A lead is any person interested in your products or services who has the potential to become a customer. Therefore, lead generation — the practice of attracting new leads — must become an integral component of any marketing strategy.
Before the internet, companies had to advertise on giant billboards or in magazines. Today, marketing and advertising aren’t so straightforward, with lead gen options ranging from email marketing and social media to print media, television, and dozens of online services.
What Is Lead Generation, and Is It Necessary?
If you’re new to lead generation, you may wonder what it is and if it’s necessary.
Lead generation is attracting potential customers’ attention, capturing their contact information, and following up to help make them long-term customers.
As for the necessity of lead generation campaigns, think of it this way: Without leads, there will be no paying customers. While it’s true that some potential clients will find you through minimal outreach, your competitors are mounting extensive inbound marketing campaigns. As a result, their marketing efforts earn them the customers your business could have. That is why all companies need to learn how to do effective lead generation strategies.
Here are some ways to get started with a lead generation campaign. Or, if you’re already doing lead capture, use these same steps to help find more leads that match your ideal customer.
Create Helpful Content for Your Website
The internet has expanded your company’s reach from your city to the entire planet, making it the number one place for attracting new leads. With this in mind, content marketing may be the most effective digital marketing strategy.
A website containing helpful content is a lead magnet working around the clock. The content can be in whatever form suits your business: blogs, landing pages, video content, whitepapers, webinars, or whatever quality content your team can create.
To help potential leads find your site, study up on search engine optimization (SEO). Search engines promote helpful and relevant content, so whatever your industry, make sure your site content speaks to that target audience. This content should be well-written and useful, establishing your company as the leader in your field.
Remember that high-quality content brings you high-quality leads.
Once a visitor is at your site, they should see a pop-up that asks for their contact information, officially making them a lead. If you lack the time or resources, use chatbots that can collect new leads and add them to your email list.
Also, ensure written content ends with a call to action (CTA) that directs the visitor to take some next step, like contacting your sales team or visiting an online store.
Remember, solid material can become gated content — valuable content only available in exchange for information, such as the visitor’s name and email address. This is the perfect opportunity to get them to opt in to receiving contact from you, effectively turning a visitor into a lead.
Retarget Your Site Visitors
While great content will attract more website visitors, they won’t all become leads right away. However, by using retargeting techniques, you get another shot at them.
Retargeting (also known as remarketing) tracks visitors who didn’t engage with your company and later shows them an online ad for your company. The ad could run on social media platforms or other websites. Knowing your ideal customer helps in these situations, as retargeted ads can focus on potential leads who give likes to social posts or visit specific websites.
Retargeted ads look like any other online ad, but you can include discounts or other incentives to get the visitor back to your site.
Remember That Email Remains Highly Effective
Newer techniques like social media marketing are often cited as the best lead generation tools today. Yet the truth is that most (if not all) businesses are still heavily reliant on email. For that reason alone, email marketing remains one of the most effective lead generation channels you can use.
Today’s email marketing systems bring automation and optimization to your campaigns, using criteria you define to generate effective email templates that target leads you want to turn into customers. For example, you can target that group directly if you need to attract more decision-makers with purchasing authority.
Keep All Your Data in One Place
Making a centralized space for customer data can be a boon, as it helps you get the complete picture of your customer base. Centralizing your data means having a platform such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, where you can see your customers’ contact details, past interactions with the company, purchases, likes and preferences, and much more.
Imagine having the power to pull up anything you need about a lead or customer with the click of a few buttons. Seeing their problems and pain points can help you better understand what people want from you. Then, you can target the audience accordingly.
Map Out the Buyer’s Journey
Put yourself in the customer’s shoes, and imagine how the journey with your company goes. What happens when they visit your homepage?
Mapping out the buyer’s journey can show you the customers’ point of view.
Take the information, set clear objectives, and define the goals you want to achieve. This process can be a fantastic way of learning more about your customers and marketing your product to catch the attention of the right leads.
Create Buyer Personas
Buyer personas define your customers and categorize them based on your specific criteria. That could include their preferences, likes, and interactions with the company. It could also show their problems and the solutions they seek. Creating these personas makes it easier to customize marketing and create a more targeted and streamlined approach to your lead generation tactics.
A CRM is a great way to create and maintain these personas. Therefore, leverage its power to understand your customers and develop solutions that address their pain points.
Refine Your Brand for Your Audience
Once you’ve identified the group to target, make sure your brand speaks to them. Brand awareness campaigns help you advertise what makes your products or services unique.
