Lead Marketing Systems: Where Do Leads Come From?
New customer leads can come from anywhere. We think most people would agree with us when we suggest that the best ones are referrals from family and friends. But more and more, high quality leads are being driven by data-supported marketing systems that combine common sense marketing intelligence with technology.
So back to the question, which actually came out of a client meeting not too long ago. Again, new leads can come from anywhere. A person can see a TV commercial, search for the product and read everything about it online before they initiate a contact with a seller. The same holds true for a radio commercial, magazine ad, billboard, or any one of many online sites.
This is where an integrated marketing program really comes into play; where everything you do from a marketing perspective is coordinated and integrated together to make marketing systems work more seamlessly and effectively.
On the Internet, there are many sources of web traffic that have the potential to turn into a new customer. Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Twitter can all bring new opportunities into the lead generation ecosystem. Advertising display networks, such as Google, deliver effective ads that people see and click on to learn more. Buyers search every second for everything on Google or Bing or Yahoo. Off-site content such as a guest blog, press release, infographic or review distributed through referral sites can send even more traffic your way.
Across the board and in most every industry that we work, email is a stable driver of leads. In many cases, it’s the best driver. But you can’t forget about the other fundamentals of an effective digital marketing program, including SEO, PPC, affiliates and display – all designed to drive web traffic and sales.
But the program doesn’t stop when you get someone on your website, does it? You have to convince the lead to do something that may result in a sale later. They must fill out a form or make the call and initiate the inquiry, which leads to validation/qualifying of the lead. From there, either marketing automation or sales contacts can help move the lead marketing process into the sales process…and hopefully result in a sale.
The rise of digital marketing has made the generation of lead marketing a much more complicated process. Today, there are more options at your disposal than ever before to generate new leads and attract new customers. Strategically putting a plan together that does just that is the key. If we at Callis can assist you with this, please contact us. Lead generation has become a major focus of our work today for our clients. Happy selling!
