Lead generation: Get to know 5 methods of acquiring new customers!

The purpose of lead generation is to acquire potential customers - i.e. leads. A distinction is made between qualified leads, which are highly likely to become customers, and less qualified leads.

 

In individual lead management, which follows lead generation, leads are accompanied throughout the entire customer journey until they make a purchase.

 

In view of the many lead generation methods available, we decided to write this blog post. We will explain the 5 most effective lead generation methods and give you tips on how to implement them.

 

Lead generation: definition and basic information

The term "lead generation" refers to the process in which you generate leads. Leads are interested parties for your offers. There are different quality levels of leads. The quality levels help you to assess how easy or difficult it is to convert the lead into a paying customer.

 

• Cold leads: These are people who at best have an initial interest, but are still a long way from making a purchase.
• Warm leads: These are clearly interested parties. As a rule, they would first like to find out more about the company's offer, but can already imagine making a purchase.
• Hot leads: These are people with a clear intention to buy. They usually already know exactly which product or service they want to buy.

 

Instead of cold, warm and hot leads, we also speak of unqualified (cold), qualified (warm) and highly qualified (hot) leads. There are also other categorizations to describe the quality of leads. In the context of our definition, the lead types mentioned here are sufficient.

 

In the course of lead generation, measures are taken to attract potential customers. Some measures are specifically aimed at generating warm and/or hot leads. However, the majority of measures are used to generate leads in general - i.e. regardless of qualification.

 

Lead management follows on from lead generation

Lead management is used to manage leads and convert them into paying customers. Lead management follows on from lead generation. It describes the process by which leads are individually guided through the customer journey depending on their quality - cold, warm or hot.

 

As part of the customer journey, prospective customers are provided with suitable content for each phase of their purchasing process. Companies are therefore well advised to cover both adequate content for leads with a clear intention to buy and informative content for leads with no intention to buy in their marketing. In this way, you cover the requirements of leads from all quality levels.

 

Lead generation and lead management often merge together

In practice, it is not uncommon for lead generation and lead management to merge. This is because the interested parties themselves decide when they become leads and when they become paying customers. To give an example of this:

 

• A company provides a lot of informative content on its website. This includes, for example, tutorials, step-by-step instructions, tips and other informative content.
• At the same time, the company places advertisements on Google Ads. The ads specifically advertise the sales pages with the products.
• A lead has heard about the company several times on social media. He actually buys his products elsewhere, but wants to give the company a chance for a change and buys there.
• Another lead also had no previous contact with the company. He comes across a helpful blog post by chance and then remembers the company positively. At some point, he makes a purchase.

 

The latter lead is a cold lead and visits the company's website several times before making a purchase. In contrast, the former lead is a hot lead who has already heard about the company via other marketing channels and buys a product straight away via the company's sales page without reading informative blog posts.

 

Some theories assume that only the informative content serves to generate leads - e.g. the blog posts on the website. The sales pages, on the other hand, would have nothing to do with lead generation, but would only serve to sell products - i.e. the transformation of a prospective customer into a paying customer.

 

According to theory, sales pages would be more of a part of lead management. However, this is wrong, because qualified leads often do not need informative content and are specifically looking for sales pages; as a result, part of the lead generation also takes place via the sales pages.

 

One important lesson we have learned is that successful and comprehensive lead generation requires the provision of a wide variety of content on several marketing channels. It cannot be generalized that sales pages have less to do with lead generation than websites for informative keywords.

 

In this blog post, we are following precisely this guideline by moving away from pure linear marketing with our tips and introducing you to varied omnichannel marketing.

 

Generate more leads: Maximize customer touchpoints

In view of the fact that leads are also generated via sales pages, the classic sales funnel is losing some of its importance.

 

This is still a useful model for developing marketing concepts. However, successful lead generation requires a more comprehensive approach. First, let's take a look at the sales funnel:

 

 

• It usually means that prospects land at the top of the funnel first. They read informative content on the company's website (e.g. glossaries, blog posts, news).
• Interested parties are filtered out by providing additional content (e.g. guides with product recommendations) that lead them further and further towards the sales page.
• Interested parties with no intention to buy jump off, while those with an intention to buy increasingly reach the lower end of the filter. Finally, they buy.

