85% of expert marketers say that lead generation in marketing is the most important element in their marketing arsenal. Yet only 42% of business owners have an active marketing plan in place.
What is lead Marketing, or lead-generation marketing, is the process of stimulating the interest of potential customers/clients and then converting them into buyers. Done through a number of marketing channels.
Your potential customer in your target audience who is interested in purchasing the product or service you offer is referred to as a “lead” in the digital marketing world. Now, to capture this lead, meaning you make them take the first step in your sales cycle
OK, let’s break it down a little more. Simply put, leads are potential customers who are interested in your services and products. To capture these leads, we leverage many marketing tactics that will make the user sign up for something online by completing a form, contacting the business directly, or even walking into the store.
A lead is simply an individual that has expressed some sort of interest in a service, product offers, or company
A person who calls your business - is a lead
A person who emails your business - is a lead
A person who walks into your business - is a lead
A person who asks another person about your business - is a lead
These leads can be generated in several ways, with just a few being;
Advertising
Networking
Email or Direct Mail
Websites
Search Engines
Buy purchasing lead lists
Why lead generation marketing is a good idea
Well, it’s simple. We all need customers to grow. And to get those customers, they need to market to potential customers first and then gain their attention. If you are not doing this you are losing revenue.
This is where lead generation marketing comes into play. These leads can then be passed on to a sales team to convert them into buying customers. This generally involves adding them to an email list or text shout out.
The days of customers scanning newspaper ads for the local deals is gone, with the expansion of today's technology, customers have a variety of digital advertising platforms available and customers have shifted to digital websites as a means of reviewing and sourcing products or services.
Additional Tools for your next Lead Gen project:
Create a Free Interactive Tool to be used on your site
Publish a Quiz offering a free gift or service
Share a Customer Experience to Spark Interest and Brand Awareness
Promotional items
BBQ or annual events
Sponsorships
Cross Promotions with Partners
Interview a Third-Party Expert and share that advice
Start an interesting Hobbies or side project to share on your blog
Do a Direct Mail campaign
Offer a free Personalized Service
Of course, we are only scratching the surface with these ideas. There are so many different ways to generate leads. You could always offer a free e-book download, run a contest, or buy ads on social media, google or create a how-to video on YouTube.
Whatever you try, the most important thing to remember is that in order to generate qualified leads, you need to offer up quality content. Give potential customers something that will educate, entertain, inform, or inspire them.
To learn more about lead marketing and how it can help your business bottom line, please contact us