We made it! 2020 is finally behind us!
Collectively, we learned a lot about how to manage our businesses during ~unprecedented times ~ (can we all agree to bury that phrase?!) as well as how to determine what works for our audience and what doesn’t. To keep the business self-awareness momentum going, we’re offering up our best tips for entrepreneurs in 2021, especially when it comes to generating new leads.
Keep scrolling for six ideas that will help you prepare your business for growth in the new year.
Clean your mailing list to prepare for generating new leads
We’re coming out of the gate strong with an email truth bomb: the number of subscribers on your mailing list matters way less than the people who open your emails (especially if you’re focused on generating new leads). You can have thousands and thousands of subscribers on your mailing list, but that inflated figure doesn’t make you any money if only a hundred people open your emails on a regular basis.
Do yourself a favor and start the year off by cleaning up your mailing list. Most email providers offer built-in pruning functions or a way to segment your audience by activity. If you don’t know where to start, try filtering out subscribers who have not opened an email from you in 12 months. From there, you can either send them a targeted email asking if they still want to hear from you or you can simply cut your losses and manually unsubscribe them.
Bonus perk from this tip: clearing out users who are not engaging with your content frees up space in your database for generating new leads without paying extra money to add more people to your list. ?
Create a goal tracker for your engaged audience
Make the most of the “New Year, New You” season and create a goal tracker for your audience based on the products and services you offer. This is a simple way to provide value to those who engage with your content and reinforce the benefits of your company. For example, if you own an event planning company, you could create a countdown tracker that users can print out and mark off the days until their big event. Or say you offer consulting services in the wellness space, you can create a habit tracker to log water intake or miles walked. Then, if you have the ability to do so, you can offer a reward or discount if they complete a tracker and share it on social media.
Don’t have a designer on staff? No problem! Take a peek at the easy-to-use templates available on Canva.
Convert your tracker to a lead magnet to generate new leads
Once you create a relevant tracker, you can repurpose it as a lead magnet to drive traffic to your website. The purpose of a lead magnet, or sometimes called an opt-in, is to … well, generate new leads for your business. The idea is that you offer something of enough value that a user will exchange their contact information to gain access to the item. They get a helpful resource, and you have permission to continue to wow them with your expertise in the form of their email address. It really is a win-win situation for everyone.
If you’re not sure if a goal tracker is a good fit for your business, we’ve put together a list of 40 great lead magnet ideas for you. We’re sure you’ll find something that excites you!
Assess your opt-ins and automation
The beginning of the year is a great time to make sure your opt-ins and automated workflows are running smoothly so you’re making the best impression on people who are new to your content. It’s easy to create an opt-in, verify it works, then forget all about it once new users start rolling in. But things change and your business continues to grow and improve.
Double-check the copy in any emails that are tied to your opt-ins to make sure the content is accurate, up-to-date, and matches your brand voice. It’s also a good idea to make sure the correct version of your logo is loaded into your email service provider. And last but not least, do a quick check to make sure there are no broken links in your automated content.
Check-in with any outstanding leads from the previous year
Sometimes the key to generating new leads is as easy as following up with outstanding ones, especially at the beginning of a new year. Things fall through the cracks during the holidays, so send a friendly note to those you connected with during November and December to remind them of your services or offer to answer any questions they may have about your business. If they are still on the fence, you can go one step further and ask for feedback on why they aren’t an immediate “Yes!” to better inform your marketing strategy in the future.
Review 2021 goals with fresh eyes and a fresh perspective
And finally, our last tip for starting the new year off right as an entrepreneur is to review your 2021 goals one more time. Often, we set our goals for the new year as we approach the finish line of the old one. We’re tired, overwhelmed, and in need of a break, scraping the bottom of the barrel. Take a closer look at your goals after you have had a chance to step away from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Ask yourself if your new goals are things you actually want to focus on. Do they make sense for your business model? Can you actually track your progress throughout the year? We believe it’s critical to reflect on and evaluate your goals for each new year so you know you’re working towards sustaining a business you love instead of running one you hate.
Speaking of goals, is mastering your marketing strategy one of your 2021 goals? If so, do you know where your strategy needs the most improvement? You’d be surprised how many people don’t. That’s why we developed this quiz that helps you identify the smartest steps you can take right now to get your company to the next level. Take our quiz, now!