How to Start a Lead Generation Program?
How do you try to generate leads? Do you still send a mailing to potential customers and then wait for the customers to arrive? That probably does not yield much. Lead Generation is the process you will get your targeted customers.
Which ways are most effective for Lead Generation?
Lead generation can be done in a much more effective way. Every day more channels are created on which you can generate leads. But how do you see the forest through the trees, and which methods are most effective?
You don’t just set up a successful lead management program. This is because it requires well-thought-out planning, the right tools, and smart considerations. Fortunately, the Aggregator system has already done half the job for you with a clear, actionable plan.
1. Determine your objectives as accurately as possible.
You can try to generate leads at random, but what do you want to achieve with it? Therefore, set specific goals, because then you can work somewhere. How many leads do you want to generate in a given period? Do you want more fans on Facebook, more shares on social media, more sales, more big deals, or more subscribers on your blog? The clearer you set your goals, the more successful the lead management program.
2. Discover how things are doing and what you already have.
At the start of a lead management program, you first determine how things are going. How many leads do you already have? Where are they in the sales process? How many new leads do you generate monthly? How many of these end up in sales, and how much do they earn? And what happens to cold leads? By answering these questions, you have a clear starting point.
Make an inventory of what you already have: editorial, technical, and creative. For example, do you already have content that you can use? More great content could be split into blog articles, and blog articles can make a great eBook. Also, look at your staff. Are there employees who can contribute to creating and managing content? Because that takes time and talent
Do you want to be able to manage your lead management program properly? Then look for a smart system.
3. Determine how the ideal customer wants to be approached.
You may already know how you prefer not to be approached. Nobody is waiting for unwanted phone calls during dinnertime or sponsors who disrupt TV shows with annoying commercials. But what do customers want?
What if the same sponsor started a discussion on social media about the TV show, even if it is broadcast? Viewers like that. If you want to approach the ideal customer, make sure you know whether they are on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, or LinkedIn and how they prefer to be contacted. You can also do this via email, mobile applications, or a blog. Do you not find out what the customer wants? Then ask about it. This information is essential for a lead management program.
4. Implement a lead management system.
Once your campaign runs and you grow in tracking Facebook, Twitter, and sending marketing emails, leads come in. But what do you do with it?
When leads come in, you need to determine what to do with them. This depends on the sales process for your company. Some leads can go directly to sales, while others need more contact moments. You can see this in their behavior on and off your website and the interaction you have had with them.
Lead nurturing is an effective method to guide leads through the purchasing process further. You approach leads at certain contact moments and offer new valuable content. It helps to assign a score to different leads. Leads with a high rating are then ready to go to sales and leads with a medium, or low score are included in a lead nurturing campaign. It is counterproductive if leads go to sales too quickly.
5. Determine what successful content meets.
Inbound Marketing is all about valuable content, including lead nurturing campaigns. Harmful content leads to poor results and few readers to a few purchases. Content alone is not enough, but must meet the following conditions:
- Content should draw attention among a large amount of other content on the internet.
- Content should encourage readers to click through and read more.
- Content should call for action, such as download, subscribe to the blog, or even buy something.
6. Use the content in the right places in the purchase process.
Depending on the behavior of (potential) customers and the elapsed time, you determine the contact moments and the type of content you offer.
What stages do customers go through from the first contact moment to the first purchase and beyond? Create several pieces of valuable content that you can approach (potential) customers. You will gain their confidence by responding to their needs before, during, and after purchase. Send some emails or an educational ebook, a free trial version, a reward for participating in social media, or sharing your valuable content. This method is also known as content mapping.
7. Create an editorial calendar and determine your strategy.
Now that you know what valuable content must meet, you can devise a strategy and create an editorial calendar. Wonder what material you own (emails, blog articles, videos, LinkedIn group content, whitepapers, ebooks, and funny images). Then create a calendar in which you name the type of material, describe it in a few sentences, and indicate what you need.
By scheduling content in advance and setting clear publication deadlines, you avoid a panic reaction at publication. Nothing is more annoying than having to come up with a blog topic head over heels but lack inspiration. With a calendar, you ensure a continuous, even flow of content. This also generates evenly, and you know what to expect.
8. Optimize your plan, develop targeted communication, and repeat.
A plan is the starting point of lead management. And when you launch new content, and A / B test can help to optimize it. Experiment with different email subject lines, various offers, and analyze which times of sending and publication have the most effect.
The result of your efforts can be easily measured with your lead management tools. Invest in what works and dare to drop ineffective content.
9. Measure your results.
Tools are of great importance when implementing your lead management program. Only the output is not enough: you need to know where leads are on different channels and your efforts’ effect. Only then you can work towards success.
Measuring the right things includes:
- The percentage of follow-up by sales on leads: sometimes, there is a significant gap between the reported follow-up by sales employees and the actual monitoring. For example, does the sales team follow up 80% or 20% of the leads? When you know whether leads are followed up and which leads are valued higher than others, you can respond to this.
- Average time to conversion: determine how quickly leads through different channels and campaigns become qualitative and promising. The goal is not to get this time to zero, but to measure the time frame in which leads are moving toward conversion.
- Cost per lead, opportunity, and customer: Look beyond just the cost per lead (from unique sources such as PPC, email, blogging, etc.) and look at the cost per opportunity and customer acquisition. Customers can also vary in size so that a big deal can distort the results. Therefore, use an average sale in your analysis.
With lead management, you are always measuring and improving.
