Local Lead Generation For Growing Businesses (With A Case Study)

Local lead generation is a crucial strategy for growing businesses that aim to attract new customers. It answers an acute question: How can professionals and regional businesses find leads and transform them into customers?

This guide offers clear insights into practical methods for finding and connecting with local leads for newcomers and businesses experiencing a growth plateau. We’ll focus on local sales lead management nuances and ways to help you generate new prospects and enrich the experience of developing your business, specifically in your area.

What is local lead generation?

Let’s kick things off with the basics.

Local lead generation is a targeted marketing strategy companies use to attract potential customers within a specific geographical area. This approach focuses on identifying and nurturing leads that are likely to convert into clients based on their proximity and relevance to the business’s location and services.

KEY TAKEAWAY By focusing on a local market, businesses can tailor their lead generation tactics more precisely, adjusting to the needs and interests of their local customer base.

Local lead generation vs. global lead generation: real estate case study

What is a local lead generation example that showcases its advantages in contrast to global lead generation, which is about targeting a wider audience worldwide?

Let’s see these advantages in a particular case study.

Imagine a proptech company based in Miami, Florida. It has developed an innovative app to assist users in finding, renting, selling, and buying properties in the city area—a hotspot for tourists and real estate investors. 

The app is used locally to facilitate scheduling meetings with real estate agents, landlords, and vendors.

Despite the app’s potential, the company is struggling to generate leads and expand its user base, so it has two options: stay local or go global.

Local lead generation strategy

Miami is recognized as a bustling real estate market, so the company decided to focus on the local market. They start by optimizing their app and online presence for local ASO and SEO, using keywords like “Miami real estate app” and “property rentals in Miami.” This strategy helps them rank higher in searches by residents and tourists interested in the Miami property market.

The company also begins participating in local real estate expos and networking events, connecting with agents, property managers, and investors. They collaborate with various businesses, offering exclusive in-app features for city-specific promotions.

Moreover, they engage with the community through social media campaigns that highlight Miami’s unique real estate opportunities, share user testimonials, and provide insights into the Miami property market.

Contrast with global lead generation

A global lead generation strategy for this company would mean targeting a broad, international audience. However, this approach could spread their resources too thin, attracting leads that are less likely to convert because they might not be interested in this specific area to invest. 

So, focusing on local lead generation allows this business to capitalize on Miami’s unique real estate landscape and achieve higher-quality leads, more app downloads, and an increased user base in the target market.

As a result, the company effectively boosts its presence and relevance in a potentially rich market by tailoring its efforts to the local audience. This is one of the many advantages of local lead generation. 

Below, we’ll touch upon more of them.

Advantages of local lead generation

Let’s discuss why local lead generation is worthy of effort and time.

Benefits of local lead generation: Tailored approach Better ROI Increased brand awareness

Tailored approach

Businesses can allocate their resources to their customer base, leading to more efficient marketing campaigns and better revenue.

Better ROI

Local lead generation may result in a higher return on investment (ROI) compared to broader marketing strategies. By focusing on a specific region, businesses can reduce waste in their marketing spend, ensuring their efforts reach the most relevant audience. This often results in better conversion rates as the leads are more qualified and closely aligned with your offers.

→ Learn more about how you can optimize your conversion rates.

Increased brand awareness

Focusing on local lead generation helps businesses build stronger brand recognition within their community. As they become more visible and active in their local area, companies can establish a reputation as a trusted and familiar entity, attract new leads, and foster loyalty among existing customers, who will refer others within the community.

Local lead generation traffic sources

In this chapter, we’ll elaborate more on the ins and outs of lead acquisition in a specific area using our previous example with the Miami-based proptech company.

Local lead generation methods: Email list Local SEO Internet ads Social media Local SEM Landing pages, forms, and offers

Email list

An email list contains email addresses companies gather from people who have opted-in to receive newsletters, premium content, discounts, etc. For local lead generation in particular, such lists would contain contact details from people who reside in the same area.

– > Read our recent article on how to build an email list.

🔍 Here’s how our proptech company can collect emails efficiently:  Website and app integration: Sign-up prompts on the company’s website, app, etc., especially on pages related to real estate listings and blogs about the Miami market, will encourage visitors to subscribe to receive exclusive information. Local events: Real estate events can be a fitting place to network and connect with relevant prospects. Setting up a booth or offering a special presentation to attendees will encourage them to leave their contact information for more information or future event invitations. Networking and partnerships: Building relationships with the community is crucial. Through collaboration, the company can expand its reach and get more emails from potential clients. Community engagement online: active participation in online groups and Miami social media pages can enhance the company’s promotion efforts and expand the email list by leading people to the sign-up page on their website. Using email-finding tools: Automation is key. With email-finding software, our company can collect emails from various sources, verify the authenticity of email addresses, and segment the list effectively, focusing on the Miami area.

