What is lead generation?
Generate leads (in English, lead generation ) is the first stage of the lead management process. It coincides with the prospecting process. It all starts with potential customers who have shown any form of interest in a product or service, so before you want to make a sale, you have to contact or re-contact them.
The simple production of a database is rarely the goal of lead generation. Quality also plays a central role. Each potential customer may have a different value. Indeed a user who leaves contact details as part of an online game or to participate in a raffle will have a much lower cost than a user who voluntarily subscribes to a newsletter; this last example indeed shows the person’s substantial interest in a business to obtain more information about products or services. This characterizes the difference between what we call “cold leads” and “hot leads.” At least initially, the first has no interest in a product or a company, while the second is interested precisely in an item or a service.
Lead generation tactics: strategies to generate leads
There are several approaches and practices in lead management that determine the methods and strategies used. From the start, it is essential to define the strategic direction of your campaign. This will help determine the tactics of lead generation.
How to communicate with your customers and via which media? Emphasis can indeed be placed on traditional methods such as canvassing and print advertising, or the contrary. The effort can be concentrated on online networks such as social networks, for example.
Are you going to go for the “push” or “pull” strategy?
- Which method will you choose for your campaign? Or the “push” principle is more traditional and consists of promoting, pushing a product towards the consumer. The “pull” principle relies more on advertising communication to attract the customer to a brand, a company. How do you currently generate leads? Direct marketing is based on contacting the customer and delivering a personalized message, while inbound marketing is based on letting the customer come rather than fetching him.
Should the emphasis be on the quality or quantity of leads?
The answer to this question is strongly related to the range and nature of your products and services. Indeed, a single high-quality lead is essential when it comes to expensive products or high-end services. Conversely, it makes more sense to have the most significant number of leads to make the process profitable for other areas.
Here are a few examples:
- Letter: leads are directly contacted by message. They can utilize a structure, including a return envelope, to express their interest in the product or service and request further information.
- Lottery and competition: to participate in a contest, many people are happy to provide their contact details. If they consent, a company can also use this data for other contacts.
- Landing page: An interested person has reached the landing page via a search engine and can leave their data there to obtain additional information about the offer.
- Newsletter: leads can also be contacted through emails sent regularly and cover company news, and present new offers.
- Personal conversation: Representatives and sales representatives can collect customer data, for example, at trade fairs and exhibitions and B2B commerce.
- Social media: Via social networks, users can follow the online profiles of companies. Fans and followers can then be contacted through the appropriate platform.
Ways to generate leads
There are several types of lead generation. They differ in particular in terms of communication. They can be classified into the following categories:
- Outdoor: “outdoor” or outdoor communication is a strategy that focuses on traditional efforts to generate leads such as, for example, trade fairs, exhibitions, promotion, collaboration in events, etc. Company employees attend events or trade shows to approach potential customers. This classic method of lead generation is often time-consuming and quite expensive.
- Print: “print” or paper communication is another classic method of generating leads through newspaper or magazine advertising. Finally, the sending of advertising letters is still heavily used.
- Telephone: when we talk about lead generation by telephone, we must distinguish between “inbound” and “outbound” calls. Customer services and call centers play an essential role since they can accept incoming calls and gain potential customers. Needs “outbound” is also possible; however, quite strict legal requirements must be met when contacting people by phone for advertising or commercial purposes.
- Online: Online lead generation occurs in almost all online channels: via emails, social networks, on your website or blog, or even via banner ads or advertisements that redirect directly to a specific page. Finally, the content formats are different, and incentives are significant, such as white papers (practical guide on a product in particular), ebooks, blogs, etc.