Remember when everyone was freaking out over how their phones were listening to them? You would be talking about do food with your significant other and out of nowhere ads for dog food start covering your social media feeds… We’ve all been there: worrying about our privacy and the intrusion of media channels in our personal lives. But, you must admit that it is definitely convenient for you if an ad for something you need pops up on your feed. So what is the nice middle ground? Introducing: lead generation, the less intrusive way of converting prospects into customers.
Lead generation refers to the process of capturing prospective customers through an action that attracts them, and then turning them into customers who are genuinely interested in your product or service. Maybe you didn’t notice this before, but traces of lead generation marketing can be found everywhere: blog posts, campaigns, digital content, job applications… What’s great about this process is that there is no infringement of your privacy whatsoever; a lead is only formed through your expression of interest in the service through the submission of personal information.
Let’s go over the example Decktopus sets as we attempt to collect leads to capture an audience segment who is actually in need of the service we provide. We recently created a survey named “What kind of a presenter are you” and shared it through our newsletter, as well as our social media channels. Now, a prospect who is not currently using our product may choose to take this survey as they may be interested in the general topic of presentations, is looking to improve their presentation skills, regularly creates presentations, etc. No matter the case, it is safe to assume that anyone who participates in the survey may be interested in what Decktopus has to offer. Naturally, when we follow up on the survey takers through the email they share as they participate in the survey, it is more likely that they show interest in subscribing.
This is convenient both for us, and the end-user, as we limit the amount of prospects we reach out through creating a more intuitive and specifically shaped prospect pool. The information we collect in the process help us personalize our communication channels, and directly address problems that already exist. This allows for a smart conversion of temporary visitors to customers.
Why Does Lead Generation Matter?
As the Chief Product Officer of DataSift, Tim Barker once expertly pointed out, “Customers are now smarter, more connected, more informed, more influenced and influential socially, and less likely to respond to campaign-bait. Marketing has to create content people actually want.” That is exactly what lead generation allows for.
Proper lead generation requires evaluating audience profiles and the buyer journey, as well as outlining common customer pain points. When all these points are addressed, you can start creating content that will be specifically tiered to solving your customers’ problems. Through finding and converting qualified leads, you can boost brand awareness, form new customer relationships, and increase sales. A thorough lead generation approach helps you optimize your marketing and sales processes significantly.
Data shows that around 96% of prospects visiting your website are not ready to purchase your product. That is why targeting them at the right time in the right way is critical. Through a well-established lead generation journey and utilizing the best lead generation softwares, you can amplify your sales velocity, ensure marketing best practices and organizational alignment.
What Lead Generation Should Involve
Lead generation processes are not established over night. Your strategies should be formed after careful consideration and analysis of your prospective customer base and their expectations. When you are ready to go, you must have established:
- A thorough lead generation database: Through this database, you will be able to track your leads and connect them with the proper attributes and segmentations. Utilizing an automated lead generation software in this respect may be key.
- Putting content on the center of your lead-generation strategy: Content is what you will use to fuel your marketing and sales efforts. Necessary content channels include email, social media, blog posts, etc.
- Utilize an analytics engine: To properly track the returns of your lead generation investment, and be able to see the big picture of the funnel, an analytics engine may be helpful!
Overall, lead generation may be the way to go when you are trying to optimize your marketing and sales efforts and your overall customer outreach efficiency. To learn more about how Decktopus approaches the process, check out our website now.