How I Generate More Than 200 Leads Every Month

Leads are the life blood of any business. It doesn't matter if you conduct business online or offline, high-tech or low-tech. If you want to stay in business, you have to make sales. And if you want to make sales, you need to be generating a steady flow of leads.

This article is going to show you EXACTLY how I generate an average of more than 200 leads each and every month.

The first step, of course, is to set up your AutoResponder. Your AutoResponder is the backbone to any lead generation and email marketing campaign.

Your AutoResponder can be as simple as setting up a single message that introduces your prospects to your company, lets them know what you have to offer, and invites them to your web site for more details (and to place an order).

Or you can set up a series of follow up messages that are scheduled to go out daily, weekly, monthly, etc... depending on your preferences and what your market is expecting.

Your letters don't have to be perfect. They just need to be clear and ready to be sent out. You can (and should) make adjustments along the way.

Once your AutoResponder is set up with at least one message, then it's time to start the work of promoting to attract visitors to your offer.

So here are the exact steps I take to generate a constant steady flow of leads for my offers:

1. I set up my AutoResponder with my follow up letters.

2. I set up my blog (Free).

3. Since my AutoResponder service offers free hosted capture pages, I also set up my hosted capture pages.

4. I set up my AutoResponder subscription forms and added them to:

My capture pages
My own web site
My blog

5. I set up Banner Ads and point them to a site with a subscription form such as my blog, my web site, or my capture page.

6. I set up my FFA Page Ad to send out an ad about my free report. When they click the link in that ad, they are taken to one of my capture pages.

7. I set up social networking accounts on sites like twitter.com, myspace.com, and facebook.com (Free).

8. I set up an author account at my two favorite article directories: (Free).

9. I make sure my Email Signature file has a link to either my web site, my hosted capture page, or my blog. (Free).

10. I join relevant discussion forums. A quick search on Google for forums related to your market or niche should give you a considerable list to start with. (Free).

11. I set up an AdWords account at Google.

So Why Do I Set Up All These Things and How Do I Generate Leads With Them?

My AutoResponder

This is the control center for all of your lead generation and contact management. This is where you will manage your leads. This is also where you will create, manage, and edit your follow up messages, broadcasts, etc...

My Blog

Blogging isn't as scary as some people would like you to think it is. Think of your blog as your public journal where you can share your thoughts, experiences, updates, background, etc... Like social network sites, think of your blog as a place online where you are throwing a little 'get together' for your friends and associates. The attitude of your posts should be light, informative, entertaining, and relevant to what your business is about.

Personally, I use my blog to update associates and followers on what I'm doing to generate leads, how business is going, any new techniques or developments we've come up with, etc...

Notice that I've added a subscription form to my blog. As people read my posts, my hope is that they will want to know more and will fill out the form to request information.

Subscription Forms

Your AutoResponder isn't going to do you any good if people don't know how to request information. This is what your subscription forms are for and you want to make sure they are on every point of contact you have online.

Be sure you have added forms to your own web site, your blog, etc... Be sure you have created Hosted Capture Forms.

Banner Ads

I set up a few banners and point them back to my web site with the capture forms. The Banner Ads offer a free report or benefit and invite prospects to visit and request more information. I don't really have to do anything with the banner ads once they are set up and this little auto-pilot tool typically brings me anywhere from 5 to 12 new leads each month.

FFA Page

I've been pretty clear that FFA Page leads aren't for everyone. In my case, they work out well because most of these leads are people that want to sell something and I offer tools to help them market more effectively. The best part is that I just set the silly thing up and let it run. I get anywhere from 10 to 20 new leads a month from this option. I might check on it every couple of months to see if the responses are still consistent and make any changes that I think may be helpful.

Social Networking

This is, quite honestly, a new venture for me. I'm on twitter, MySpace, and Facebook. Like blogging, I think of these sites as little social gatherings (online parties). They can be fun and entertaining. I keep up with friends and associates and, in general, just make sure I make regular appearances to keep everyone updated.

NOTE: There is a little bit of an "art" to working blogs and social networking sites. Don't be one of those people that shows up at the party and says, "Hey! Wanna buy my stuff?". Take some time to build rapport. Get to know other participants in your networks. Participate in some of the conversations. Let people get to know you. As your network begins to learn about you, the time will come when someone is thinking, "Hey ... I need to find someone that can ...... " and that is when they think of you.

For example: Let's say you sell pink widget gizmos. As you're getting to know people in your networks, your profile states that you are the premier supplier for pink widget gizmos. You conduct yourself in a responsible and professional manner on the various networks you are a part of. People start to like and trust you. Someone asks, "Hey... do you know where I can get some really good pink widget gizmos?" and they or their other friends in their network will remember that YOU are the go-to person for pink widget gizmos.

Article Marketing

Going back to our pink widget gizmos story, because you know something about them, I bet it's a safe bet to say that you could probably write a few articles about them. Article marketing is a great way to:

* Establish your credibility as an expert in your field.

* Get free publicity.

* Get free back links to your web site.

If you are not comfortable writing just yet, do a quick search for "ghost writers" on any major search directory.

Make a point of creating and submitting articles regularly.

Not sure if article marketing works? You're reading some of my article marketing, right now.

Email Signature File

Just about every email program I'm aware of has an Email Signature option. This is where you can create a bit of text that will automatically appear at the bottom of any email you send. This should include your name, a one line pitch about your offer, and a link to your blog, web site, or capture page. Every time you send out email, reply to an email, etc... your little signature file is there helping to identify you as an expert in your field.

Discussion Forums

Every industry has its own discussion forums. They can be a great way to get information, tips, and updates on changes within your industry. I highly recommend joining a few of the more active forums for a few reasons:

* You can learn new things.
* You can share some of your own knowledge and experience.
* The Signature. Every discussion forum I participate in allows you to create a signature. Like your Email Signature, this is a few lines of text that will always appear at the bottom of any message you post in the forum.

A few tips on making the most of your discussion forum experience:

Back to the "online party" concept. Imagine being in a room of your peers and/or people interested in your industry. Don't be the doofus that walks in to the room and yells out, "Hey! Wanna buy my stuff?". Take time to build your credibility and let people get to know you. Participate in some relevant discussions. Offer insights and your own input.

Don't just reply with things like, "Good post" or "I agree". These are just blatant attempts to get your Signature seen and will cause people to quickly begin ignoring your posts or may even cause the Administrator to block you from accessing the forums.

Take your time. Get to know the forums. Let the other members get to know you. Be patient and establish yourself as a credible and professional expert. That's when the leads start coming to you!

Google AdWords

Google AdWords could easily become an entire lesson in and of itself. But let me just say this: A Google AdWords account is well worth taking the time to learn and use. I don't bid high dollars for very popular words. Instead, I look for words that are not as popular and can be head for much less than my competitors might spend on popular words. This is called "long tail keywords" and can be very profitable.

Google has some excellent tutorials on their systems and I encourage you to become a student of the Google AdWords system. Then start with a small budget to test your results. As you begin to see solid results, you can use the money from your new sales to increase your budget over time.

Summary

These resources combined with consistent management and running various ads here and there have consistently generate 200+ leads every single month for me. And these are highly targeted and responsive leads.

Don't be overwhelmed if you are new to any or all of these techniques. Take one at a time and learn it. When you are comfortable with that one, add the next technique. The key is to be consistent and to make sure you take some action each and every day.