 

This linear marketing is increasingly reaching its limits in the digital age with a multitude of informative websites and various marketing channels. Users often inform themselves more comprehensively and therefore also visit competitors' websites. It may be that a company provides informative content and does its job well. But who says that users don't prefer the informative content of the competition?

 

Given the high level of competition , it is important to build brand awareness and authority along the way. If a prospective customer not only finds helpful information on your company's website, but also encounters your company on social media and other channels, the likelihood increases that the prospective customer will prefer to consume your brand's content despite the competition.

 

For these reasons, a successful lead generation concept is based on the integration of several channels into marketing. A consistent strategy must be developed in order to feed the various channels with data without contradiction and to convey a uniform image of the company. This is implemented across all channels. This leads to a strengthening of brand awareness.

 

Strengthened brand awareness generally increases the trust of leads. If a prospective customer has often heard of a brand in a positive context, they are more likely to become a paying customer. Sales are partly a matter of trust.

 

The marketing channels used to reach potential customers are also known as customer touchpoints. This term translates into German as "points of contact with customers". The more of these customer touchpoints there are, the greater the chance of generating high volumes of leads. We have compiled the most important customer touchpoints for lead generation for you here:

 

• own website (e.g. homepage, blog, glossary pages, sales pages)
• organic search results and advertising in search engines (e.g. Google, Bing, Yahoo!)
• third-party websites (e.g. naming the company; building backlinks)
• Social media (e.g. Instagram, Facebook, YouTube; LinkedIn; Xing)
• Email accounts (e.g. after receiving the contact data via email marketing; via advertisements in the Gmail account)

 

Lead generation measures should be implemented via these customer touchpoints. It is recommended that you first use targeted search engine optimization (SEO) to increase the rankings of your own website and conduct content marketing. By prioritizing SEO measures, the basics of online marketing and lead generation are covered.

 

This is exactly where we start with our tips on lead generation - search engine optimization.

 

 

Method #1: Content marketing as an absolute must-have!

Content marketing is based on generating website visitors by providing content. These website visitors either have an interest in the products or are still developing this interest - for the time being, this is irrelevant.

 

The aim of content marketing is first and foremost to provide content that fits the company and its offering. This content should cover various search intentions:

 

• Informative search intention: Users want to find out about a specific topic.
• Transactional search intention: Users have the intention to buy a product.
• Mixed intention (information + purchase): Users intend to buy a product, but are also looking for information.
• Navigational search intent: Users want to find a specific location. (Important for local search engine optimization)

 

In the past - especially in offline marketing - it was common for salespeople to contact leads first. They then presented the company and its offer. Today, this type of marketing almost has a deterrent effect on potential customers.

 

Anyone can find out about products, product categories, services and other types of offers online. It is therefore advisable for companies in the digital age to scale back active sales and focus on inbound marketing instead.

 

Modern inbound marketing through high-quality content

Inbound marketing refers to the provision of helpful or interesting information with the aim that users with an interest in the respective topic come across a company's website of their own accord. This passive form of prospect acquisition is best achieved through content marketing.

 

Content marketing and search engine optimization go hand in hand. In order to publish adequate content for your own target group, it is necessary to research and analyze relevant keywords. In order to provide the right content for people at every stage of the buying process when generating leads - as already mentioned at the beginning - content must be published for various keywords.

 

Informative keywords (e.g. "clean shoes"), transactional keywords (e.g. "buy shoes"), keywords with mixed intentions (e.g. "buy shoes guide"), local keywords (e.g. "buy shoes Munich") and other keyword types will help users find what they are looking for on the website at every stage of their purchasing process. In our guide to creating an SEO strategy in 3 steps, we go into detail on how to research and analyze relevant keywords.

 

In this blog post, we also cover all relevant aspects of SEO, including the integration of keywords in title tags, mobile optimization of the entire website and local SEO via Google Business Profile (formerly Google my Business). Implement the instructions described in our blog post on how to create an SEO strategy for the success of your content marketing!

 

Write content with a higher information density than the competition for your chosen keywords, include multimedia content (e.g. tutorial videos; infographics) and link appropriately between your subpages to create high-quality articles - by taking these tips into account, you will lay a strong foundation for high visibility on the Internet and successful lead generation.

 

More questions about search engine optimization (SEO)?

