What is Lead Generation?
Lead Generation is the ultimate goal of every B2B marketer but just what is it?
Well according to Wikipedia it is defined as “In marketing, lead generation is the generation of consumer interest or inquiry into products or services of a business. Leads can be created for purposes such as list building, e-newsletter list acquisition or for sales leads.”
But does that actually help us at a strategic or business level, well yes in that at least we know what we are trying to do but hopefully as B2B marketers we have that printed out and pinned up in poster format in the marketing department office!
What we all really want to know is how do we generate leads?
So traditionally we went to market with flyers, brochures, large print formats, catalogues and so on. Now we are not saying they do not have their place in the modern world as they absolutely do, for example billboard advertising remains a great way to gain maximum exposure especially in the right place. According to Startups.co.uk 87% of adults will see “outdoor advertising” every week! This level of visibility comes at a price with the cost of £750,000 for a heavy 2 week roadside campaign.
Is digital the solution?
The world is always evolving and marketing often at twice the pace of everyone else has led to digital becoming the primary channel of choice for cash strapped marketers. Digital offers potentially more options than many of the traditional channels, for example SEO, PPC, email and more recently social media.
The biggest problem with many digital channels is that it doesn’t create demand you can only try and position yourself where the audience is and the rules often change as any SEO consultant will explain/complain with vigour.
Google analytics will give you a plethora of great user insights and identify just how your visitors got to your website. However as digital technology improves the visitors to your website don’t have to remain anonymous for example a software like Lead Forensics will actually give you the names and details of the businesses that visit your website.
Television works, right?
Traditional channels can help create that demand, a well-placed advertisement or prime time TV slot will put you before potentially millions just look at the competition and cost that surrounds American Football’s Superbowl. The problems here are that firstly it’s more costly and often requires the support of external agencies or resources, and secondly it is often hard to gauge the exact levels of success and be confident you’re reaching the right people.
What about human interaction?
So what are the options if you want highly targeted lead generation that targets your exact demographic and desired user base?
For us the solution is Telemarketing and yes we would say that as we are a telemarketing agency but it does make a lot of sense. Before any campaign the brief is clearly defined and then relevant data is sourced so it meets your exact criteria.
The results are clearly visible and straight forward in that it either resulted in a lead or not, you can hear every call for yourself and accurately present a detailed product offering to those that are most likely to convert.
So to go back to my original question “what is lead generation?” Putting all shameless self-promotion aside, it is a mixture of everything and ensuring you have a cohesive and joined up strategy that promotes your brand efficiently and positively towards your target audience for them to warm to you, and then naturally seek you out; failing that just call them!
Contact us to see how we can help your business