How to Build A Lead Generation Process With A Freelancer

How does your business attract and handle new leads? This simple question has left many companies; both large and small scratching their heads in confusion. More often than not, there is no clear process in place for creating leads in an organized way that gets great results. Many companies often use a mash up of old techniques; like manual sorting and ineffective communication that leads to confusion and frustration all around. Hiring a Lead Generation freelancer can help alleviate many of these problems which will help you scale your business even faster.

Here are a few practical ways to create an effective & streamlined lead generation process with a freelancer.

1.  Be Clear On Your Goals

Before you hand over the project to a new lead generation assistant you need to set aside time to put into writing your short term and long term goals for leads. If you have a specific number in mind for each month and each financial quarter be sure to make note of those. Also, be sure to do a quick audit of the lead generation efforts you have utilized in the past.

What types of customers or clients did you receive from these efforts? What was the Long Term Customer Value from them? What was the Cost per Acquisition for each customer or client? Once you have this information in place take the time to formulate a plan of action that you and the Lead Generation Expert agree upon.

2.  Fine Tune Your Ideal Client

Another important step in the lead generation process is going over your target market and ideal client with a fine-toothed comb. Take a look at the quality of the leads you have brought in. What did or did not work in that business relationship.? If you sell products, consider if that customer became a repeat buyer. If none of your current leads feel in line with your goals from step one then it is time to go back to “Marketing 101”. Take a few hours to really lay out who your ideal customer or client is, what problems you solve for them, what your unique selling point is. This will change the message, images, and tactics you use to create these leads. Don’t forget to lean on the Lead Generation expert you’ve hired for helpful insights.

3.  Decide On An Approach

There are many different approaches in the world of lead generation. Once you know your goals and the client or customer you are after it is time to decide on an approach. This is where your Lead Generation expert will truly shine! From opt-in funnels to content creation to automated webinars there are thousands of excellent ways to showcase your brand and attract amazing leads.

There is also not a right or wrong approach to take. In fact you may consider split testing a couple options every few months to figure out what is converting with your audience and bringing in the most money.

Once you have decided on one or two approaches to test, you need to be sure you have all the assets in place to hand over to the contractor. Items they may need include discount coupon codes, branded images,  logos, PDF’s, video  tutorials, short promotional videos, testimonials or reviews, login information and any other information they may need to successfully get your system in place.

4.  Set Up Your Email Sequence

Once you know how you want to collect your leads, you will need to create a series of automated emails to engage with you or your brand. The lead generation contractor will do this on your email marketing platform. These email templates should include:

• Your promised opt-in freebie (if you have one)
• An indoctrination email introducing them to you and your business
• A piece of valuable content that helps them to begin to trust your expertise and knowledge
• And some sort of pitch or discount code that gives them an incentive to buy from you

Setting up these emails will take the tech headaches out of your lead generation process while helping these new potential clients to know, like and trust you quickly. The freelancer you are working with will be able to help with wording or creating more complex brand specific emails.

5.  Market Your Lead Magnet

Now that the contractor has put together one or two killer lead generation systems, it’s time to decide where and when to market it. One of the most cost effective ways to do this is by using Facebook’s advertising platform. Facebook allows businesses to target their customers to an extremely specific degree while keeping the costs at a reasonable level. With the right targeting and ad budget you can easily collect hundreds of leads quite quickly.

Other promotion platforms to consider are Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google AdWords and Twitter. Each advertising platform has its own pluses and minuses, but you should decide on utilizing the channels you feel your customers  would be most likely to gravitate towards.

6.  Analyze the Data

Once you have all of these amazing new prospects flowing into your business you need to take the time to correctly organize and analyze them. Many small businesses still rely on complex Excel or Google Sheets to keep track of their warm leads. Unfortunately, this system can be cumbersome and prone to user error. Instead, ask your Lead Generation Expert what CRM system they recommend. Here are a few popular CRMs for small businesses. Many email marketing systems come with CRM’s pre-loaded but they do not offer much customization or the ability to analyze the data. You may want to share your CRM with the sales people you hire so they can have a better understanding of the approach they should take when following up with your leads as well.

Conclusion

Taking the time to set up a process with which to collaborate and create a well-oiled lead system with a freelancer will take time. But, once you have all of the pieces together and in working order you will be rewarded with amazing clients or customers flooding into your business.

Be sure to really think about the outcomes you want from this project, your goals, & expectations you have before reaching out to the freelancer you would like to work with. This will help clear up any confusion prior to the beginning of your working relationship.

If you are looking for an expert lead generation freelancer to get your business moving in the right direction, we can help you find the right person by signing up as a client.