect with influencers (potential referral partners), and ultimately generate leads is to get involved with online communities. These communities can provide a place where you can build your brand as an influencer and connect with other professionals in compatible industries who might be great referral sources.
Facebook Groups give you a way to reach out to an audience who has expressed some interest in your focused topic. BuddyIns has launched its own private Facebook Group, Ask the Long Term Care Specialists. This group is exclusively for LTCi specialists, financial planners, and agents to connect and share case information, products, strategies, and sales tips. If you want to get an idea of what it’s like to facilitate a group and want to take part in a dynamic conversation about long term care planning, click the image below to request to join our group.
Another example is participating in discussions about your industry on sites like Quora. You can answer questions from others who have similar interests or seeking expert advice.
Here's an example of a post on Quora in which individuals are asking questions about long term care insurance, where you may offer answers and potentially generate leads.
eBook or Downloadable Resource
Not all of your prospects are ready to talk or sit through a Zoom meeting. However, giving them a compelling option to get more information at a time of their choosing, at the beginning of their own buyer's journey, might be just what they need to take the next step.
When it comes to generating leads, using an ebook can be a great way to attract potential clients. By providing valuable content that is relevant to your audience, you can capture their attention and persuade them to schedule a meeting with you or at least provide an email address so that you can continue to send them educational content.
Your eBook or downloadable resource should offer solutions to the problems that your client is facing, and it should be informative and valuable to readers. If you want to generate leads through an ebook, it's important to make sure that the content is clear, well-written, and relevant for your audience. Lynn Lavendar from the LTC community has put together a fantastic eBook, which you can preview here. For additional information about this eBook, contact Lynn at info@guideins.com.
Optimize Your Website
“Webpages are often out of date, have broken links or poor navigation. As a potential client I would be discouraged and even consider if you're still in business.”
Your website alone won’t generate leads, but if you want to capture attention and drive quality leads through your site, you need to have a website that is informative, easy to navigate, and optimized for any device. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t realize the importance of good website navigation, design, and maintenance. Neglecting to fix critical errors can ruin a great marketing campaign and pummel your SEO equity.
Common website errors that can hurt your lead generation efforts include:
- Broken links
- Slow page loading times
- Poor site design
- No clear use journey
- Unclear call to action
Data Source: Goodfirm
Here are a few tips to make sure your site is optimized to run smoothly for your visitors:
- Make sure your website is easy to navigate. People should be able to find what they're looking for quickly and easily. Map out the user journey thinking first about your primary audience. Who are you trying to reach? Is the information on your site providing value to the user? Is there a clear call to action?
- Good design will make your website look professional and help it stand out from the competition. Remember that people digest online information differently and having a site that has lots of white space, scanable content, infographics, and compelling images can keep people on a page longer and encourage them to come back.
- Optimize your site so that it is mobile-friendly. We’re more mobile than ever and people use all kinds of devices to access the internet. It's important that your website is responsive on all these devices.
- Watch your page load times. You can do this through Google Analytics. A slow loading website can frustrate visitors and cause them to abandon the site before they even have a chance to learn more about your company or product.
- Make sure your website is up-to-date. Outdated websites can give visitors a negative impression of your company, won’t do you any SEO favors (make sure to refresh evergreen content at least twice a year), and may cause prospects to look elsewhere for the information they need.
Industry Partners/Influencers/Advocates
Finally, one of the most effective lead generation strategies you can use is to partner with other businesses in your industry. This could be anything from co-sponsoring an event, to joint webinars or podcasts.
For example, one of our referral partners has teamed up with a nationally recognized financial expert. By cross-promoting their audiences, they've generated more opportunities for both parties involved!
When partnering with other businesses, be sure to promote your partnership on social media and in your email signature. This will help you generate leads from people who may not have otherwise heard of you.
BONUS TIPS
If you’re looking for a more personal way to generate leads, consider hosting events related to your industry. This could be anything from a lunch-and-learn session, to an after-hours networking event.
Events are a great way to get face-to-face with potential clients and build relationships. And since they’re usually pretty informal, they’re also a great opportunity to show off your personality and get people interested in what you do.
When planning an event, be sure to promote it heavily in the weeks leading up to the event. Use social media, email marketing, and even paid advertising to get the word out.
For a more hands-on approach to lead generation, consider becoming involved in your local Chamber of Commerce or other business networking groups. Take advantage of opportunities to speak at or host an organization’s event and position yourself as one of the group’s specialists in your field. As with anything, being engaged in the organization will serve you well and help you build your prospect list.
Don’t Forget Referrals
It’s amazing how difficult it is for people to ask happy clients for referrals, yet it’s the low-hanging fruit. Ask for a referral after every positive close. Always. 100 percent of the time. Never miss this opportunity.
Want to make referrals easy? Have a set of business cards or postcards created specifically for referrals - print them or create a digital version to email. Include your contact information and a message about the referral, like this postcard example:
The Bottom Line
Lead generation is vital for any business looking to grow its client base. It’s not enough to just buy a list of names - they will not be engaged consumers. Whatever tactics you choose, your messaging has to be consistent, clear, and compelling. By using the strategies outlined above with a sense of purpose and persistence, you will build trust and your prospect list over time.
Do you have any other lead generation ideas or strategies? Feel free to share in the comments below!
