Lead generation is the process of identifying and generating interest in your company’s product or service, with the goal of converting that interest into a sale. One of the primary goals of lead generation online is collecting the visitor’s contact information at some point on the website. This can be done via a web form, offering a white paper to download for free, or offering a discount for the first product bought/free shipping – typically those last two are accomplished by providing contact information such as name and email. Let’s review in more detail what kind of leads there are.
The first is an MQL – marketing qualified lead. As mentioned above, this lead comes from your marketing efforts, such as offering a free white paper download. More than likely this individual is still very early in the conversion/buying process and seeking more information.
The next type of lead is a PQL – product-qualified lead. These leads have an interest in your services by signing up for a free trial or reaching out directly to ask questions.
Then you have a sales-qualified lead (SQL). These leads have an immediate interest in your offerings and demonstrate this by requesting a quote.
The last type of lead is a service qualified lead. These leads are already customers and are usually looking to make a change in their current product.
So why is lead generation so important? Think of it like college football and recruiting – recruiting is the lifeblood of the program – new players must come in so the program can be sustained. It’s the same thing with business, certainly repeat but also new clients are necessary for a company to sustain and grow.
Employing Lead Generation tactics helps identify, attract, and convert leads into growth for the company.
Let’s look at a few tried and true lead generation strategies.
Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, when used correctly, is a tremendous way to generate leads. The goal here is to deploy keyword strategy so your page appears as high as possible on SERPs.
Paid advertising is another great way to generate leads. Advertisements are commonly placed on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google, and many more.
Email marketing is also effective in generating leads, both with current clients and prospective clients. Campaigns can be set up based on the lead type. The key with email marketing is making sure more than just information about your company’s services is provided. Customers will continue to subscribe if they are getting valuable or useful information from the email.
Expanding on paid advertising, social media marketing is another method of Lead Generation.
Social media marketing can be broken up into two categories: organic content and paid advertising. Social media marketing is unique because it varies based on your company and your objectives. Some companies may use it to generate interest in a product or service the company offers, and some companies use it primarily for brand recognition and to build trust in their community.
Raborn Media is a leading marketing firm prepared to help guide you through successful lead generation ideas and strategies. We ultimately want to help you achieve your business goals in the most cost-efficient manner possible, and we’re ready to assist with lead generation tactics to help grow your company.
