After a long (and hopefully enjoyable) holiday season, the new year is here, and it is time to hunker down, get back to work, and set some attainable business goals for the coming year.

As you ponder your small business resolutions for 2017, it can be difficult to decide where to place your focus. Maybe you want to generate more income, increase your product/service offerings, or expand your business into a new location.

No matter what your resolutions may be for the year, you will not be able to achieve them without bringing in more business through lead generation. That is why we propose a simple, all-encompassing resolution: get more business leads in 2017.

By focusing on lead generation, your other goals for your brand will fall into place. But like all worthwhile pursuits, increasing lead generation is easier said than done. Below we will discuss some simple, yet proven, methods of increasing business leads that you may want to consider incorporating in the coming year.

Take a good look at your website

Before venturing out into the unknown and testing out new methods of engaging leads for your business, you should take a good, long look at what you’ve already got: your website. If you are not attracting the number of business leads that you would like to be attracting, part of the problem could be your company website.

Do you have an updated contact number posted? Have you included CTAs on every page of your website? Is your website optimized for use on tablets and mobile devices?

Engage leads

It may sound basic, but do you want to know one of the easiest ways to engage leads? BE ENGAGING.

You may think a welcoming website with a thorough FAQ section is enough, but having an actual person that is ready to interact with and assist potential customers through direct engagement is what we are referring to when we say to be engaging.

Marketing expert, Jeff Bullas suggests directly engaging with customers through interactive customer service mediums such as live chat, help centers, and forums that use customer service representatives to ensure all leads are engaged with your business through actual human contact.

Use social media in your favor

You get it, social media is important, your business needs a Facebook page, blah, blah, blah. In fact, we think social media is so important to small business lead generation that we have an entire section of our blog dedicated to it. However, establishing your brand on the most popular social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Google+ is not enough. To increase business leads through your social media presence, you will need to put in a little grunt work.

Entrepreneur suggests using Twitter to interact with and engage prominent influencers in your industry. By interjecting your brand’s voice into the conversation you will not only network with others in your field but also attract attention from their followers by adding to the dialogue with useful and educational information. To make the most of your tweets, use #hashtags to make sure your content is found, and include interesting images to engage users who may otherwise overlook your tweets.

Content creation

We have previously discussed the importance of content creation for your SMB, and we continue to believe that content creation is a key component of increasing business leads for your brand. Already have an established blog? You may want to consider venturing into uncharted territory by creating e-books, infographics, and other written content for your target audience.

You may also want to consider taking your content creation to the next level by offering interactive webinars, starting a podcast offering your expertise in your field, or hosting an online event.

Boost your blog content

Expanding on the previous point, you may already have a blog, but are you utilizing it to its full potential? We have previously discussed the importance of using your blog to educate your readers with valuable content, but it is easy to fall into a rut when it comes to blogging. Yes, your content may be filled with useful and interesting content, but mixing it up now and then with quizzes, interviews, guest posts, or themed entries is an excellent way to grab your reader’s attention and engage with a new audience you may not have otherwise found.

It’s a new year, which means a fresh start for you and your business. Now that you have resolved to get more business leads in 2017, and you have a plan of action in place, it is time to roll up your sleeves and get to work. It is going to be a great year!