Analyse previous performance

Summer is a great time to look back over the last year and see what lessons can be learned.

Reflect and review

Before launching into new strategies, it’s a good idea to analyse your sales data for the last six months or year to get a grasp on what worked well and what didn’t.

Try to identify trends, best-selling products or services and successful campaigns.

Look at customer feedback

Review your reviews! Are there trends across your testimonials, social media comments and online reviews which give insights into areas of strength and weakness?

If you haven’t got any customer feedback available, consider how you can gather some, perhaps utilising surveys and asking for reviews to get an insight into how your customers are feeling.

Set clear goals

Now that you can see where the last year has left your business, you’re ready to start looking ahead to plan for lead generation at this key time of year. During our Ask Zoe Strategy days, we always make sure you come away with a full 90 day plan. 

Define your objectives

Have you heard of SMART goals? This acronym describes goals which are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.

Whether it’s an increase in sales by a certain percentage or the launch of a new product or service, setting a clear objective will guide your strategy and help you to evaluate success.

Break those objectives down

Setting objectives can feel daunting, so make sure you also divide those big goals down into smaller, actionable tasks.

As well as making it easier for you to know where to start, this will also help you to track your progress as you plan for lead generation.

Revamp your marketing strategies

Is your branding feeling a little stale, or are you stuck in a rut with your marketing where you just keep doing the same thing because it’s what’s easiest?

September is a great time of year to have a revamp as you plan for lead generation in the new business cycle.

If you need some fresh ideas and strategic direction, our Ask Zoe Strategy Day is designed to help. We’ll work closely with you to breathe new life into your marketing and set your business up for success in this new business cycle.

Boost your social media

Plan out a content strategy into this ‘second new year’ which you can use to showcase your brand and engage your audience.

Inject some life into your social media presence with interactive content like polls and competitions and consider using targeted ads to reach potential new customers too.

Optimise your website

This is a great time of year to make sure that your website is user-friendly.

Is it optimised for mobile? How quickly do your pages load? You can plan for lead generation by making your website seamless, as this will significantly boost conversion rates.

Make sure your SEO is all up to date too with seasonal keywords, and blogs which speak to your audience’s needs and interests in September.

We work closely with BAW Creative to help us and our clients with all things Websites!

Refresh your branding

If you’ve been wanting to rebrand and give your business a fresh new look, September is the perfect time and it’s a great way to plan for lead generation as you know that this is the time of year when a lot of people will find you for the first time.

They might as well discover your business looking exactly how you’d like it to!

Re-engage your email subscribers

Use personalised content and special offers to bring some life to your email marketing.

You can also segment your mailing list, tailoring messages to different customer groups to increase the relevance and impact of what you’re putting out.

Plan promotions and events

The best way to plan for lead generation is just that: to plan!

Each business’s customers will respond differently to various strategies but here are some that you could consider.

Early bird offers

You could kick September off with an early bird promotion, to attract those who are eager to settle back into their post-summer routine.

Offering a limited-time discount on a product or service will create urgency and secure leads for your business.

Bundle deals

You could create bundle deals which offer better value to your customers.

For you, this helps to increase your average order value either of goods or services.

Collaborations and partnerships

Approach businesses which complement your brand and see whether there could be opportunities to collaborate on joint promotions, events or products.

Partnerships like this can expand your reach and introduce your products to new audiences.

And when September comes…

If you’ve taken the time to plan for lead generation in September by reviewing your previous business performance, planning for the new business cycle, and refreshing areas of your business in time for this fresh start, September should be a fantastic time for your business as you see new customers coming in and your business grow.

Don’t forget to track your performance from September onwards too, monitoring against those goals that you set before. This will help you to identify areas for improvement and adjust things accordingly.

Don’t be afraid to try a new approach if things aren’t working and remember that any data is good data when it comes to tracking customer engagement!

Ask Zoe about how to plan for lead generation this quarter

September is a critical month for businesses looking to boost their sales and set a strong foundation for the final quarter of the year.

If you’re keen to think about how your business can plan for lead generation in September, but not sure how you can start to implement the advice laid out in this blog, we’d love to hear from you.

Ask Zoe about what’s best for your brand, and she’ll give tailored advice and strategies for you to follow to make sure that you can hit the ground running in the second new year.

Get in contact today to book a free call with Zoe and get started working out how you can plan for lead generation in the rest of 2024.