What is Lead Generation? - How to utilize MA tool
Lead generation is an effort to acquire prospective customers. It refers to the process of gaining awareness of a company's products and services and seeking out interested prospects.
The Internet has enabled consumers to gather a wide variety of information. Nowadays, it is easy to check word-of-mouth before making a purchase using social networking sites. As a result, consumers are increasingly averse to direct approaches from salespeople. Many people may feel that traditional sales styles, such as tele-appointments and dive sales, are not working well.
This is where lead generation is gaining attention. By finding potential customers through lead generation, nurturing them, and building a relationship of trust with them, you can expect to increase your deal and order rates.
In this article, we will introduce lead generation, which is an effective way to acquire new customers.
What is lead generation?
Lead generation refers to activities to acquire prospective customers. It mainly aims at acquiring personal information of individuals and companies that are interested in the company's services and products. web advertising, contents, SEO measures, and seminars are utilized to acquire lead information with a high level of willingness to purchase as much as possible.
What is Demand Generation?
A term similar to lead generation is "demand generation.
Demand generation refers to all activities that are undertaken to acquire customers. The goal is to maximize the number of business negotiations by creating new business opportunities.
The activities are broadly divided into three categories: lead generation, lead nurturing, and lead qualification.
Based on the information obtained from lead generation, lead nurturing nurtures prospective customers by providing them with necessary information and resolving their questions and concerns. Then, in lead qualification, hot leads that are likely to lead to a contract are selected, and finally passed on to sales to generate business opportunities.
In other words, lead generation is a part of demand generation and is the first and most important step in the process.
Lead generation methods
So what methods are available for lead generation? Here are some specific methods.
Content Marketing
This is a method of acquiring lead information by sending out information needed by customers on the company's website, blog, etc., in order to attract "potential customers" from search engines and social networking services, and to have them become fans of the company.
There are various types of "content. Online content includes reviews, videos, articles, case studies, and white papers, while offline content includes print media.
Unlike web advertising, content marketing has no restrictions on duration or cost, so you can freely make proposals that express your company's color. The key is to understand the concept of your product or service and choose content that is likely to lead to results.
Exhibitions & Events
Traditional trade shows and events are also effective means of acquiring leads. Recently, "online exhibitions" are also attracting attention due to the new Corona.
It is important to clarify the concept and purpose of the event to determine the type of event that will yield the best results and the type of users to whom the event should appeal. If you can make many contacts with customers, you will be able to gather a lot of lead information from business cards and questionnaires.
Recently, in addition to participating in other companies' trade shows, companies are also increasingly organizing their own online trade shows. Since there is a high degree of freedom and no limitation on the duration of the event, if it is operated properly, high results can be expected as a lead generation measure.
Seminar
This is a method of holding a seminar at your company and collecting lead information from business cards and questionnaires filled out by visitors. Since the seminar is about the company's products and services, the sensitivity of the customers is high, and it is easy to obtain hot leads that are likely to be converted into deals.
Recently, with the spread of telework, many webinars are also being held using Zoom and other web-based tools. Webinars allow the organizer to share a screen with users, allowing them to hold and participate in a seminar anywhere and from any location.
Since a large venue is not required, this can also reduce costs. Another advantage is that webinars can be recorded and used as video content at a later date.
Telemarketing & Door-to-door Sales
Traditional sales methods such as tele-appointments and dive sales are also categorized as lead generation measures. Although they are inefficient methods, they have the great advantage of approaching companies with which you have no contact at all.
If you actively engage in sales, you will be able to find potential customers who are unaware of your products and services.
DM（Form DM）
Direct mail (DM), which has been utilized for a long time, is another technique for acquiring new customers. there are several methods of DM, including e-mail, mail, and fax, and recently "form DM," in which sales are conducted through a company's inquiry form, has been increasing.
Another effective method is to send DMs when holding an exhibition, using the organizer's list instead of the company's own list. By including a postcard requesting information in the invitation to the event, you will be able to contact customers with whom you had no previous contact.
