5 Small Business Lead Generation tips

Generating leads – both high in quantity and quality – is a marketer’s most important objective. A successful lead generation engine is what keeps the funnel full of sales prospects while you sleep.

While it’s easy for a well-oiled machine like a large corporation to generate dozens of leads overnight, the process isn’t so simple for small businesses. Lead generation in these small and micro-sized enterprises is often led by a marketing team of one – if there is a marketing department at all. We see your pain, we feel your pain, and we’re here to help.

Remember, a lead generation campaign typically consists of:

  • creating a content offer and then
  • promoting the offer with a call to action that
  • leads to a landing page
  • where the user fills out a form that provides the company with a piece of information from that user in exchange for the content offer.


But it’s not easy to create a campaign overnight when conducting small business lead generation. Instead, start small and simple in your inbound efforts using these tips:

1. Use what you have to create a content offer

A content offer is a piece of content that is perceived high in value. While you may have a great blog with tons of well-written,
optimized posts, a simple blog post is not of great enough value to be considered a content offer. Content offers are generally in the realm of eBooks, webinars, white papers, product demonstrations, free trials, etc.

When small businesses are expected to create full-fledged content offer right from the start, it can seem overwhelming and
sometimes prevent the campaign from getting off the ground at all. But remember – getting started can be the hardest part! 

Think instead – can you combine some of those posts on similar topics into an eBook? Or can you take the information from those posts and present them as a webinar to your clients? Conduct an audit to see what material you already have, upgrade it to a content offer format, and then sit back and watch the leads come rolling in.

2. Promote the content offer on your product pages

If customers are already browsing your product page, they’re clearly already interested in what you have to offer. Don’t ignore these interests – capitalize on them like your life depends on it! Create a strong call to action button that advertises your content offer to the customer. When clicked, the button will lead them to the landing page where they provide their information via the form.

You can even go a step further and create a custom call to action button and landing page. That way, after the customer inputs their information and becomes a lead, you won’t just have their email – you’ll know what products they’re already interested in. 

3. Blog like the wind

Think of your blog like a baby – something you can use to get attention and free stuff from strangers.

We’re kidding! Sort of. When your blog is optimized, more people will find it when searching the web. When they find the blog, they find the content offer, provide their information. and immediately become a lead. 

While your blog on its own may be a bad content offer, it’s still a necessary element of lead generation. Optimized blogs are the most effective way to draw consumers in. Posting your call to action at the end of a blog is an excellent way to generate leads.

Try to post the call to action on blogs that relate to the content offer. For example, an eBook on inbound marketing should be located at the bottom of a post about creating content offers. That way you’re capitalizing on your audience’s interests (Cha-ching!).

4. Design an effective landing page

An effective landing page is simple, containing only a few required elements:

  • HeadlineSmall business lead generation.jpg
  • Brief description of the offer
  • Supporting image
  • Form

Bonus tip: Bullet points make the offer description look nice! Need proof? We just used bullet points and look how nice it looks!

But remember to avoid going over the top with any of these – keep it simple and use strong, to-the-point language to let your potential lead know why this content offer is of value. 

5. Design a quality form

Believe it or not, there is a wrong way to create a form. Long forms stifle lead generation and the shortest forms generate the highest number of leads. Think about it – do you really need anything besides a name and an email to get in touch with this person?

Additionally, there should be a button the lead uses to submit their information after filling out the form. Make sure this button does not say “submit.” Save submitting for job applications and sweepstakes entries. Instead, use this button to remind the audience why they’re filling out this form. Use language like “Take me to my checklist!” or “Start my free trial!”


When you’re just starting out, these tips can help take your campaign to the next level for your small business! Remember, as you create more content offers and run more campaigns, you’ll see more leads with the potential to convert to sales.

Start small, and soon you’ll be able to create success lead generation campaigns that take your business to the next level.

Want more tips? Download your free eBook, “30 Lead Gen Tips, Tricks, and Ideas” to generate better leads that grow your business fast!

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