Local SEO

Local SEO is pivotal for companies that want to find leads in their region. According to Brightlocal’s 2023 report, 66% of respondents use Google to look up local businesses, and 36% prefer visiting companies’ websites to get relevant information.

🔍 So, our proptech company should first optimize its website for search terms like “Miami real estate app” or “property rentals in Miami.” Additionally, incorporating local news and events related to real estate on their blog can boost local search relevance, making them more visible to Miami residents looking for real estate solutions.  Another critical step is to ensure their Google Maps profile is up-to-date with accurate information. To make the most out of it, they can also: Publish regular Google Posts—think of it as keeping your window display fresh and inviting. Encourage your happy customers to leave online reviews—their good words are like gold! When responding to reviews, add a personal touch and mention the location to make it more relevant. For example, you could say: “Thanks so much for your thoughts on our property management app in Miami, Florida. Your feedback means a lot to us, and we can’t wait to serve you again. Cheers from the whole [full proptech company name] team!” Beyond basic SEO practices, the proptech company should consider acquiring local backlinks and engaging in community events. Partnering with local real estate blogs or participating in Miami real estate fairs can provide valuable backlinks and enhance their presence.

Yes, SEO is a longer-term approach compared to other lead-generation methods, such as cost-per-click (CPC) advertising. However, once your website begins to rank well, you’ll see a significant increase in valuable search engine traffic, manifesting as leads, inquiries, and sales.

Internet ads

Internet advertising offers immediate results and works well in tandem with SEO. You’re missing out on an ample opportunity if you haven’t tailored your business for Google’s local search.

Google Ads are useful for targeting search terms your website isn’t showing up for or ensuring your site is always at the top for specific keywords.

🔍Our proptech company can use geo-targeted internet ads to reach potential users within Miami. They can efficiently use their ad budget by setting ads to display only to users in specific ZIP codes or those who have shown interest in Miami real estate. These ads can highlight the unique features of their app, such as ease of finding rental properties in Miami, thus driving more relevant traffic.

Social media

Social selling moves away from the traditional methods of cold calling and avoids aggressive sales tactics, instead utilizing online platforms and activities to feed into the sales process. Relationship building through social media opens opportunities for effective local lead generation and more substantial business deals than conventional digital marketing strategies.

🔍 Continuing the case of the proptech company, they can share posts about Miami’s real estate trends and property technology updates, feature houses in specific neighborhoods, and engage with local real estate influencers via social media. Platforms like Instagram can showcase attractive property visuals. LinkedIn is great for engaging real estate professionals. X (Twitter) can be leveraged to share quick market updates. Facebook, in turn, is great for reaching people in the local area through ads. You can choose who can see your promo based on where they are, how old they are, their interests, and more.

Advertising on Facebook (and Instagram, too) can get you results quicker than SEO, and it’s usually less expensive than Google CPC ads. However, according to Statista, the cost of these ads is likely to go up in the future.

Local SEM

SEM, or Search Engine Marketing, is absolutely necessary for local lead generation as it helps rank higher. Ideally, you should aim to be ranked on the first page, as 92% of searchers will choose businesses on top of the search results and will not go further.

When you add new blog posts, each one is a fresh page that can rank in search engine results pages (SERPs), target specific geographic search phrases, and create more chances for your site to be found.

With every content piece, make sure to use keywords that people search for a lot. Include these in your URL, title, header, meta description, and the main text. Struggling to think of content that targets specific areas? Try sharing stories of happy customers or case studies.

🔍 Our proptech company can benefit from local SEM by bidding on keywords like “best property app in Miami,” “rent apartment in Miami,” or “Miami homes for sale” in Google Ads. By using popular keywords, they can dominate local searches, ensuring they’re the first to be seen by people looking for real estate agents in this city. Running ads during peak real estate seasons in Miami can also increase their effectiveness.

Landing pages, forms, and offers

Landing pages are an integral part of local lead generation. They provide important details about a product or service, detailing its benefits and features. Their secondary purpose is to convert visitors into leads by encouraging them to take action (sign up for the newsletter, try out the product for free, etc.).

