The Gist of Lead Generation

If you are the owner or manager of a small- to medium-sized business, and have heard the term “lead generation” but aren’t sure how it might apply to you, this post will help to explain the basics.

What Exactly Is Lead Generation?

Lead generation is a rather loose marketing term that refers to attracting individual consumer or businesses to your company’s products, services or offerings. There are various methods and tools that are used to develop such leads, from telemarketing to direct response advertising to sophisticated computer and database programs.

Most often, lead generation (also known as lead-gen) is created to develop sales leads through things like email newsletters, contact forms, and so on. Sometimes lead generation refers to business-to-business (B2B) transactions, but it also applies to companies that want to generate connections directly with consumers.

There is both inbound lead gen, and outbound lead gen:

• Inbound: this means that consumers or other business are coming to your company; they are initiating the contact. An example of inbound lead gen is when a consumer comes to your website via a Google search and lands on your home page, your blog, or your social media site.
• Outbound: in this scenario, your firm sends out various marketing messages. This communication can be via such vehicles as email, newsletters, or phone calls.

Lead generation is important to companies of all sizes. And even though some of the largest corporations have whole teams devoted only to lead gen, it should be a part of any company’s marketing strategy, not matter what the size.

Lead Gen on a Time and Money Budget

If you have limited time and financial resources (like most respondents in the annual study entitled the B2B Marketing Report), what simple steps can you take to have an effective lead gen strategy?

The practice doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive:

1. One important, first step you can take is to simply think about the concept. How can your small-to-medium sized business attract new sales leads? What areas can you tap for potential new customers? What is your competition doing to attract business?
2. You already know who your current customers are, but do you have a process in place to systematically bring in new people or business? You also should be sure to know your prospects: for example, if you manufacture the latest in fancy, high-end downhill ski equipment, you should not be targeting elderly golfers in your outbound marketing.
3. Content is king: ensure that all types of content—website, blog, newsletter, social media—is perfect and timely! Make it a point to audit your various sites every quarter to see that all information is up to date, and refresh at least parts of it regularly. Try to make forms as short as possible, and state clearly how the prospect’s information will or will not be used.
4. Consider a one- or two-page mini version of your main site. These sites are intended to pique a visitor’s interest and entice them to contact you for more information. Quick snippets of information in different types of content blocks can be used, such as client testimonials, contact forms, blogs, and embedded videos. Again, the goal is to draw people in.

Step Up Your Lead Generation Efforts

Lead generation doesn’t have to be highly technical or fancy, but it does take a certain amount of dedication. If you need the help of a professional firm experienced in building lead gen sites and offering related services, get in touch with efelle creative in Seattle today! Call us at 206.384.4909 or fill out our online contact form to reach an online marketing and website design specialist.