The Lead Generation is an evolved marketing tool . If declined with the correct mode, it can contribute significantly to the success of a business. In more direct terms, a well-made Lead Generation path allows you to generate potential customers for your company.
In this short guide we aim to explain what exactly Lead Generation is. Know what it entails and what benefits it can bring to your marketing project.
What is Lead Generation?
We can define Lead Generation as the set of marketing activities that aim to generate contacts. Which, by their nature and characteristics, can then be transformed into active customers of a company thanks to specific commercial actions. In practice, Lead Generation generates potential customers. They can become real and loyal at a later stage, i.e. the sales phase.
In the context of advanced digital marketing strategies, both for SMEs and large companies, Lead Generation is now a fundamental component. It is achieved through the correct marketing mix of web and social media tools. These may be email marketing to landing pages, from social media management to content marketing. There are many actions that can work in synergy to produce qualified contacts for companies. What is important is being able to find the right “recipe” for each project.
In essence, Lead Generation is nothing more than that marketing process. It is made up of initiatives that aim to identify, attract and collect sensitive users who are interested in your services or products. These users will spontaneously leave their data. The data is to receive more information or to be contacted and deepen their knowledge of what you have to offer. They will therefore become prospects. It is at this point, when they are susceptible to commercial actions that they will turn into leads. Finally, once made one or more purchases, they will be identifiable customers. Or, if particularly satisfied, they can be even promoters of your brand.
The most used techniques in Lead Generation
As we have mentioned, a successful Lead Generation is based on a correct marketing mix. That is, a set of resources and tools – which is calibrated according to the project and the customer. This means that virtually every Lead Generation project is unique and different from all the others.
The tools and techniques that can help generate leads for your photography company numerous and highly variable, but the main ones certainly include:
1. Content Marketing
It involves the creation of valuable content that highlights, explores or even solves specific user problems while generating, at the same time, an increase in the value of the brand (Brand Reputation) and its knowledge / diffusion (Brand Awareness). In particular, Content Marketing is declined on corporate blogs which, unlike the excessive self-referencing of the past, are now exceptional bi-univocal communication tools with the user, because they identify and understand his need and research and provide answers. According to Hubsppot, corporate blogs offer websites over 400% more pages indexed on search engines.
2. Contact forms
Whether they are located within website pages or landing pages, contact forms can be an exceptional vehicle for lead generation, especially when well-done from a graphic and textual point of view. It goes without saying that the user will tend to fill in a form only if you provide him with valuable content, and therefore offer him an advantage or a real resource that will lead him to want to know you better.
3. Email Marketing
Contrary to common belief, this marketing tool is experiencing a sort of second youth thanks to more advanced automation systems that generate efficient and performing workflows. Compared to the past, when the newsletter was sent in a generic and poorly targeted way, the current Email Marketing is calibrated, attentive, never annoying, and above all calibrated on the exact needs of the users it affects.
4. Premium content
Tutorials, insights, downloadable content such as white papers or eBooks, webinars, podcasts are just some of the many premium contents that can now be delivered to users as a “reward” for certain actions (for example, subscribing to a newsletter). Naturally, these contents must be really interesting, well made, and capable of bringing concrete value. They will also be provided in a very punctual and specific way with the support of appropriate Marketing Automation tools.
5. SEO
Optimization for search engines never goes out of fashion but, compared to the past in which it was perceived almost as the panacea for all ills, it now works in synergy with many other tools to ensure an increase in leads to companies. Doing SEO, remember, means operating in front-end and back-end on the website in order to make search engines like Google recognize it and position it for specific search keys, to be proposed to users who query the engine according to certain queries .
6. Social Media
Many and very different from each other, they will be defined and calibrated on the characteristics and needs of each user. The project may include Management activities, with the drafting of editorial plans and conversation calendars, interaction with users and direct videos or actions in real time, but also advertising activities on native platforms.
Other ingredients that can be included in the marketing mix for a Lead Generation project also include pop-ups, specific landing pages, chatboxes, opt-ins and reserved areas on the site, contests and competitions, AdWords campaigns.
What are the advantages of Lead Generation?
Finally, what are the advantages that Lead Generation can offer companies, and in particular SMEs or even micro-enterprises?
Here are the main ones:
- Better results than traditional marketing campaigns
- More accurate selection of initial contacts (i.e. generation of quality leads, intended as really interested in your product or service)
- Monitoring the costs of individual marketing activities
- Measurability of results thanks to advanced monitoring systems
- More accurate control of the state of the leads (cold, warm, hot)
- Increase in Brand Awareness and Brand Reputation
- Increase in virtuous communications with potential and acquired customers
- Optimization of marketing actions and, consequently, of investment
- Increased consumer loyalty and word of mouth
- Increase in turnover