Forms on a landing page are usually designed to gather essential information from people, such as names, email addresses, and specific preferences. Good forms balance collecting the necessary information and making it easy to fill out. And if you add any special offers to your forms, your lead magnet will help you encourage more users to actually complete the form.

🔍For our Miami-based proptech company, the landing page on their website should showcase the app’s unique features and clearly articulate how this product can benefit the different user groups in the Miami real estate market. A section could be dedicated to demonstrating the app’s usability, e.g., through video tutorials or step-by-step guides, to help visitors understand the product’s value. Additionally, they can implement a form offering discounted premium services for new listings and asking their target audience to sign up to receive it.

Tools for local lead generation

Now that you know the potential sources of leads for your sales campaign, we’d also like to offer you a more comprehensive and detailed overview of the helpful tools and local lead generation software.

Local lead generation software Snov.io Google Ads Google Search Console HubSpot Formstack

Snov.io

Snov.io offers a whole toolset for effective sales engagement and automation. It will undoubtedly suit your local lead generation goals. With Database Search, you’ll be able to find verified email addresses of people in your industry (including decision-makers) and streamline your outreach effectively.

The best thing about this feature is that it allows filtering prospect results by location so that you can find relevant leads in seconds:

Here are some other filters you can use for a more detailed lead search:

Search filter	Description
Company name	Enter the name of a specific company where your potential leads are working at the moment
Industry	If you are not focused on a particular company, enter the industry of your interest to find relevant prospects
Job title	Type one or more job titles to find people based on their role in a company
First name/Last name	Use the prospect’s name to find their profile
Skills	Search for prospects with specific expertise

With these filters, you can find and save prospect profiles with verified email addresses in a heartbeat; the same is true for company profiles. Watch the video below to understand better how the feature works:

In addition, Snov.io CRM will help you manage the leads you’ll find and link up all your sales processes into a smooth workflow.

Google Ads

With Google Ads, you can create targeted visual advertisements for a specific local audience. For local lead generation businesses, this ensures that their promo companies are seen by people in their immediate service area, increasing the relevance and effectiveness of their marketing efforts.

With Google Ads, you can tailor campaigns to your liking. For example, you can add well-known local landmarks or use dialect variations when implementing the keywords. Such customization can make the ads more relatable and appealing to the target audience.

Crucially, Google Ads works seamlessly with your Google Business profile, allowing you to display useful information like their location, contact details, and hours of operation in the ad. This integration can be beneficial for attracting local customers searching for nearby solutions.

Moreover, Google Ads provides detailed analytics and performance tracking tools so you can monitor your ads’ performance in terms of local engagement, click-through rates, and conversion rates. This data is critical for making informed adjustments to campaigns and ensuring their effectiveness.

Google Search Console

This tool helps you understand how people find your site and which queries bring them to you, which is crucial for refining your local lead generation strategies.

The reports from the console offer precise data, helping you measure the effectiveness of your content marketing efforts. We recommend paying extra attention to clicks, impressions, and page ranking. Additionally, analyze the keywords or phrases that helped people find your website.

HubSpot

HubSpot is a customer platform designed for marketing and sales. It may be a cost-effective choice for local businesses seeking to draw potential customers. This platform equips you with the necessary solutions to help you understand your customer base, track how they interact with your marketing, and convert their interest into purchases.

It provides on-the-spot SEO advice to help you build a content strategy adapted to your local market. The platform also promotes your marketing activities on social media and other channels. You can create engaging calls to action and tailor your messaging to suit various factors like location, the source of the traffic, or the buyer’s profile.

Formstack

Formstack is a lead generation tool that offers a range of features designed to generate and manage leads effectively.

The platform allows you to create customizable lead capture forms tailored to their specific needs. Whether it’s a simple contact form, a newsletter signup, or a detailed inquiry, you can design forms that align with your local brand and target audience.

With Formstack’s conditional logic feature, users can create dynamic forms that adjust based on user responses. This allows for targeted lead qualification, where follow-up questions or actions are presented based on the information provided by the lead. For example, if a lead shows interest in a specific product or service, the form can dynamically show relevant questions or offers.

Your next steps

You don’t necessarily need the services of an expensive lead generation company to expand your local contact list. With the right strategies and lead gen software that fits your goals and budget, you can efficiently garner prospects and strengthen your online presence within your community, all while keeping costs in check.

Consider cost-effective approaches like forging partnerships with other local businesses, enhancing your SEO, and building your lead lists.

To save you time and effort, allow Snov.io to find leads within your local community, collect their email addresses, build quality lists, and streamline your outreach today.