Lead Generation is the art of converting a website visitor into leads. For that to materialize, marketers need to be armed with lead contact information such as email id, phone no, company name, demographic details etc. Once this information is made available, leads can be qualified and Sales teams can work on them (lead nurturing) to convert them into customers.
Most buyers prefer to do their research about the product and features online before reaching out for human assistance. In fact, many companies have already created processes to reach out to people who want to be identified – they know what to do when someone responds to an RFP, or fills up a Contact Us form. But the missing element here is the ‘huge’ volume of visitors who do not perform any activity that will register their presence on the website.
Most B2B marketers still use trade shows and other events for lead generation software. Prospect information gathered through offline registrations and word-of-mouth referrals can be used for lead generation.
Some B2B organizations even tie-up with 3rd party content sites like TechCrunch, Technorati etc., to capture form-fill data (who use assets like white papers, case studies etc. as lead baits to attract visitors). By synergizing between 3rd party list providers, companies can get data and insights which can be used for custom nurturing of leads.
By using marketing automation software, marketers can
- Drive results for teams like Inside Sales, Sales, Marketing and Web Optimization.
- Can get real time information on the decision maker or influencer of the purchasing decision, in a manner that can be leveraged by an organization to convert its website visitors into opportunities that can be nurtured into business deals, thus enabling sales to clinch deals faster.
- The business intelligence gained can reveal where they are in their purchase cycle.
- Manage all contacts at one place
- Run automated and custom nurturing campaigns (as appropriate)to convert them into opportunities and customer wins.
- Send out highly targeted, carefully crafted emails with links to the company website.
- Conduct intent-based e-mail campaigns for a targeted audience, based on the intelligence displayed/exhibited.
- Send out newsletters about industry developments and other interesting technology related news.
- Depending on the intent marketers can engage the prospect by sending out related articles and white papers to sustain the interest shown.
Lead generation is today crucial for business growth. It is an essential marketing strategy in the competitive marketplace.
Know more - lead management software, automated lead scoring