Definition: Lead Generation


Lead generation (or Lead Gen) is the gathering of potential customers’ contact information and can be the main goal for an online advertising campaign. For example, a newsletter signup on a website generates a lead, as the person who signs up has given their contact information and has demonstrated interest in what the website is about (although this is actually considered quite a weak lead).

Examples of a strong Lead would be someone signing up for a test drive of a car or registering their email address to be informed when a product or service becomes available – in both cases, the user is indicating they have a desire to purchase.

 

7 Things To Know About Lead Generation

  1. A lead is someone who you can *likely* sell to. You can think of them as people who are the most receptive to your marketing messages.
  2. An email newsletter is one of the simplest and most powerful forms of lead generation. Having a big email list means having a captive audience for your marketing messages who have already expressed an interest in what you have to say.
  3. According to Marketo, only 4% of website visitors are ready to make a purchase.
  4. A good way to qualify a lead is to offer something for free, then have a survey afterwards asking about their experience. With some well-crafted questions, you’ll soon separate the qualified leads from the looky-loos.
  5. Be careful where you get leads from. Buying data from companies who haven’t obtained it legally could land both you and them in legal hot water. People *hate* having their details grabbed without permission, and they *will* report you.
  6. Looking for B2B leads? Did you know that 80% of all B2B leads from social media come from LinkedIn?
  7. Not all leads are created equal. Qualified leads mean someone has checked somehow, and the lead is very interested. Unqualified leads are more just a set of maybes.

 

Summary

Lead Generation Definition

Glossary Index