What is a lead?
A lead is any person who indicates interest in a company’s product or service in some way, shape, or form. It is the initiation of consumer interest or inquiry into the products or services of a business. Leads can be created for purposes such as list building, e-newsletter list acquisition, or sales leads.
The methods for generating leads typically fall under the umbrella of advertising, but may also include non-paid sources such as organic search engine results or referrals from existing customers. Studies have found that direct traffic, search engines, and web referrals were the three most popular online channels for lead generation, accounting for 93% of leads.
Lead generation has been around for a long time, but methods have changed. The self-directed buyer is inundated with information, so it’s vital to find new, creative ways to cut through the static and reach potential customers. Instead of finding customers through mass advertising and emails, marketers must rely on being found and building relationships with their buyers.
When you implement a lead generation program, you increase brand awareness, build relationships, generate high-quality leads, and ultimately close deals. The higher quality leads you to direct your sales team and more of those leads will result in sales. In doing this, you are helping your company grow, while also growing the credibility of your marketing department by showing tangible results and proving yourself to be a valuable part of the revenue team.
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How lead generation works
There are two main components to the lead generation process: getting traffic to your site and then convincing them to share their contact information with you. The first step of the process is finding an effective way to attract prospects to your website. Depending on your company’s goals and budgetary constraints, there are many ways to start attracting prospects to your site. The following are some of the key ways businesses use to drive traffic:
Search Engine Marketing (SEM) – SEM is a form of online advertising that involves paying search engines (such as Google or Bing) to display ads in their search results. Because search is the primary way people navigate the web, this can be a big source of traffic.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Search engine optimization is similar to SEM, in that it involves getting traffic from search engines, but rather than paying search engines for ads, SEO involves optimizing your website for search engine algorithms so that it appears higher in the organic search results.
Social Media – A social media platform such as Facebook and LinkedIn has grown to become some of the most popular sites on the web and is beginning to rival search as major sources of traffic. You can drive traffic from social networks by posting content to social media platforms or paying for ads that run on the networks.
Once customers start arriving at your site, the next step is to convert visitors into leads via an online form. This can be done using many different lead generation services but involves getting users interested in your product or service and getting them to submit their contact info, often through the use of an incentive (known as a “lead magnet”).
Here are some common marketing strategies businesses leverage to generate potential leads:
Content – Providing high-quality content in exchange for contact information is a common practice in lead generation. This content can be anything from a white paper, case study, or infographic to an ebook or exclusive video. The idea is to entice potential customers in your target audience with a piece of content that is relevant to your business and require them to provide their contact info before they can get access to the content.
Landing Pages – The best lead generation tactic of all is your product. If you have a compelling product that solves a major pain point, visitors will want to provide their contact information even without any incentives. Presenting your product in the most attractive way is often done through landing pages or sales pages, which help educate and convert prospective customers. Landing page optimization is the key to making sure you are getting the most out of these pages.
Once a lead is created, if the customer is in the target market, the lead becomes a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) and the digital marketing team will begin nurturing the lead via marketing campaigns. This nurturing process typically involves marketing automation campaigns to specific email lists to follow-up with content that helps to educate and persuade the prospects to eventually mature into sales leads. After a lead has been nurtured, a prospect can be convinced to make an inbound purchase on the website or by reaching out to a salesperson, turning them into a sales-qualified lead.
Why is lead generation important?
Lead generation is very important for the growth of a business. The buying process has changed and marketers need to rethink and refocus their efforts in order to stay relevant. If people demonstrate to you that they are interested in your business when you go to contact them about your offering they are no longer a stranger– but rather a true sales prospect who has “told” you that they are interested in your product or service.
Once you know who you are targeting and have determined how best to reach them, you need to have a plan for collecting contact information. The first part of the process involves funneling all prospects to a standard form or landing page that encourages them to share their contact information, generally in return for a free gift, a coupon, a sample, or some other value-added incentive.
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Why choose us
At Solomon Designs, we follow the best practices. We can provide relevant content. That means appealing to customers based on their interests, not just what your company thinks is important. We can give customers and prospects valuable information that we’ll find and address.
We build trust and increase awareness of your company by publishing content on an ongoing, regular basis. We will deliver your content on a regular schedule, and make sure it’s high-quality content that aligns with your brand voice. Our team works hard to understand your needs and implement lead generation techniques that will grow your online presence.
Feel free to email or call us and find out what we can do for you. We are motivated to offer a consultation for your requirements. Let’s work together on Amazing Content.
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