10 Online Lead Generation Techniques for Professional Services

Even today, some professional services firms have been slow to adopt online lead generation techniques. These firms continue to rely on traditional activities like print advertising and sponsorships to grow their businesses.

Further, many professionals still hold the mistaken belief that the only way to generate new client leads is through referrals and networking. Hello… the world is changing! A new model of business development is already generating significant flows of qualified leads for many professional services firms.

What is Online Lead Generation?

Online lead generation (or digital lead generation) is a collection of online tactics designed to attract interest in—and business development conversations with—your business. There are a vast number of online tactics that your team can deploy, many of which we will cover in this post. The key to effective online lead generation is understanding your target audience, their interests and, importantly, their pain points. A common way to get these insights is by conducting ongoing research on your target audience. Once you understand what your audience needs, it will become clearer which strategies you should focus on.

Online Lead Generation Techniques that Work

Like traditional lead generation, the new model is founded upon demonstrating expertise and building trusting relationships — but now these goals are accomplished online. While online marketing will continue to evolve, here are ten proven lead generation techniques that work for most professional services firms today.

1. Search Engine Optimization

Many potential clients want to learn how to solve the challenges they face, or at least understand how an expert might approach it. To find out, they Google their question, problem or issue. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) gives you the tools to match queries like these with your relevant online content. If you play your cards right and produce the kind of valuable expert content they are looking for, you might end up on their short list when they are looking to purchase services.

2. Pay Per Click Advertising

Sometimes, there is just too much competition for you to rank organically in Google’s results for important search terms. Another proven way to get on your prospects’ radar is to buy your way onto search engine results pages for relevant keywords. This technique gives you greater control over your keywords and where your “results” (actually paid ads) appear. As the name pay-per-click (PPC) implies, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. Many times, PPC leads are of higher quality because the potential client is often searching for a specific solution. In addition, PPC is completely trackable and typically less expensive than traditional print advertising. That’s an attractive combination.

3. Lead Generating Website

Most professional services websites are not designed to generate leads. As a matter of fact, many are almost “anti-lead generators.” Jargon-filled, firm-centric websites abound in the professional services — and they are completely passive and unhelpful. If visitors cannot understand what you do or what problems you can solve for them, they will go elsewhere. Contrast this with a lead generating website that is designed to make it easy for clients to understand your value proposition, download valuable information and request a proposal. The impact on online lead generation can be dramatic.

4. Online Networking

I could have called this technique “social media,” but I wanted to make a point. The essence of social media is not which platform you choose. It’s the quality and reach of the networking you do. While the style of interaction may vary greatly from LinkedIn to X to Facebook, it is still about making the right connections with the right people. Online networking can produce the reputation and referrals associated with traditional business networking. Expect to get results in proportion to the level of your investment of time and attention.

5. Webinars

A webinar is the online equivalent of a seminar or educational class. The lead generating webinar is typically offered free of charge. Because it requires registration, you can collect basic information on a session’s attendees. Like its offline cousin, a webinar should be educational — not a thinly-veiled sales pitch. The key to a successful webinar is to select topics that are of great interest and value to your ideal target client. Over time, attendees come to trust your firm and will be likely to consider you when they have a relevant need.

6. Research Reports

A proven online lead generating strategy is to offer research reports on topics of interest to your target audience. You benefit in two ways. First, these pieces are powerful lead generators—your buyers love data-drive insights. Second, they boost your credibility and strengthen your online brand. In addition, research studies can be an excellent vehicle for partnering with a trade association or a noncompeting firm to reduce your marketing cost and increase your credibility.

7. Online Marketing Videos

Video is everywhere today, and for good reason. It is an ideal marketing medium for professional services firms. Nothing builds credibility like a high-profile client explaining how your firm solved their problem. It’s almost like automating the referral process. Video can be used to present your firm, explain complex services or introduce your team (to name just a few ways video can be used). In each of these roles, video can play an important lead generating and lead nurturing function.

8. White Papers, Guides and Ebooks

One of the most common online lead generating techniques, white papers and executive guides can establish credibility and generate qualified leads. You can offer these in-depth pieces on your website (often placed behind a registration screen to capture contact info), or you can distribute them through third-party services. White papers and guides also make great pay-per-click offers. A variation on these formats is the ebook. Typically longer than a white paper or guide, it serves a similar function. An ebook doesn’t have to be as long as a traditional business book, but it should dive sufficiently deep into a topic that it gives a reader a solid understanding of the problem and solution.

9. Email newsletter

Email newsletters may sound old-school—and in fact, they’ve been in use for decades. But they still have a place in a modern online marketing program. But not all newsletters are the same. If you think they are a place to celebrate new hires, promotions and firm events, you’ll need to recalibrate your expectations. Those old-style newsletters are destined for people’s spam folders and will slowly degrade your list. Instead, an email newsletter should be practical and useful—a vehicle to distribute valuable expert content to your audience and turn your contacts into admiring fans. To build your subscriber list, offer a free newsletter subscription on your website or in your email signature block.

10. Blogging

I left blogging for last because of its unique role in online lead generation. To be honest, blogs don’t generate a lot of direct leads. But blogging is probably the most effective tool to drive leads to your website. If you write your blog post with a strategy in mind, you can produce a wealth of educational content optimized for relevant keywords, helping interested people find your posts. Many of these readers are well aligned with the services you offer. Over time, as they follow your blog, they will come to associate your firm with the area of expertise they are interested in. And when they are ready to buy, you are likely to be the preferred provider. You can support your blogging by promoting your posts on LinkedIn.

These ten online lead generation techniques alone could become the cornerstone of a robust marketing plan. Add in traditional marketing tactics, such as face-to-face networking and tradeshow marketing (if appropriate), and you have a formidable strategy for building preference in the marketplace. Online marketing and traditional marketing make a powerful combination.

Lead Generation Tools

Using lead generation tools can provide a number of benefits for B2B firms. One of the most significant benefits is that these tools can help businesses reach out to a wider audience and generate more leads. By using tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Salesforce or HubSpot, businesses can identify potential clients based on specific criteria and then create targeted marketing campaigns that resonate with these prospects. This can result in higher conversion rates and more sales.

Another benefit of using lead generation tools is that they save time and resources. Without these tools, businesses would need to manually search for potential clients, create marketing campaigns from scratch and try to manage all of the data. By using lead generation tools, firms can automate many of these tasks, which frees up time and resources that can be devoted to other areas of the business. In addition, lead generation tools often provide valuable analytics and reporting features that allow businesses to track the effectiveness of their campaigns and adjust their strategies as needed.

B2B Lead Generation

While the goal of lead generation is the same for B2B and B2C businesses—to attract prospective buyers and convert them into clients—there are several key differences in how the two types of businesses approach lead generation.

One of the biggest differences between B2B and B2C lead generation is the audience itself. Because the B2B and B2C audiences are different, they require different messaging and tactics. B2B businesses may focus on creating content that speaks to their buyers’ needs and pain points, while B2C businesses usually focus on creating emotional or aspirational messaging that resonates with individual consumers. Conducting research on your target market is a helpful way to make sure that your lead generation messages are on point.

Another difference between B2B and B2C lead generation is the length of the sales cycle. In general, the sales cycle for B2B firms is longer than for B2C firms, ranging anywhere from two to 12+ months. Because B2B purchases often involve more stakeholders, more complex decision-making processes, and higher price points, it often takes longer for decisions to be made. As a result, B2B lead generation efforts may need to focus more on building relationships and providing value over time, rather than trying to make a quick sale.

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