How Do You Generate The Majority Of Your Leads?

So far, the QuickBooks ProAdvisor directory generates not only the most leads for me, but the most customers. I obtained the advanced certification to give me priority ranking when people search the directory and I have reviews on my profile. The more reviews, the higher you rank. I asked clients who have been with me for over 6 months if they would write reviews and they were more than happy to do it. Because of those reviews and the lovely things they said about me, the leads are coming in faster and faster. It's slow growth, but steady.

It's easy to get listed on the directory and it is quite saturated. It seems a lot of people think that if they get the regular certification and put the minimal amount of info on their profile, the customers will magically come. Like anything, you have to put in the time and effort to optimize.

When I first started my business, I got a free 30-minute mentoring session at an Arizona Small Business Association event. The gentlemen I got paired with was also an accountant. They try to match you up with someone who's in the same industry as you. He told me flat out that networking was NOT the way to go when it comes to generating leads in our industry. I didn't believe him. He was right. Between the QuickBooks directory and word-of-mouth, that's where all of my leads have come from save for one.

For us (Web Design, SEO, Social Media Management)... it is 2 main sources: Word of mouth in my personal network just from being good to people and helping them when I can over the past 20 years. Second is SEO - Getting found in Google - hands down best avenue for us.

I've seen Facebook do wonders for Food/Lodging.

Not every business currently has a business model which will sustain the finds for online growth, and the few who carve it out tend to do very well.

No matter what method you obtain leads, many studies suggest having a healthy website and overall credible online presence is key to obtaining new business.

...30% referral, 30% google, the balance comes in from my efforts at marketing...

No one platform or method gets a recognizable majority, I find for my clients and me as well, that it varies monthly and overtime, but digital platforms are capturing a lot of leads across the board. More traditional media still works to gain leads for many as well, no one industry but due to relative cost it often appeals to medium business or larger. One way small business can benefit from more traditional media is if they partner together to use it, complementary businesses often see success.

I use several social media sites, blogging, vlogging & my Kunversion site to generate as much "google juice" (SEO) as possible. Having the right domain name goes a long ways for me. All of these are great for new leads which are not referrals. About 90% of my business is referrals. I give new leads to my team :)

If your market is B2B, get a LinkedIn expert like Mike O'Neill to strategically reach out to your market. The statistics for video can't be ignored and high quality effective marketing videos work across all social and search. Low quality videos will cheapen your brand. It also depends on your product, service, and market which way is the best for you.

Never put all your eggs in one basket. Can't really say if one single platform generates most of our leads, or even a lot of leads. We get leads from anywhere we can, including Google, Yelp, Facebook, Website, and most importantly referrals from past clients.

Loca co-marketing emailing can be helpful too.