Outsourcing: let’s zoom on lead generation

Lead generation, while tricky to manage, is an essential component of a company’s marketing strategy. In fact, a survey shows that 85% of B2B marketers rate it as their most important content marketing objective. Outsourcing can help you with lead generation!

What is lead generation?

Lead generation is the process of getting consumers interested in a product or service with the goal of turning that interest into a sale. It is a crucial part of the sales process for many companies and involves several actions that have to be completed by the company:

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

SEM is a form of online advertising. It consists of paying search engines to display ads in their search results. Since search is the primary means of navigation on the Web, this technique can be an important source of traffic.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Similar to SEM, search engine optimization is the process of getting traffic from search engines by optimizing your website for search engine algorithms so that the site appears higher in organic search results.

Social Media

Social media is beginning to compete with search engines as a major source of traffic. It is possible to generate traffic from social media by posting content on social media platforms or by paying for ads on these networks.

Ads

These can be video, image, audio or text. Wwhen purchased on relevant websites, these ads help drive traffic to your own site, usually via pay-per-click (PPC) models.

Offline events

These are events such as conferences and industry meetings whose goals are to network with potential new customers, educate them about your brand, and drive them to your website. They can be events you attend as a guest, events you sponsor, or events you organize yourself.

(Source: https://www.optimizely.com/optimization-glossary/lead-generation )

Some statistics about lead generation

• Only 4% of website visitors are ready to buy;
• 88% of B2B marketers use content marketing as a lead generation tactic;
• Marketers who follow up with leads within 5 minutes are nine times more likely to convert.
• Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13 times more likely to achieve a positive ROI.

The evolution of lead generation over time

Lead generation is not a new practice. On the contrary, it started back in the days when traders traded pearls, spices, precious metals etc. for vast territories in the New World.

Even at that time, reputation, image, quality and presence were serious issues, capable of making and breaking entire networks. Even then, lead generation was a time-consuming task.

Then came print, which gave lead generation a new form, allowing companies to spread their message on a larger scale and at a distance, thanks in part to the railroads and the postal system. Merchants could finally advertise in high-circulation publications and place posters and billboards in high-traffic areas.

Mass media took over in the 1900s, the era of the industrial revolution, marked by the rise of big businesses. The latter could finally afford to promote themselves in national publications, radio, magazines, television, via telephone, telephone directories, direct mail and the media. Consumers were bombarded with ads and offers, allowing journalism and advertising to become industries in their own right.

Then came the internet, which started to grow in the 90s; A boon for marketers and advertisers causing lead generation to change once again. Consumers can now be reached instantly, in their entirety and in a very targeted way. Marketers have had to make the effort to adapt to local markets and to understand other cultures which was possible thanks to increasingly sophisticated and effective market research methods.

(Source https://leady.com/blog/brief-history-lead-generation/ )

How does lead generation work in today’s era?

In online marketing, lead generation involves collecting contact information left by a prospect via a web form. This is a visitor who has shown interest in a company’s products or services, but may not yet be qualified to buy.

This collection is not trivial, as it is through the data collected that companies are able to calibrate their messages to educate and retain potential customers through email marketing. The next step is to contact qualified prospects directly, i.e. those who are likely to respond positively, through salespeople.

Why outsource lead generation?

The question of outsourcing lead generation should be raised if your company:

• Does not have the resources to devote to hiring a dedicated internal lead generation department;
• When lead generation needs are related to cold calling and appointment setting;
• When the company wants to create a solid process for lead generation with all parties involved.

Contact us!

Outsourcing can be a daunting project, but when entrusted to a reliable provider known for the quality of its services, your company will gain a partner it can rely on to grow and thrive in a highly competitive environment.

ProContact is more than a contact center. Thanks to trained, qualified, hand-picked and multilingual agents, we enable companies that choose us to gain flexibility and reduce their operating costs, which are currently important in the midst of an economic recession. To find out more about our services, click on our contact form, send us an e-mail or call us on (+33) 1 77 75 04 50.