Make sure your newsletters, social media, blog posts, videos, podcasts, and other materials relay your company mission. You can use business sites like LinkedIn and Hubspot to showcase whitepapers, research case studies, and other content. Remember: you’re promoting your company as the subject’s authority and trying to create a following of other B2B companies. This will help prospects and customers trust your brand as well.
Don’t Forget About Lead Scoring
You’ve collected your leads through the correct lead generation methods. Now, the work begins to convert them into customers.
Which lead should you work on first? This is where lead scoring comes in. Lead scoring helps you identify the furthest-ahead leads, otherwise known as the prospective customers more likely to buy. In addition, this scoring helps marketing and sales reps spend time on those leads worth nurturing as per priority and then go down the list.
Follow Through With Lead Management
Once identified, the next step is to ‘manage’ these leads correctly to ensure a sale. Lead management refers to the nurturing, tracking, and qualifying of the leads generated to complete a sale promptly and professionally.
When going through the sales funnel, leads need proper nurturing without sales teams being too pushy or laid back. This type of management also helps you focus on real, qualified prospects, increasing sales and saving time on non-buying customers.
Lead generation is a big part of the sales process, and by using these steps and tactics, you can help generate many more qualified leads. While lead management and generation used to be a more straightforward task, it now requires precision and targeting to understand your audience.
That’s why CRM software is essential. The functionality of CRM software enables you to see the big picture and understand where all your leads stand. Having this insight is excellent for targeting leads and optimizing B2B sales. In addition, a robust Software as a Service (SaaS) CRM solution streamlines all the B2B lead generation strategies mentioned above, automating much of the work for you.
FiveCRM Has the Premier Lead Management Solution
FiveCRM offers a complete suite of CRM software. With customizable workspaces, we give you complete control over the platform, with dashboards, reports, and workflows tailored for your business.
Our lead management software empowers your sales teams to generate, qualify, and convert leads at a higher volume than ever before. Score your leads based on metrics that matter to you. With in-depth customer detail, our solutions ensure you’re reaching out to decision-makers who bring more revenue to your company.
To see how FiveCRM can increase your lead conversion rate through marketing automation, get started online or email us today.
FAQs:
Q: What is lead generation and why is it important?
A: Lead generation refers to the process of identifying and attracting potential customers to your business. It is crucial because it drives growth, expands your customer base, and provides a steady stream of sales opportunities.
Q: What are some effective lead generation tactics?
A: Effective lead generation tactics include creating compelling content, optimizing your website for search engines, utilizing social media platforms, implementing email marketing campaigns, and leveraging lead capture forms and landing pages.
Q: How can I create compelling content for lead generation?
A: To create compelling content, focus on addressing your target audience's pain points, offering valuable solutions, and showcasing your expertise. Use a variety of formats such as blog posts, videos, infographics, and eBooks to engage your audience.
Q: How can search engine optimization (SEO) improve lead generation?
A: SEO techniques help your website rank higher in search engine results, making it more visible to potential customers. By optimizing your website's content, keywords, and metadata, you can attract organic traffic and generate quality leads.
Q: Is social media effective for lead generation?
A: Yes, social media platforms provide a valuable channel for lead generation. By creating engaging and shareable content, interacting with your audience, and utilizing targeted advertising, you can attract and convert leads through social media.
Q: How can email marketing contribute to lead generation?
A: Email marketing allows you to nurture leads and build relationships with your prospects. By creating personalized and relevant email campaigns, you can capture leads, provide valuable content, and guide them through the sales funnel.
Q: What role do lead capture forms and landing pages play in lead generation?
A: Lead capture forms and landing pages are essential tools for collecting contact information from potential customers. By offering valuable incentives, such as eBooks or free trials, you can encourage visitors to provide their details and convert them into leads.
Q: How can marketing automation enhance lead generation efforts?
A: Marketing automation enables you to streamline and scale your lead generation processes. By automating repetitive tasks, nurturing leads through personalized workflows, and tracking prospect engagement, you can optimize lead generation efficiency.
Q: What metrics should I track to measure the success of my lead generation efforts?
A: Important metrics to track include website traffic, conversion rates, lead quality, cost per lead, and customer acquisition cost. These metrics provide insights into the effectiveness of your lead generation tactics and help you refine your strategies.
Q: How can FiveCRM support my lead generation efforts?
A: FiveCRM offers a comprehensive CRM solution designed to streamline and optimize your lead generation efforts. With features such as lead tracking, lead scoring, marketing automation, and robust analytics, FiveCRM empowers you to generate, nurture, and convert leads effectively.