A business is only as strong as its customers, and if you do not invest a lot of time and effort into reaching new customers, your sales will sufferGenerating new leads for your business is important if you want to succeedUse the following advice to find and reach new customers.

Build your presence on LinkedInLinkedIn is the most business-friendly social media channel out therePeople use linked in to network and even broker new dealsIt’s the perfect place to create lead generation opportunities for you and your companyInvest in a Premium membership as it will allow you to see everyone who has viewed your profile.

Create engaging contentLead generation relies a lot on building trust with your product or serviceSmart targeted content does a lot to help get you thereYour target audience will be more likely to do business with you if they feel you are providing great service and that you legitimately care.

One thing you must do is to start and grow your “opt in” process for generating leadsYou need a marketing newsletter or email marketing or mobile marketing plan for thisYou can ask them to opt in on your website, through forums you’ve joined, blogs and in other places.

Target people seeing freebies as part of your list generating effortsWhile giving things away doesn’t usually make money right away for you, there will be plenty of people ready and willing to sign-up for the free stuffKeep this list separate from your others, but include it in all your future campaigns.

Search engine optimization, while organic, is all about lead generation as wellHow? Your targeted customer base is searching niche specific keywordsIf you’re targeting the right keywords with all of your sites and content, then you’re generating new leadsThis does take time, but it’s a process that should always be in the works.

Look for online marketplaces that cater to your nicheFor example, real estate agents can use realtor.com to find leadsYou can even post classified ads to sites like Craigslist or KijijiCheck out forums as well as you never know who else might be reading there, but don’t spam!

Do not underestimate the power of customer referrals in lead generationIf you’ve got a well-established customer base to begin with, referrals should be simple and painless, because your happy customers will naturally refer their friends and familyAs an added incentive, give them a discount for sending others your way and watch your leads grow exponentially!

Create a local reciprocal referral database for yourself and other local businessesYou can set it up on Google Documents and ask people you know to join itIf you know someone who needs dental work you can refer them to a dentist on the list and, if he knows someone who needs you he’ll, do the same.

Use time sensitive offers to generate more valuable leads for your businessSince people usually want what they can’t have, they will be more likely to sign-up if they know the offer is set to disappearStay true to your word and dissolve the offer at your stated deadline, then count your new leads!

Find out where your existing customers came fromUse tools like Google Analytics to discover which websites they visited previouslyDid they arrive through a social media recommendation? Was there an online forum that drove the traffic to you? No matter what it is, you can find ways to get more leads.

By investing enough time and effort into lead generation, you can make sure that your business is properly situated for future growthIf you neglect lead generation, on the other hand, your business will sufferDo not let this happen to youUse the tips you have read to generate new leads.