In addition to the measures mentioned above, search engine optimization covers an enormous range of other aspects. High-quality implementation of these aspects is essential for success in online marketing and lead generation.

 

In our blog and glossary, we provide you with a wealth of information to help you take your SEO to the next level. If you have any questions about SEO or are interested in our services, please feel free to contact our SEO agency Specht GmbH at any time!

 

We particularly recommend the following pages for self-study if you want to create high-quality SEO content yourself:

 

• Onpage SEO
• Offpage SEO
• Linkbuilding
• E-A-T
• Longtail keywords
• Internal links
• Anchor text
• Backlinks

 

Above all, the generation of backlinks should not be missing from a comprehensive SEO concept. One article in which we explain holistically how visibility on the internet can be optimized is "Improve Google ranking". Take a look at this text if you have the opportunity to push your content marketing and lead generation with customized SEO!

 

Method #2: Lead magnets to obtain contact data

The business models of companies differ. In some business models (e.g. insurance, brokerage) , it is necessary to make personal contact with the leads in order to conclude a contract with them, for example.

 

Other business models (e.g. selling products; taking out subscriptions) do not require contacting the leads, but the generation of contact data offers additional advantages:

 

• Use of contact data for sending newsletters with current offers and further information
• Entering contact data and other relevant data into CRM software to improve customer care and evaluate their activities
• Invitation of leads to informative online events, training courses or other occasions

 

A plausible reason is needed to obtain the contact details. Very few leads will give up their contact details for no reason. It is therefore essential to make leads an attractive offer in exchange for their contact details .

 

Lead magnets are particularly popular. A lead magnet is something - either a thing or an offer - that users receive free of charge in exchange for their contact details. Popular lead magnets are e-books. A free e-book with exclusive information that leads cannot find on the website creates an incentive to submit their contact details.

 

Other lead magnets in addition to the e-book include PDFs with case studies or analyst reports, product samples, software trials, participation in competitions, events, training courses, vouchers, discounts and video tutorials. These are the most popular lead magnets, but of course you can also create your own individual lead magnets.

 

Anyone offering a lead magnet should position it prominently on the page. It is common to use so-called spoilers - the term used in web design for elements that pop up like advertisements and provide information about the lead magnet, for example. For example, a disruptive element could read something like: "Enter your email address to receive our exclusive e-book with the top 7 tips for passive income!"

 

Although all lead magnets have a high potential for acquiring new customers, there are some types of lead magnets that are not recommended in B2B marketing. As B2B lead generation is about convincing rational decision-makers, for example, taking part in a competition is not a suitable tool for generating more B2B leads. In the B2B sector, professional lead magnets, such as PDFs with case studies and analyst reports, are an adequate tool.

 

Method #3: Email marketing for the individual generation and management of leads

Newsletters offer opportunities for highly qualified support and lead generation, because there is hardly any other method that allows you to maintain your contacts in such a personalized way. To send newsletters, you need the email address of your leads. Although it is also possible to send newsletters via WhatsApp, companies have less leeway in terms of newsletter design and marketing automation.

 

Email marketing offers more functions for sending newsletters, for their design and also for marketing automation. Accordingly, you should collect the data of your leads by using a lead magnet, for example. Let the leads know that they will be sent a newsletter.

 

Legal aspects of newsletter marketing

For legal reasons, you must indicate in your newsletter registration form that the contact details for sending a newsletter are being collected and the leads must give their consent to the processing of their data via an opt-in button.

 

Furthermore, all emails with newsletters sent out must have an opt-out option - so every person should be given the chance to unsubscribe from the newsletter easily.

 

Opportunities and benefits of newsletter marketing

In professional newsletter marketing software (e.g. HubSpot), you can create comprehensive data for each person. For example, interest in various products and previous interactions with the newsletters sent can be evaluated. You can also use the tools to see how high the opening and click rates are for the emails.

 

Based on previous interactions, purchases and interest in products, you can assign tags to each person in the system. You design different newsletters to match the tags. From now on, the leads in the system will only receive the newsletters whose content matches the tags. This is how personalized marketing works!

 

You can even automate the process of sending personalized emails. Marketing automation means less work for you. The fact that the tools show you the opening and click rates as well as other data on the newsletters allows you to comprehensively evaluate and optimize newsletters.

