Lead generation is the first step in the sales funnel. It includes marketing techniques that are designed to stimulate and capture interest among potential customers and clients. There are both inbound and outbound strategies for lead generation that include blogs, social media, online advertisements, and more.
Lead generation is the process of capturing the attention of potential customers and clients who may not have known that a particular brand existed. It is the first step in the sales funnel process. Once a customer knows a brand exists, additional marketing strategies can be deployed to enhance their interest and ultimately get them to make a purchase.
Lead generation has been around as long as marketing has been around, but in today’s digital age, the vast majority of lead generation takes place online.
Lead generation is important because it’s the primary way for customers and clients to discover brands that meet their needs. There are more companies than ever before, and an endless amount of information online has led to the creation of the self-directed buyer who no longer relies on television commercials and magazine advertisements to make purchasing decisions.
With so much information to comb through on a daily basis, buyers are getting good at blocking out the noise, which is why traditional forms of advertising don’t work like they used to. A lead generation strategy that is informed by the 21st century can increase the exposure of a brand without getting ignored, and without wasting time on strategies that don’t work, like cold calling.
There are two different types of lead generation strategies. The first involves inbound marketing.
This strategy is all about helping potential customers find information about a company. This may include providing information as they’re doing their research before making a purchase, but increasingly it means reaching out to people before they are even looking to make a purchase. The goal is to transform awareness into a brand preference, so when that person is ready to make a purchase, they already know where they’re going to buy what they’re looking for.
Buyers are more educated and self-directed than ever before. A company’s job is to make sure they can easily be found through inbound marketing strategies when people are searching for information, products, or services on the internet.
A few inbound marketing strategies include:
The second kind of lead generation involves outbound marketing. This form of marketing is all about reaching out to customers and clients instead of waiting for them to find a particular brand on their own.
Tip:
Ask Clickworkers to research leads in the Internet that match your target customer profiles.
With traditional marketing strategies, this often includes things like cold calling and magazine advertisements. Although these methods are still available, there are other outbound marketing options that are more effective in today’s world.
A few outbound marketing strategies include:
More traditional forms of outbound marketing strategies are also an option. Many brands continue to find success by hosting special events and sending direct mail.
Outbound lead generation strategies are often used in conjunction with inbound strategies. For example, email marketing only works if a person signs up for the email list first, and a person is most likely to sign up for that list thanks to the inbound marketing efforts of that company.
