Innovative Ways of Lead Generation

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Nov 17 2016

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To attract prospects to a brand's digital channels is tough. There are a number of moving parts in the entire task, and a variety of ways to get the job done. However, while most people exhaust the conventional methods for b2b lead generation, such as newsletters and email marketing, there are some powerful tools that are often overlooked. Some of these include:

eBooks for lead generation in B2B industries

If your business belongs to technical space or the B2B industry, then an eBook can do wonders for lead generation. This is because people from this sphere love to learn, and gain expertise from others who share the same platform. However, the key here is not to market your services or product, but rather inform the reader. Taking the otherwise approach can easily result in a blunder. An ideal eBook that is meant for promotion and lead generation should have a neutral tone and carry valuable insights about the business. A great way to make the eBook accessible to the visitors is through a landing page where they are requested to input basic details such as their name and email address to get a free copy of the eBook. An eBook is not only good for lead conversion, but it also allows your visitors to learn about your business, as it reflects your business values. Most people don't just become patrons of business because of its products and services, but because of the principles it stands by and encourages.

BigData for Marketing, Sales, and Lead Generation

Even if you have been ignoring Big Data for a while now, the time is about to come soon, when you won't be able to do that any longer. As more and more companies are making use of emerging technologies, you will have to embrace them too, in order to survive in the increasingly competitive market. Big Data has become one of the most indispensable tools for marketing, sales, and b2b lead generation is simple- it is super powerful and super accurate. Here is how Big Data can be helpful: - Approaching Leads at the Right Time: One of the biggest advantages of using big data is that it provides detailed information on all your leads. Using the same you can send the right message to your customers, at the right times. You can learn about your leads, their behavior, their likes, and dislikes. By coupling digital behavior of the leads with your existing CRM systems, you can learn about the topics your leads are interested in, and then send content that is more of their liking. - Organization: One of the biggest challenges that many companies have to face is keeping a track of their leads. Depending on your business, there can be tons of information on leads to organize. Since outdated systems and tools are no longer efficient, Big Data and Data Analytics hit the nail on the head. Using modern data analytics tools you can target your prospects easily, and monitor progress with better accuracy.

Webinars for lead generation

Webinars are another powerful way of lead generation. However, these are often overlooked and underestimated. The principle behind webinar organization is akin to releasing an eBook- it can educate a visitor, offer valuable information, and the tips and tricks of your trade. One of the best things about webinars is that it barely costs anything. Plus, there are a number of websites that allow you to broadcast a webinar, for free, quickly. It is not hard to develop an interest in the people with quality content, and this - webinar can be a gateway to your leads. All you need to do is come up with an interesting and informative topic, and promote in on your social media handles, newsletter, and network. At the end of the seminar, you can also recommend the viewer to download your eBook (the link can be provided on the same page). Again, it is important here that you don't promote your own business in any manner. Rather you should just focus on offering knowledge that you have, and leads will convert for you automatically. Other popular lead generation methods that you can try are as follows: - Emerging Technologies: Smartphones, for instance, have become the most preferred medium for accessing the Internet. Thus, by optimizing your web content for smartphones you can reach more leads, and improve conversion ratio. - Blogging: Not only your company should have a blog of its own, but you should also guest blog to reach a wider audience easily, and fast. There are a few things to keep in mind though- the content should have some relevance to the audience; it should contain unique/useful information; lastly- the post should be shared on your network as well. - Software and Apps: Apple App Store is growing by over 1,000 apps per day, and its top rival- Google Play Store has over 1 million apps today. This only shows that people use apps for just about everything. Thus, by creating a useful app for your customers, and offering it for free, you can actually generate leads.

Myths About Lead Generation

When learning about how to find prospects, it is also helpful to be aware of some popular myths that are floating around. Here are some of them: 1. Social Media is the Holy Grail of Leads: Social media is an important platform for finding leads, but it is not as effective as it is often made to believe. You can't get benefitted from it significantly, at least not unless you use some Data Analytics service or tool for better targeting. 2. You Should Not Pay For Leads: If you are able to get quality leads for a price, then there is no harm in paying for them. Think of these quality leads as an investment in building trust, and avoiding impersonal tactics. Besides, you have to invest time and energy otherwise to generate leads anyway, which indirectly translates to an investment of money. 3. Once Enough Leads are Generated, You Can Forget About Them: For most successful businesses, acquiring and developing leads is a never-ending task. You can never have too many leads, and since there is no perfect automation process, even with the use of software and tools, you must never stop working towards improving lead generation. One of the most important lessons that you will learn through your trials and errors with lead generation, is that some practices are better suited to some businesses than others. For instance, if your business caters to the elderly, then social media is not going to the best platform for lead generation. Conventional media, such as TV or radio will be better suited for your situation. Similarly, if you run an IT company, then webinars and eBooks, can be quite yielding than other methods. Lead generation doesn't have to be too hard. However, you should be prepared to wait patiently, as results are not often reflected fast. By trying different kinds of strategies you can find those that work for you, and from this point, it only gets better.

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