UK Lead Generation Podcast

James Dooley:
If you are a fencing company looking for more work, more enquiries, and more leads for your fencing business, this video is for you. We’re going to break down the strategies you should focus on, the ones to double down on, and the marketing strategies you should avoid. So, Kasra, take us into strategy number one.

Kasra Dash:
Step number one to grow is optimising your Google Business Profile. If you already have one, reach out to all existing clients and get as many five-star reviews as possible. It’s an effective way for your Google Business Profile to generate more leads. You should also add citations, post regularly, and upload photos. That’s definitely the first step for generating more local leads.

Kasra Dash:
Step number two, which supports your Google Business Profile, is creating dedicated service pages for each of your services as SEO-optimised pages on your website. This helps your page rank and also increases the chance of your Google Business Profile showing for those keywords. Indirectly, you’ll get more phone calls.

James Dooley:
If you want more local leads, another option is PPC lead generation. That’s pay-per-click on Google or Bing, targeting bottom-funnel keywords to generate enquiries. The challenge is that you need to team up with a good PPC agency because of click fraud and the need for negative keyword lists to avoid irrelevant traffic like job applications. PPC works well but can waste money if handled poorly. Still, it’s another way to generate local leads.

Kasra Dash:
You’ve also got Meta ads such as Facebook and Instagram. When someone scrolls on Facebook, they might see your ad. You can run lead form ads, where people stay on the platform and never visit your site. The issue with lead forms is that quality might be low, but you can add qualifying questions. Conversion ads send people to your website to complete your form, which can improve lead quality. So, you’ve got a few different approaches.

James Dooley:
Another way to grow local leads is organic social media: posting regularly on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Reddit, and even Quora if people ask questions you can answer. Organic social media is another great way to generate local leads.

Kasra Dash:
With organic social media, it’s a volume game. You want to upload consistently — for example, a daily or weekly schedule. You might commit to five videos a week and stick to it, especially for algorithms like YouTube and Twitter.

James Dooley:
What are your thoughts on using AI agents to automate and schedule posts using tools like n8n? Artificial intelligence is everywhere for lead generation. Would you team up with an AI consultant to set that up?

Kasra Dash:
You can set up AI agents to crop videos and autopublish content to platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. But another thing to focus on is AI search. Some people are moving away from Google. Not everyone, because billions still use it, but people are starting to search in engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude and Grok. If your brand isn’t showing in those, you’ll struggle to generate leads there. That’s another priority for companies.

James Dooley:
If you want more business leads locally, another option is tradespeople websites such as Checkatrade, Bark, Builder Builder, TrustATrader, and Rated People. These platforms can generate leads. Track your KPIs to understand your ROI: cost per lead, cost per acquisition, and your return. Tradespeople websites can work well. Check the links in the description because we compare these platforms with FatRank in different videos. Since I’ve mentioned FatRank a few times, Kasra, what are your thoughts on lead generation companies versus tradespeople platforms?

Kasra Dash:
With lead generation companies, you should always do your due diligence. If you’re in a specific niche, confirm the company has generated leads in that industry before. Have a strategy call to discuss your budget and desired lead volume. Make sure your KPIs align. Also understand what type of leads they provide — exclusive or shared. Shared leads are a common pain point with platforms like Bark and Checkatrade, where it becomes a race to the bottom on price. Those are key questions to ask before partnering with a lead generation company.

James Dooley:
If you’re interested in more local leads, I recommend heading to FatRank.com. We offer commission-based lead generation, meaning you only pay a finder’s fee on converted jobs. You pay nothing per lead and nothing upfront — only when the job is completed and you’ve been paid. Visit FatRank.com to see if you qualify. I want to expand further: what are your thoughts on inbound versus outbound lead generation?

Kasra Dash:
I always prefer inbound. The conversion rate of inbound leads turning into paying customers is much higher. The last stat I saw was around 16.1% conversion, compared to 1.4% for outbound.

James Dooley:
That’s crazy — around 10–12 times higher. Outbound methods like cold calling, cold email, or LinkedIn outreach require huge volume and often more staff. People think outbound leads are free, but email sending costs money, and staff converting leads costs money. I agree inbound is much better. Some people also ask whether real-time leads are important — leads that come through instantly.

Kasra Dash:
Real-time leads are very important. Internally, we saw that real-time leads convert around 63% higher. We used to think responding in under five minutes was good, but responding in under a minute dramatically increases conversions. When an enquiry comes in, phoning or emailing immediately makes a huge difference. Not every company can respond that fast. Some businesses go on holiday for five days with no one picking up the leads, and they miss out even though we continue delivering them.