Lead generation what is it?
When we talk about Lead generation we are basically talking about the creation and obtaining of leads , or contacts that are useful on a commercial level for a business project.
Through a series of targeted actions, lead generation aims to obtain well-profiled contacts based on the type of “audience” a company is targeting . This obviously leads to an immediate benefit in terms of time and resources, because it optimizes the strategies with which useful leads are generated.
To date, the best channels to focus on for this type of results are mainly digital: the web and its means of communication are used to expand the possibilities of reaching new potential customers who are truly interested in what is proposed.
What tools to use for lead generation
Among what Digital Marketing offers us today, the tools for obtain profiled and quality leads they base their effectiveness on undertaking a strategy that moves in different directions, always keeping in mind what is the medium that is being used, the target audience to which it is aimed and what is the final goal for which all these activities are undertaken.
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SEO and corporate blog
A blog or a corporate magazine, full of interesting and valuable content, allows a positioning on search engines, but at the same time, allows the natural visitors (because they already know the brand) of the site to find useful information and to get a more specific idea of corporate identity.
HubSpot conducted a study which found that blogs offer websites 434% more indexed pages and 97% more links to their website.
Making lead generation through SEO, passes through contact channels: classic contact forms, links to downloadable content, newsletter subscriptions, to name a few.
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SEM
Advertising has always been perceived as the most immediate and simplest way to acquire leads . This is partly true, but behind an ad on Google, for example, there must be a strategy work , which allows you to compete on important and valuable keywords, without necessarily putting in large capital. An experienced SEM is able to set up and manage campaigns optimized to receive valuable contacts, choosing the right strategy.
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Social Media Marketing
Never as in recent years, “business” is done on social media. Facebook and Instagram are very popular in the B2C market, while LinkedIn is the reference platform for B2B . Leveraging social media based on your audience is the benefit of a good social media marketing campaign.
This does not mean using advertising only, but, especially in the business environment, engaging an audience with interesting, useful and always different content . Transmitting the values of a company, its objectives and goals, will increase its trust and make it more engaging to connect with it. The interconnection with a network of professionals will make it possible to create a set of contacts, a common thread of people, a virtual word of mouth oriented towards brand marketing.
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Lead Magnet
As the term itself says, the Lead magnet is a “magnet” for obtaining leads . It is about attracting the potential customer through something that entices them to leave their data on the form made available. Depending on the audience you are targeting, the most effective lead magnets can be:
- downloadable in-depth content (guides, pdf with case studies or white papers, ebooks etc …)
- free webinars
- infographics
- info product
All these contents must have a quality and validity that entice the potential customer to contact you again, as a company. Otherwise it would be a useless effort, to offer something that does not lead to a real conversion of the lead into a useful contact.
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Email Marketing
Last but not least, among the various types of tools available, email marketing requires, in the first instance, the acquisition and use of a database from which to extrapolate email addresses useful for the campaign.
Whether it is a database obtained from third-party sources, or built over the years through commercial contacts or the like, we are still talking about something with a useful value for promotion purposes. Doing email marketing without email addresses would be impossible.
With email marketing we can structure different modes of interaction : newsletter, to keep potential customers updated; promotional campaigns; surveys or questionnaires to get to know your audience better; welcome and thank you mail.
In any case, direct contact aims to create greater involvement and interest in the potential customer , with the desire to transform him into an actual customer.
Optimize Lead Generation with the most suitable tools
Once we have obtained a lead, or more leads, we must then be able to manage it, to make it pay off to the fullest. Not all leads will turn into new customers, this is obvious, but they will allow us to take full advantage of our inbound marketing campaigns , through a careful analysis of the results and the implementation of some tricks to make everything more effective.
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Marketing automation
Optimize and automate , these are the keywords that define marketing automation. All the campaigns conducted on the various channels will bring results that will in some way be organized and recorded. Marketing automation software platforms allow you to synchronize information with a corporate CRM, track activities and develop automatisms for sending newsletters, for example.
This leads to a streamlining of work on the human side , and allows you to control and measure digital marketing activities with extreme effectiveness. Marketing automation tools such as Hubspot , Mailchimp or ActiveCampaign will allow the creation of automated communication systems via email, while others such as Unbounce will be essential for the creation of ad hoc landing pages. Only in this way can a lead become an actual prospect.
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Lead Nurturing
You were able to drive traffic to the site and get leads. Now this lead needs to be converted, creating an effective relationship with the potential customer.
If marketing automation gives us the technical tools with which to manage leads and workflows, to categorize potential customers based on requests, needs, habits, lead nurturing is the next step: it is the cuddle with which we will make sure to address the right message based on the contact we are addressing .
Communication now becomes one to one, which will allow you to retain the potential customer, and give the input so that you become an actual customer.
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KPIs and final conclusions
It’s time to take stock: how useful and valid was the lead generation campaign created for the company? What results have they achieved?
With the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) we measure the degree of achievement of the objectives we set ourselves: is the CPL (cost per lead) sustainable? Does the Life Time Value of the contact obtained have a value within my Database?
Using Google Analytics it will be possible to track some data: origin of contacts, interaction path, reference SEM campaigns.
With other tools, based on SEO analysis ( SEMrush , SEOzoom ) it will be important to define which keywords have found the most success on search engines.
Each of these metrics will go to implement my wealth of information, and will serve to optimize the lead generation campaign implemented, so that it is more and more effective.
INGODigital for lead generation
By following step by step the digital strategies useful for the enhancement of its customers, INGODigital is able to create lead generation campaigns designed specifically for the needs of each company.