Online Advertisement
Online advertisement s a method of placing advertisements in the Internet media to direct users to your company's website or "landing pages" that specialize in obtaining conversions (results).
We aim to acquire lead information in a variety of ways, including advertisements on major websites such as Yahoo! Select the appropriate platform and method after clarifying the purpose of your ad placement and the target of your product or service.
Concepts required for lead generation
Next, we will discuss three key ideas that are necessary to advance lead generation.
The first is not to be overly conscious of the number of leads acquired.
If the number of leads is low, you will not be able to get your next lead nurturing campaign off the ground. But to increase the number of leads, be careful not to offer free services, attract customers with promotions, or make deals all over the place. This may attract leads with low purchasing intent, making it difficult to achieve results.
It is important to target users with high needs. Aim to acquire leads that lead to profits.
Second, do not be wary of personal information.
Every year, customers become more and more wary of their personal information. They are concerned that their information may be misused or leaked, or that they may receive persistent sales calls.
Therefore, it is essential to clearly state your privacy policy, security measures, and SSL support on your site. If customers feel reassured, it will be easier to acquire leads.
Third, set KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
Quantify the series of steps to lead acquisition, such as the number of website visits and form completion rates, and set KPIs for each process. If there are indicators that anyone can understand, it will be easier to set goals, and employee awareness of the measures will increase. Also, when problems arise, such as a decline in the number of leads acquired, they can be efficiently resolved.
MA tool for efficient lead generation
MA tools are the most important tools to keep in mind as they help with lead generation. Here we will introduce the use of MA tools in lead generation.
What is an MA tool
MA tools are marketing automation tools that visualize and automate marketing activities.
With an MA tool, you can automate and centrally manage information on prospective customers that was previously managed manually. MA tools can also distribute e-mails in response to user responses, detect hot prospects and notify salespeople, and efficiently generate business opportunities at the most appropriate time.
How to use in lead generation
So, how should MA tools be used for actual lead generation? Here are some examples.
Recognize site visitors
With MA tools, you can analyze site visitors and understand which companies are visiting your site. If a potential target company is accessing the site, you can use the company log to send a DM or make a direct phone call to approach the company. You can also obtain company information such as industry and number of employees, which will be useful for future marketing activities.
Analyze and improve content
MA tools can also analyze access logs to analyze what companies are reading which pages and where they left the site. This allows you to see if your content is reaching your target companies and what kind of information they are looking for.
If there is no traffic from the target industries or companies, the content needs to be improved. On the other hand, if the content is reaching the target companies, we can take the next step, such as sending out invitations to seminars and exhibitions.
If you receive traffic from an unexpected industry, it is also effective to create different content for that market; MA tools can make your content marketing more efficient.
Creation of registration forms to create a database
With MA tools, it is possible to create registration forms and even automatically create a database of the information entered. Since information on potential customers is automatically accumulated, it can be immediately used in marketing activities.
Since forms are easy to create, we recommend that you create a white paper that summarizes the information you need and add a form for downloading the documents.
For users who are "interested, but not enough to inquire," creating content with low hurdles, such as "download useful materials" or "free subscription," will make it easier for them to register for a form. Create lots of forms to capture customer information.
Summary
Sales departments alone tend to neglect "potential customers" and "potential clients. This is because it takes a lot of man-hours before a deal is made. However, leaving potential customers, whose level of consideration can be raised by nurturing them, as they are, leads to a major opportunity loss, and there is a high possibility that they will drift away to a competitor.
Therefore, acquiring potential customers through lead generation and successfully implementing demand generation will prevent potential customers from being "left unattended. Furthermore, if a series of processes can be systematized using MA tools, it will be possible to create a strong sales organization that can consistently receive orders.
There are still many potential customers who do not know about your products and services. We offer MA tools and other tools that can be tried for free, so why don't you start lead generation while making good use of digital technology?
