Thursday, July 14, 2011

Formulating an Effective Lead Generation Policy

It is a widely known fact that businesses try to employ diverse and innovative methods in marketing. The Internet has provided a promising platform for B2B lead scoring companies to reach out to larger audiences. And these companies leave no stone unturned to carve a niche for themselves in the market. However, not all companies succeed in this effort. Due to time-consuming procedures and inefficient strategies, marketing efforts often fail.

One of the most important goals of marketing campaigns is identifying potential customers. And this is also the most formidable challenge that businesses face. Lead Generation can be quite intimidating, if businesses are not equipped with the right tools. Several marketing automation solutions have therefore been introduced with the aim to help sales and marketing teams understand buying patterns of customers, and market demands. These solutions also pave the way for successful lead generation.

Tips for Lead Generation
  • Studying Existing Customers & Competitors To initiate an effective lead generation campaign it is a prerequisite to understand the needs of your prospective leads. Obtaining feedback from customers, who have used the product/service before, can help in this regard.

Online polls, surveys, focus groups, and reviews are other means of understanding prospects’ needs. Reviews provide a healthy picture of what competitors have to offer, and this helps in comparing and assessing products/services. Focus groups are existing customers who can provide positive feedback regarding the resolving capabilities of the product offered.
  • Creating an Effective Campaign – Once the target audience has been identified, the business website can be used to communicate with them. A clear perspective of the product offered, its benefits, etc has to be provided. Businesses can leverage online opportunities such as blogs and article sites, which have been identified as two most popular ways to communicate with prospective leads. Sharing success stories and case studies are two other effective lead generation techniques. Prospects can also be nurtured with informative email messages and newsletters.
  • Thought Leadership Strategies – Lead generation efforts receive a tremendous boost when opinions of industry experts are offered to prospects. This can effectively arouse curiosity and attract the attention of customers.
  • Relevant Query Forms – It is important to ensure that the website contains relevant forms for enquiry. These forms should be easy to fill and should not have too many questions. Lengthy forms are time-consuming and can put-off prospects.
  • Lead Nurturing Strategies - Once leads have been generated successfully, lead nurturing programs have to be initiated. This would involve sending out relevant, interesting information, whitepapers, case studies etc, to keep prospects engaged. This can ensure that a credible relationship is built with the prospects.

Lead generation is the gateway to a successful sales endeavor. A careful effort to build a loyal relationship with prospects can always ensure long-term benefits.

Know more -
lead management

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