• by Todd Ebert , December 4, 2013

What can marketers do to prevent leaks in their marketing and sales efforts? These leaks reveal problems they may not even realize they have -- and may keep hard-won prospects from becoming paying customers. Here are 10 tips to help marketers prevent leaks, identify where they develop in the marketing and sales process, and fix them when they do occur.

1. Advertise on all major search engines

Don't just advertise your business on the search engine you think is the most popular. The truth is that nearly one-third of search traffic comes from Bing and Yahoo. So if you're not advertising there, you are missing out on consumers that use these search engines to find your types of products and services. Plus, competition on these sites may be lower for your target keywords, so you could achieve a lower cost per click and higher visibility for your search ad.

2. Bid on your business name keywords

Use your business name as a target keyword in your search advertising campaigns.Not only is your name one of your least expensive keywords, but bidding on it will help you get more visits from people searching for your business name. This is a critical step in order to avoid losing potential sales to competitors who may be bidding on your name in order to poach your target consumers.

3.  Write keyword-optimized content

Since search engines love fresh, relevant content, it's important to regularly publish blog posts and articles that focus on your target keywords. This helps your site gain relevance in the search engines and boosts your site's visibility so more people will discover and visit your Web site.

4. Optimize your Google+ local page

Claim and update your Google+ Local business page to help your business show up in the local search results and map listings when people search for your products or services. If your business does not appear to local searchers, they will choose a competitor that does.

5. Impress Web Site visitors   

Be sure your Web site impresses visitors with a quick load time, professional design, and easy-to-find information including hours, location, prices, and product or service descriptions. This is critical because 85% of visitors will leave a Web site for a competitor's if it's poorly designed and 83% will leave if it takes too many clicks to find what they are looking for.

6. Highlight your contact information

Businesses often lose potential leads even when consumers are ready to contact them! That's because visitors won't contact you if they can't easily find your contact information on your Web site. A best practice is to put your phone number and email at the top of every page of your Web site so visitors see it immediately.

7. Get a mobile Web site

To reach the growing number of consumers looking for local businesses while on the go, you need a mobile Web site. If consumers click on your business through a mobile search or an app and visit your full Web site that's difficult to read, navigate, and click on from a mobile device, chances are they will leave your site for a competitor's.

8. Answer the phone

One of the easiest ways to get more leads is simply by answering all incoming calls! If you can't get to the phone, make sure you respond to calls and emails within an hour so you don't lose out on prospects who have shown interest in your business by contacting you.

9.  Capture relevant information

Whether the contact is just beginning their research or ready to buy, have your employees record important information such as their name, phone number, and email address in a central location, so that you can follow up with them with relevant information so you stay top of mind.  

10. Follow up regularly

Identify leads who have expressed interest, such as those who have requested quotes or information about a specific product or service. Follow up with them regularly either by phone or email with special offers, new products, or other messages that convince them to buy from you.