6 Lead Gen Tactics for Side Hustles

What makes a business truly great? A great product or service - yes. But more importantly, it’s the fact that people know about that great product or service. One of the biggest challenges new business owners experience is the lack of a customer base and starting from the bottom. The good news? There’s only one place you can go from here. Up.

The first thing on any checklist for a new business owner is to register their domain name and secure matching social media handles. While this can be a little daunting, given that the Internet is saturated with websites, there’s still hope to get a short, memorable, and brandable domain name with new domain extensions that move beyond the traditional ones.

For instance, e-commerce startups can significantly benefit from using a .Store domain extension. Not only does it tell someone what the website is about at first glance, but it also adds an excellent keyword to the domain. Similarly, .Tech is a great option for tech enthusiasts and tech industry specialists. While these niche domain extensions serve specific purposes, new domain extensions, such as .Online and .Site are perfect for any new ‘site’ looking to go ‘online’.

And the great news is that these aren’t your only options. From .Space for creatives and businesses related to outer or physical space, to .Fun for websites that want to portray a lighter side, the options are endless.

If you haven’t already registered a domain, check that off your list first so you can implement these six lead generation strategies to get more people to your site. Now, let’s dive in.
 

1. Set up a ‘Coming Soon’ registration page

Even before you go live with your website, a coming soon page can work wonders in building curiosity and buzz around your new business. One excellent example of this is Harry’s shaving subscription kit. Harry’s led everyone to one simple landing page with a simple headline that tickled curiosity and generated a massive buzz.

By capturing email addresses, Harry’s was able to increase their email database from just 12 to 100,000 in a week. We repeat, a week!
 

2. Run contests and giveaways

Spend a little to get a lot. By giving away freebies and discounts, especially when you’re just starting, you not only create a great user experience but also get people talking about your brand. Everybody loves a freebie, and they’ll be more than happy to Like, Share, and Comment about your brand to get something in return.

This also becomes an excellent way for new businesses to get people to sample your product and organically share their thoughts with their networks.
 

3. Respond to people on Quora and Reddit

As far as social media platforms go, Quora and Reddit have built a name for themselves as platforms that people go to to get genuine answers, recommendations, or validation for their opinions. So if someone asks a question about your product in the industry you serve, jumping in and showcasing yourself as a thought leader in the space can get even more people over to your business.

Give your honest opinion and link a landing or product page to get more people to visit your website and enter the sales funnel.
 

4. Optimize your website

The key is to educate without distraction. While adding every bit of information to each page may be tempting, stick to the essentials. The same goes for tools and widgets on the back end of your website, which can contribute heavily to your website speed and lower the user experience. A few things to keep in mind while optimizing your website are:

Page load time:

The probability of bounce increases 32% as page load time goes from 1 second to 3 seconds.

Page design:

Too cluttered, too many ads, too outdated, and you can say goodbye to the chances of someone leaving their contact information.

Page responsiveness:

Nearly two-thirds of your customers visit your website from a mobile device. If you want them to leave their information, you must first give them a good experience.
 

5. Set up your Google My Business page

60% of smartphone users have contacted a business directly using the search results (e.g., the “click to call” option). That’s a lot, especially for a small business. This alone makes it one of the critical factors for lead generation and business suicide to avoid.

Moreover, your Google My Business page is a great source of local leads as your business will be shown to those looking for your kind of business with the keywords ‘near me’. 
 

6. Build a consistent content marketing strategy

Whether it’s social media or email marketing, your content strategy needs to be on point. In a time when everything is highly competitive, consumers are spoilt for choice. Out of sight could mean out of mind, so even once you’ve got a prospect’s contact information, continuously share content that would get them to share and advocate your brand within their circle. This only increases your chances of getting more quality leads.

It’s not easy starting out in today’s market. But with the right strategy and the basics in place, you too can be the Harrys in a world of big-money Gilettes.