Out of the Box Lead Generation Ideas For Trade Businesses
We all know the importance of lead generation. It is one of the key drivers for a growing business and will consistently be a significant part of your business journey.
In this article, we are going to explore five fun and unique ways for you to increase your lead generation and get your foot in the door with your preferred clients.
Sponsor Your Local Sports Club or Team
Are you one of the many people who spent part of their childhood and early adult years down at your local sports club? Or maybe you’re one of the many parents who spend their Saturday mornings alternating between footy or netball games with your kids. Whether you or your family have been involved in sporting events, clubs, or just enjoyed watching the game, most towns and shires have a local sporting club that breeds a close-knit and supportive community. What better place to spread the word about your business?
Even if you aren’t the sporty type, the supportive and nurturing environment of these teams is always happy to welcome new members and support local businesses. Sponsoring and getting involved with your local sports club, whether it’s footy, netball, cricket, or tennis, is a fantastic way to engage with your community.
Support your kids if they’re involved, enjoy a cold beer, and meet new people—all while increasing the awareness of your business. Get your logo on the uniforms, create banners to hang at games, organise team lunches and barbecues, and have your business cards ready to spread the word about your local business.
First Job Voucher
Who doesn’t love a voucher? An excellent idea, successfully tested by many of our clients at Upscale, is offering a $200 First Job Voucher. Reaching out to new real estate agents, property managers, or other B2B clients is an excellent way to increase your workflow and secure repeat maintenance work.
How do you make yourself stand out? By offering these bigger clients a $200 First Job Voucher, you can spark conversations with new clients and get your foot in the door. Let your professionalism and top-notch service do the talking. Once clients see how great you are to work with, they’ll be eager to make you their preferred service provider.
An added bonus of offering a first job voucher to B2B and residential clients is that it removes any financial friction that might arise as an objection, providing potential clients with an offer they can’t refuse. Who could say no to that?
Shouting Coffees
Do you have a coffee shop you visit every morning? Why not put down a couple of hundred dollars, drop off a bunch of business cards, and let the staff know that the next $200 worth of coffees are on you? Provide them with business cards to hand out with each order, letting customers know that their morning coffee is courtesy of your business.
Our veteran trade business owner and business coach at Upscale, Thomas Marshall, swears by this generous and innovative way to get your name out there. After all, who would say no to a free coffee?
Fundraisers and Charity Events
Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge? Or the new and improved Push-Up Challenge? What about the many fun runs throughout the year that raise money for a good cause?
Getting involved in well-known fundraising and charity events is an excellent way to raise money for a good cause while promoting your business. If you already participate in these events, even better — get your staff involved as well! It’s a fantastic way to enhance team culture, build trust, and have fun together outside of daily tasks.
Creating awareness of your participation in such events also incentivises you to increase your social media presence. Posting photos and videos of your team’s involvement and sharing links for followers to donate will provide extra content for your social media lineup.
Coasters
I’ve saved my favourite for last because who doesn’t love the idea of combining lead generation with a Friday knock-off beer? Whether you’re a drinker or not, the local pub is often at the heart of many towns. It’s a place where people go to catch up with friends, meet new people, entertain visitors, and have fun.
Ask the pub if you can provide some coasters to put on the bar—99% of the time, they will say yes. Put your logo on the coasters and leave them at the front of the bar. Even better, include a call to action with a QR code on the other side that directs people to your website!
Conclusion
There are so many ways to make lead generation fun and exciting! Get creative, get involved in your community, put yourself out there, and you will reap the rewards!