What is Lead Generation, lead generation techniques & lead generation job in digital marketing?

What is Lead?

A lead is any visitor who visits the company's website and showing interest in a product or service.

But, unfortunately not every visitor is lead. Let's suppose a marketing company has a website on which they showcase their portfolio and services, a visitor reaches a company's website and hangs around a while and leave the site. Is this is a Lead?

The answer is simple and straight No.

But if the same user while visiting company's website and interact with the company by any mean (subscription, download trial or demo software or any other interactive work which take visitor information) then this visitor becomes company's lead.  Wait, wait, wait a minute...

Just giving their name and contact details, they don't become leads for the company. Because they aren't yet ready to interact with the company. We have to segregate the visitors through a qualified lead filter. 

Not properly qualifying prospects before taking them through the sales process leads to 67% lost sales according to keynote speaker.

Steven Tulman | Social Media Marketing Expert

  

Contact Information: The first stage of the visitor to become a qualified lead, they give their contact details, maybe visitor give their details just because of catching the company's offer which is only given if the visitor fills out the detail form. Fill out the form and given details aren't enough for the company to count this as a lead. We have to move on to our second criteria to examine further.

Engagement: At this stage where visitor furnishes their contact detail or engaged in communication with the company into a meaning full way. The visitors are aware that their name and contact details have been added to the company database and they expect the company to communicate its offerings to them via emails, or calls, or any other medium. 

Final Stage:  At this stage where the company determines if the engaged visitor is a qualified buyer or not. The company needs to analyze if the engaged visitor in all aspect fits well into your demographic and behavioral criteria. Only when the company qualifies the interested visitor as a lead.

Types of Qualified Lead

Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)

The visitors who are grabbed by marketing team exercises but aren't ready to accept a sales call.

Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)

The visitor at the company's website indicates their interest by querying against the product or becoming a paying customer.

Product Qualified Lead (PQL)

The visitor who've used the company's product and taken actions that indicate interest in becoming a paying customer. Trial software, or tester, etc.

This lead typically exists for businesses that offer a product trial or a free or limited version.

What is lead generation?

Lead generation is the collective process of attracting strangers to the company's site, warming them

up as a potential consumer, and preparing them to spend on the company's products or services in order to raise your conversion rates.

Lead generation is simply the lifeblood of a business. It helps the company to build brand awareness,

bond connections with your users, create sales-ready leads, and conclusively boost your conversions.

Effective lead generation strategies tactics.

A survey unveils that company website, SEO, email marketing, and social media marketing are the most efficient lead generation tactics being used presently.  

There are two segments of lead generation strategies, inbound lead generation & outbound lead generation strategies/

Outbound lead generation, also commonly referred to as traditional lead gen strategy 

In this strategy, marketers send messages directly to their clients/visitors.

Outbound Lead Generation strategies consist of :

• Display Ads
• Pay-per-Click Ads
• Content Syndication
• Direct Mail Advertisements
• Event Marketing

On the other hand, helping clients/visitors/prospects to find the company, before they plan to make an investment, and then turn that early recognition into brand preference, and conclusively into leads and revenue.

Inbound Lead Generation strategies include:

• Content Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• SEO
• Website Optimization
• Email Marketing  

Is lead generation a good job?

According to the top freelancing websites of the present ERA. 

There are millions of Lead Generation jobs with the top freelancing websites.

Lead Generation is an essential feature in any business, be it online or offline. Once you learn lead generation skills you can offer your services to anyone at a cost. The future is definitely bright if you are looking at mastering the skills. People actually pay upward of $5 or even $50 per lead, This is the great opportunity to really make a big career out it.

General Job requirements for a lead generation job.

• Experienced in using outbound communication channels i.e. drafting emails & messages to prospect businesses and C-level individuals.
• Develop and execute a lead generation plan and generates leads for the sales team via various online marketing channels.
• Create and manage campaigns from initial concept through completion for each content area, generating targeted leads, and running post-campaign measurement.
• Email Marketing (part of the Lead generation, awareness campaign, invite to seminars, target groups defined emails for different EDM campaigns, etc).
• Use all available resources/ tools (e.g. LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, etc.) to determine target title names and contact information from required businesses.
• Maintain and update the database to help determine Marketing Qualified Leads.
• Handle various sales administrative tasks as assigned