What is lead generation: cost, types, channels and methods

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"Lead generation is a way to attract leads" © (author unknown).

It's not that hard to explain what lead generation is . What's harder is to convey to the reader why leads in business are a topic that an entrepreneur must inevitably study if he or she wants to take his or her project, as Jim Collins says, "from good to great."

Lead generation – what is it?
Lead generation, in simple terms, is any method you use to collect a client base. If you throw away the stupid and illegal ones, there aren’t many left. The main thing in this process is to interest a person enough for him to take the first step toward the sales funnel. For example, leave his email. From that moment on, he is your “lead”. We’ll talk about what leads are in business a little later.

Lead generation for business is always about attracting potential clients. The only differences are in your area of ​​activity and methods of evaluating effectiveness.

Lead Generation for e-Commerce

If you are the owner of an online store, then the efficiency of lead generation, which your marketing has provided, will be shown by the conversion (unique purchases divided by the total number of visitors). If this indicator is growing, then your marketer was right to google " lead generation: how to set up ". Conversion is also increased by improving the usability of the site and the most understandable ordering mechanism.

SaaS lead generation

If your business is cloud software and other online services, the percentage of registrations to visitors will help you evaluate how lead generation works . Promise the visitor a benefit that they will receive after registration - this will increase the likelihood that they will be interested and become a client. Of course, the benefit must be real. For example, after registration, they will receive an e-book on business in PDF format by email.

Lead generation B2B

The B2B sphere is the most conservative in terms of marketing. If you have on page seo service managed to interest a decision-maker with a well-thought-out marketing campaign, this does not mean that he or she will become a client. Here, a lot still depends on the degree of your openness, the ability to inspire trust in the interlocutor and conclude deals in live communication. The more interested contacts the campaign brings, the more effective it is.




What is a lead?
A lead is a person who has shown interest in your product and provided an opportunity to contact them. The final goal of further communication may differ slightly from project to project (although its essence is always the same - monetization), but the first step from presentation to deal is always the same and consists of establishing a communication tool with a potential client.

You become someone's lead every time you:

Register on the website
Subscribe to the newsletter
Send via the contact form any of your contacts (mail, phone, link for personal messages on social networks, etc.)
Click on a commercial offer (banner, link, etc.)
You agree to display notifications in the browser
Install the application
And other things
what is the lead generation in marketing

Types of Leads
Cold leads
These are people whose interest was minimal. They either gave you their contacts by accident or acted impulsively - that is, without serious intentions. The chances of them becoming clients are small.

Warm leads
Potential clients who are interested in a product similar to yours, but have not yet made their final decision. For example, if a person filled out a contact form and asked a question about the product in an online chat, this is a warm lead. Prove your advantages to him – and the client is yours.

Hot leads
People who have "come to the right condition" and are ready to become your clients. Nurture and cherish this desire in them - but not longer than it takes to close the deal. Otherwise, they will cool off and go to a competitor.

Leads in Marketing
Marketing qualified leads (MQL) are all the people who have shown interest in your product. This category includes both cold and warm/hot leads. In any case, these “raw” leads still need to be worked on to either “warm them up” or send them directly to the sales department. Typical sources of lead generation in such cases are:

subscribing to a newsletter (possibly an impulsive decision);
reading several articles on a blog (idle interest is possible);
clicking on an advertisement (may be an accidental click);
filling out a contact form (email is left in exchange for immediate benefit - for example, a material bonus for registration).
The goal of the next stage of working with such an audience is to identify and filter out those who are categorically not interested in your product. The rest are classified as possible future buyers and are subject to “warming up” by your sales department.

Sales Leads
The so-called SQL (sales qualified leads) are leads interested in buying (i.e. warm and hot). They differ from leads in advertising in that the next stage is most likely the conclusion of a deal, and not additional warming up. These can be people:

those who applied;
those who have placed an order (and are awaiting confirmation from you);
in any other way giving you the initiative in their service;
agreed to try out a test version of a product/application/service;
leads who were once your clients.
Sales leads are essentially customers and clients. The less time it takes you to move them through the sales funnel, the more likely they are to not only close a deal, but also return to you in the future.

Lead generation methods and channels
What are leads and lead generation – we figured it out. Now about the most interesting part: what exactly should you do to get leads? We won’t reveal America: it depends on your field of activity. To decide on the methodology, read the article to the end. So, the practical side of the issue looks like this.

Personal interaction
This method perfectly demonstrates what is “do-it-yourself” lead generation, and involves “live” communication with the client. In this case, you either call or meet with the target audience, identify their interests and demonstrate the advantages of your offer. The channels of attraction in this case are:

Telemarketing (telephone marketing: this includes cold and hot calling, and inbound hotlines);
Personal meetings;
Event marketing (presentations, seminars, conferences).