 

Here is a look at the possible effects of newsletters on lead generation:

 

• Leads who have not yet purchased may find the right personalized offer in newsletters and be converted into paying customers.
• Leads who have already purchased may become more loyal and become regular paying customers.
• It is also possible to obtain customer feedback via individualized emails. This allows conclusions to be drawn as to which optimizations could contribute to an increase in willingness to buy and sales.
• In addition, emails can be used for retargeting abandoned purchases in order to convince customers to buy after all.

 

If you want to generate leads in the B2B sector, newsletters are a high-quality way to do this. Companies can provide B2B leads with expert reports, analyses, statistics, exclusive insights into products and other technical highlights via newsletters.

 

The targeted display of high-quality content assets in newsletters is one of the best methods for B2B lead generation.

 

 

Method #4: Paid advertising convinces through measurability

Placing advertisements is the counterpart to inbound marketing: you actively search for customers with advertisements. Both advertisements and customer acquisition via sales are part of outbound marketing.

 

Although search engine optimization should form the backbone of your lead generation, as this will help you to build up high rankings in the long term and create the best conditions for new leads, advertising is a useful addition to a company's marketing mix.

 

You can achieve short-term effects with advertisements, as you have top visibility for the keywords you have selected for the duration of the respective advertising campaign. Ads are particularly useful for new websites with low authority in order to quickly generate more leads and make the company profitable. When using ads to generate leads, you benefit from a high level of measurability:

 

• Thanks to the precise monitoring of various key figures, you can determine the costs per lead very accurately.
• The many key figures also allow you to constantly evaluate your advertising campaigns.
• Thanks to the permanent evaluation, you can quickly make optimizations and successively improve the efficiency of your ads.

 

Examples of key figures that you can use to precisely determine your advertisements and the costs per lead include the click-through rate (CTR), the conversion rate, cost-per-click (CPC), the ROI, the ROAS and the average shopping cart value.

 

Ads play a more or less important role in generating leads, depending on the industry. In sales and finance , advertisements have not been shown to be effective for certain insurance and financial products; inbound marketing is the preferred method for generating potential customers.

 

When selling products and services, on the other hand, advertisements almost always prove to be a suitable means of generating leads.

 

Method #5: Storytelling - when marketing and sales use the power of stories...

The definition of storytelling in marketing is quickly settled: companies use a narrative pattern to invent a story about their own product, service or the company itself. If the advertising for the product, service or company is packaged in the form of a story, it differs considerably from traditional advertising:

 

• Users find good stories more entertaining than advertising and the information conveyed is generally remembered for longer.
• Stories have a dramaturgy and help to generate emotions, which makes it much easier to generate B2C customers.
• If the story is presented by a trustworthy person (e.g. influencer; content creator), users develop a high level of trust.

 

Storytelling is particularly popular on social media. Companies are increasingly relying on the power of stories to create an authentic and approachable image on social media. One example of a narrative pattern that makes it easier to develop a story that fits the product, service or company is the storytelling canvas:

 

 

 

The graphic shows fields. The task of marketing and sales is to fill in the fields and develop a consistent and authentic story by entering the appropriate information. Part of the task is to define the target group and the goal of the story as clearly as possible.

 

Once the story has been developed, it should be played out on the right channels. Since a B2B lead, as a rational decision-maker, is generally not interested in stories but in facts, B2B advertising channels are not suitable for storytelling. This makes storytelling all the more effective when it comes to generating B2C customers. These can be reached very well via TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and other social media using storytelling.

 

Conclusion: Use all facets of new customer acquisition!

If you want to generate leads, it is best to meet your potential customers on as many channels as possible. Above all, clever omnichannel marketing promotes the development of brand authority and trust among potential customers, as well as the comprehensive provision of suitable information for every phase of the purchasing process.

 

Of the lead generation measures described in this article, building content is by far the most important. It contributes to the growth of your website and organic visibility, which means more leads will become aware of your offers on their own. As traffic increases, it becomes important to retain your leads' data. By obtaining the email addresses you generate via a lead magnet, you can send personalized newsletters to your contacts.

 

Paid advertising and storytelling are also helpful in generating new customers, but you should only take these measures once your content and email marketing are running smoothly. Therefore, prioritize content, lead magnets and the sending of personalized newsletters when generating leads.