Ask any business owner, and they will say that they are worried for their business due to increasing competition and uncertainty. They complain that it is becoming challenging to generate sales as countless businesses are vying for the same market share. If you are worried about sales, you need to invest in lead generation. Whether a business provides B2B services or B2C, lead generation is an integral part of an organization. It is not possible to run a business successfully without it. So, what exactly is lead generation?
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LEAD GENERATION
Recently, a friend was narrating a story that he was looking for a new job and had applied to different positions. Every time the phone rang, he got excited, thinking it was from a company he had applied to. Unfortunately, it was someone trying to sell him insurance or another product each time. These calls are an example of lead generation. If you open your email and go to the spam folder, you will see promotional emails. Again, these are an example of lead generation.
But what is it?
It usually refers to an individual who has shown interest in a company’s product or services being offered. There are different sources of lead generation. It may come through a website, word of mouth, advertising, etc. Nowadays, a large chunk of leads is generated through digital platforms, which is why companies spend a lot of money on digital marketing strategies.
It develops a desire in an individual toward the company’s product/service. In return, the individual contacts the organization for further information, eventually leading to sales. We can say that lead generation is a beginning process that helps the company to turn a potential buyer into a regular customer.
IMPORTANCE OF LEAD GENERATION
A one-word answer to why lead generation is essential is “revenue”. Every company aspires to create new leads to generate money. Simply relying on existing buyers to purchase goods or services is not sufficient. To secure the company’s future and finances, organizations need to attract new people all the time. It is precisely what lead generation provides.
Lead generation is an integral part of a digital marketing and sales strategy because people do not go to a shop to get information about a product. They rather visit the company’s website to gain information. If we talk about social media, it goes side by side with the website. A large portion of the lead is generated through social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The lead also can interact with a business directly on these platforms.
Moreover, the lead can check the reviews and ratings of other customers. It was not the case in the past. It was difficult for the customer to get to know about the business. There was no way of communicating apart from visiting the store physically or calling them, which also was a bit complicated and, at times, an unconvincing process. If we talk about today, we live in an age of digitalization. It has brought a huge opportunity to know about a business entity and excellent chances for converting a lead into a buyer.
IMPORTANT LEAD GENERATION TECHNIQUES
1. LEAD GENERATORS
As said earlier, businesses are finding it challenging to generate sales. It has led to businesses that specialize in lead generation services. They are called lead generators. Some excel in B2B lead generation, while others excel in B2C. They study your organization and then develop a strategy to generate leads. Some tools aid in lead generation.
For example, Belkins has a tool called ‘Folder’. Earlier, we mentioned how promotional tools end up in the spam folder. Businesses spend considerable time and resources on these emails. When they end up in the spam folder, it does not benefit them. Belkin’s tool ensures that your promotional tools go directly to the inbox rather than the spam or junk folder. A prospective customer is likelier to read an email in the inbox than one in the spam folder.
2. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
According to Statista, there are more than 4 billion active social media users worldwide. This number is only expected to increase in the coming years as well. It means that more than half of the world’s population is present on social media. Therefore, companies use social media platforms to promote their products and services where many leads are available. Social media has become the biggest platform for connecting individuals with the brands they require.
3. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)
Another important and widely used method of generating leads is SEO. It is a strategy whose purpose is to improve your website’s ranking in the search engine. The higher your rank is, the more the chances are of people coming to your website. It results in a traffic increase which leads to higher leads.
4. CONTENT MARKETING
We have heard so many times that “Content is King”. But did you ever think about where this originated from? It goes way back to 1996. It was the title of an article published by Bill Gates on his website. When people did not even know what the internet was, no one had an idea of digitalization. After several years the world realized and witnessed what Bill Gates was trying to say.
Content marketing is the most widely recognized method of generating leads. The content needs to be of good quality to create interest and attract people. It needs to give all the relevant information about the product. You might think that content refers to text alone, but that is not the case. Images, audios, and videos are all examples of content. If a YouTuber mentions a particular product in their podcast, they are trying to generate leads for that product.
Digital Methods of Generating Leads
Apart from these, there are other methods as well for lead generation. The most notable is Google Ads. The market is changing every day due to search engine algorithm changes and other online marketing tools. Many companies give undue weightage to traditional methods instead of using digital techniques.
Businesses need to understand that people’s buying behavior is changing, and they prefer the digital ways now. Organizations that are not using the existing trends for lead generation are at a high risk of being thrown out of the industry by their competitors who use digital methods for lead generation.
Wrap Up
It concludes our article on lead generation. After reading this article, we are confident that you know everything there is to know about lead generation, its importance, and techniques for generating leads. If you have any questions or suggestions, do not hesitate to contact us. Thank You.