In the digital marketing landscape, lead generation is the beating heart of any strategy that aims to build and retain customers. It is a multifaceted process involving multiple steps and channels, all of which are crucial to nurturing your sales funnel and creating a steady stream of new business opportunities, serving as a catalyst for business growth. In this article, we are going to take an in-depth look at the concept of lead generation, understand why it is important, and provide a number of useful tips for implementing a successful strategy.
What is lead generation?
Lead generation refers to the process by which people interested in your products or services are attracted and converted into potential customers. The term “lead,” in fact, refers to an individual who has shown interest by providing their contact information that can be used to initiate targeted communication. This process, if well executed and leveraged, can lead to sustainable growth of your business.
In lead generation activities, we start with theanalysis of the potential customer looking for a product or service and the channels he uses most, because only after identifying them can we exploit them to come up with material interesting enough to catch his attention and convince him to leave his contacts in return.
Difference between leads and prospects
The terms “lead” and “prospect” are often, mistakenly, considered synonymous. In fact, while very similar, the meaning of these two words differs slightly.
A lead, as mentioned earlier, is a contact who has provided his or her e-mail address or phone number on a Web page to obtain more information about a product or service. We can call this person “lukewarm,” in that his interest is not yet fully established.
The prospect, on the other hand, is a lead who shows a growing interest in us and, potentially, may be inclined to buy and become our customer. In the journey of turning a complete stranger into a customer, the lead sits just below the prospect.
Types of leads
There are several categories by which collected contacts can be classified, each with well-defined characteristics. The main ones are:
- Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL): these are leads acquired by the internal marketing team who, although they show interest, are not yet ready for direct contact with a sales representative. A person who fills out a form on a landing page can be called an MQL;
- Sales Qualified Lead (SQL): these are leads who have taken actions indicative of advanced interest in the buying process. Anyone who fills out a specific information form regarding a specific product or service is an SQL;
- Product Qualified Lead (PQL): these are the leads who have already used a company’s product or service and have taken actions that detect their disposition to become “paying” customers. For example, a person who uses a free trial version and is inclined to upgrade to a paid version should be considered PQL.
These three macrocategories provide a clear picture of the different stages of a contact’s journey, allowing the marketing and sales team to customize their strategies according to the degree of engagement and interest shown by potential customers.
Why it is important to do lead generation
A digital marketing strategy focused on lead generation can prove to be a useful tool for increasing business revenue by stimulating more sales and generating more interested leads.
The advantage of this strategy is to generate a database of interested potential customers characterized by a strong propensity to purchase the offered product or service. This is done through precise “selection”: the sales message is conveyed only to certain target consumers, appropriately profiled through marketing tools.
We imagine this process as a kind of funnel, described by the English term funnel. The key concept is that, initially, many leads come into contact with a brand, but then only a few of them get to complete the buying process. Therefore, the goal is to generate as many leads as possible and subsequently convert as many as possible into customers.
It is essential to structure a coherent and reasoned path, consisting of different techniques and strategies from each other, in order to turn leads into loyal customers. Lead generation can offer a not inconsiderable competitive advantage to companies that understand how to incorporate it within their marketing strategy.
Lead generation: 5 useful tips for success
The success of a good lead generation campaign is evaluated on the basis of the number of prospects generated and their quality. In this context, there is little emphasis on actual customer acquisition, i.e., the volume of sales generated, since this figure is strongly influenced by the salesperson’s ability to propose the offer and close the sale. However, to be truly successful, keep these five essential tips in mind.
1. Profile your target audience
Understanding and understanding who your ideal customers and target audience are is the first step to successful lead generation. Analyze your current audience, identify demographic, behavioral and geographic characteristics. This will allow you to create ad hoc content and offers to increase your audience more.
2. Use optimized landing pages
Landing pages play a key role in lead generation: they are, in fact, the gateway to your conversions. Make sure your landing pages are clear, concise, action-oriented and optimized to maximize impact. A well-structured contact form, in which you request only essential information, will greatly increase the likelihood that your visitors will become leads.
3. Offer valuable content
The basis of lead generation is a very simple strategy: you need to give something useful to the person you want to get contact from. This “something in return” is called a lead magnet and is often identified as attractive material that can be downloaded or accessed easily. Here is where creating quality content then becomes critical to attracting and retaining the attention of your audience. Offer resources such as ebooks, webinars, whitepapers or other informational materials relevant to your industry. This content not only demonstrates your expertise, but often requires the visitor’s input of information, thus turning them into leads.
4. Harness the potential of social media
Social media, such as Facebook or Instagram, have become fertile ground for lead generation strategies. Use the social platforms best suited to your field of expertise to promote your content and engage your audience. Targeted social ad campaigns can amplify your reach and direct potential leads to your pages of interest.
5. Implement a nurturing system
Not all leads are ready for immediate purchase. One of the most important strategies is called lead n urturing (from the English to nurture) and involves providing targeted content over time. Sending informational emails, updates on company-exclusive products or services can keep your brand present in the contact’s mind until they are ready to convert.
De Marchi, the web agency for a winning strategy
As we have seen, capturing the attention of your target audience and converting leads into satisfied customers is no easy task. This is why it is good to rely on serious and capable professionals who can take care of every detail of your lead generation strategy.
We at De Marchi Studio , in more than two decades of experience in the field, have honed our skills in the field of communication and digital marketing, successfully guiding numerous businesses in the province of Bergamo through highly effective lead generation campaigns.
We understand that every business is unique. Our team of experts will work closely with you to understand your goals, your audience and the specific challenges of your industry, thereby creating a customized strategy that aims to acquire leads that are truly interested in your products/services, increasing the chances of conversion.
Transparency is at the heart of everything we do. We offer clear and detailed reports on the results of your campaigns, allowing you to closely monitor performance and make any ongoing optimizations.
By relying on Studio De Marchi, you will not only get high-quality leads, but also the all-around advice of our professionals dedicated to growing your business. Contact us today to start alongside us on a successful lead generation journey and take your business to the next level.