What is Lead Generation + Why You Need It

In the world of online entrepreneurship we often talk about warming up our leads, but we don't talk about lead generation nearly as often. It is really hard to warm up your leads when you don't have any!

Lead generation helps us with numerous things in our business which is why it seems so scary and confusing when marketing professionals are talking about lead generation strategy or if you are just beginning in your business. Something no one is willing to tell you though is that lead generation gets to be easy.

Successful lead generation is essential for helping your business and community gain traction which helps you make money.

Lead generation is the process of identifying and creating a community of potential leads for your business. What this really means, is that you are attracting ideal clients to your business, growing your community, and overtime are creating new sales.

I like to think of lead generation as an octopus. Octopi have 8 legs which represent your different lead generation strategies (ie. social media platforms, emails, lead magnets, referrals, etc.) but they all lead to the same thing, which is their body AKA your community! Optimizing each leg of your lead generation strategy helps the octopus (AKA your community) grow comfortable and larger. You don't have to formally utilize lead generation strategies to help your community grow, but they can be helpful for your business depending on your goals, vision, and mission.

Most often you will hear lead generation strategy talked about in terms of a funnel with the end goal being to convert as many leads into sales. With the octopus analogy we are able to talk about growing your community and strengthening your mission which inevitably will bring sales, but it will also help your business and mission grow.

Creating a lead generation strategy for your business is essential for creating consistent new potential clients and community members in your business. Every business owner probably has some sort of lead generation system set up in place, even if it is simple, such as social media accounts that lead back to their offers. If you have a business and even one client you have a lead generation process, even if it is informal.

There are tons of different kinds of lead generation and allowing creative freedom in the lead generation process can contribute to a playful marketing strategy that works for your business.

Lead generation is not always going to come with no problems, but it is something that gets to be simple and playful for you. You don't have to take lead generation and your process super seriously to reap the benefits of lead generation strategy and how it can support you and your business. Allowing yourself to be creative and do what works best for you is what makes an amazing lead generation strategy.

The essential component of a lead generation strategy is a strong lead magnet that helps solve a problem your community is facing. Maybe this is your content on Instagram, maybe it is beautiful testimonials and referrals, maybe it is your freebie, maybe it is a quiz, maybe it is your podcast, maybe it is a blog. Creating a strong lead magnet is all about what works best for you and how you are able to best serve your community.

Lead generation strategy is an essential part of maintaining a sustainable and joyful business. When you are able to effortlessly attract new members to your community you get to focus on what you truly enjoy doing and it helps streamline your processes.

If you are looking to add another lead generation strategy to your business, take my quiz to find out what lead magnet is going to be best to add for you and your business and energy. The quiz supports both product and service based businesses! Be sure to take the quiz and let me know what you think.