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Building a robust pipeline is currently a significant challenge, and Google isn’t making it any simpler.
Changes in how traffic and leads reach your website have likely occurred, yet lead generation remains a top priority.
Understanding the customer journey is now more crucial than ever. It’s also vital to acknowledge that failures often occur in the final stages, such as insufficient readiness of CRM systems and sales teams before launching a campaign.
In a recent webinar, Brent Csutoras and I discussed the necessary organizational shifts, not just limited to your marketing department.
Continue reading for a summary of the nine insights we gleaned from the webinar, or view the full on-demand version here.
Understanding the customer journey is essential for effective lead generation.
Brent and I emphasized the change in how users navigate the internet, stressing the importance of content that addresses their challenges across the entire sales funnel. Providing high-quality content that solves problems and adds value at each stage is critical for engaging and converting users successfully.
Producing effective converting content starts with comprehensive audience and market research.
Consistent testing, optimization, and using various formats such as blogs, videos, and emails help in reaching potential customers through channels that resonate with them. This effort requires investment, so it’s crucial to allocate a content budget when discussing with leadership.
Proven channels still deliver results. However, many marketers concentrate solely on the bottom of the funnel because it’s straightforward to track and attribute.
While some leads convert quickly from a single piece of content, it’s essential to prepare for those who need more nurturing before converting. Since the majority of your content should target the top and middle of the funnel, take care to align the channel with the audience’s intent.
These are just a few examples of effective channels. For more ideas, watch the on-demand session.
Email marketing remains a potent tool for lead generation, especially when emphasizing segmentation and personalization.
Collaborating with internal experts and influencers can establish trust and credibility with your audience.
Here’s a glimpse of the channels we utilized to generate leads for this webinar:
To scale your efforts effectively, it’s crucial to maximize the value of every content piece. Repurpose and customize content for diverse platforms and audiences to ensure it serves multiple roles.
Additionally, allocate budgets for both content creation and promotion, acknowledging that producing high-quality content demands investment.
Allocating resources to high-quality lead generation may entail higher expenses initially, but it often results in superior leads and reduced overall Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC). Factor in all expenses, such as advertising and human resources. Continuous optimization and assessment are vital for maximizing budget efficiency.
Moreover, dealing with low-quality leads consumes valuable sales resources that could otherwise focus on legitimate prospects. Implementing an effective lead-scoring strategy can mitigate this resource drain.
One common error is depending on a single piece of bottom-funnel content to cater to all stages of the buyer’s journey. Brands should engage their audience consistently across awareness, consideration, conversion, and retention stages to foster loyalty and sustain the cycle.
Regular assessment is crucial for gauging the efficacy of your lead generation tactics. As customer preferences evolve and the emphasis shifts towards generating more top-of-the-funnel content, tracking engagement becomes one of the most critical metrics. It provides insights into whether your content is effectively resonating with your audience.
Utilizing external resources can bolster your lead generation initiatives, particularly for lean teams. Treat vendors as an extension of your team by aligning on goals and KPIs. Pay attention to their audience insights. Crucially, inquire about their capability for real-time lead delivery to maintain lead freshness and keep your brand prominent in consumers’ minds.
Pay attention to what occurs when a lead enters your system. Ensure your customer relationship management (CRM), customer data platform (CDP), and marketing technology are prepared. Implement lead scoring, automation, and dashboards. Equip your sales teams to effectively manage new leads, minimizing launch day stress for all involved.
The fundamental shift lies in how customers prefer to engage with brands. The strategies mentioned above are not groundbreaking; they were covered in Marketing 101. However, they have often been overshadowed by product-centric marketing strategies over the years.
Customers now seek brands that understand them and offer solutions to their problems. In return, they reward such brands with loyalty.
Therefore, ask yourself: “What is the quality of my leads?” Evaluate how much focused effort you are dedicating to their journey.
As a publisher, we act as an agency for our advertisers who aim to connect with marketers and SEO professionals. This means we’re targeting marketers themselves – some of the most astute individuals out there – and that includes you!
Our efforts to attract high-quality leads are yielding results.
Whether you’re seasoned in the field or just starting out, Brent Csutoras and I have curated this webinar specifically for you. It’s packed with actionable insights that even the most knowledgeable marketers often overlook, or worse, that leadership fails to recognize the importance of.
This on-demand webinar features insights that we’ve accumulated over years, and we believe you should take note as well. It can serve as a strategic resource and a persuasive tool within your organization to revolutionize your approach to lead generation.
Believe us, you won’t want to miss this!
Original news from SearchEngineJournal
