Archive for April, 2010

Inbound Marketing—Why it’s Less Expensive and More Effective

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

imboundIt seems you can’t go online, turn on the television, or even step outside without being bombarded with advertising by companies desperately trying to convince you of their superiority. Most people, however, are so accustomed to these ads, they simply tune them out. Which is bad news for the B2B marketers who are still spending much of their budget on these outbound lead generation methods.

That is exactly why many businesses, especially small and medium sized ones, are gravitating toward inbound marketing methods. Unlike outbound marketing, where companies cast their advertising “net” out on the waters along with every other business, and hope it lands in the right spot, inbound marketing draws customers by offering valuable information, and the opportunity to find out more about your company via online interaction.

Inbound marketing is more effective in establishing a relationship with your prospective customers, giving you the chance to become a reliable resource for business advice in your area of expertise. Once you have established this kind of trust with people, your company will be the natural choice when they need to make a purchase.

Another key reason for this shift in marketing focus is that, according to a new survey by Hubspot, the average cost per lead generated through inbound marketing is sixty percent lower than that of leads obtained through outbound marketing. The survey found that marketers spend an average of $332 on outbound marketing to generate one lead, whereas inbound marketing produces leads at an average cost of $134 each.

Inbound marketing does, however, take a commitment. You will need to not only establish your company’s blogs and other social media channels, but also cultivate and nurture them. But in time, if you consistently serve up information your customers find useful, you will begin to develop a loyal following, and your efforts will be rewarded.

In the meantime, you can jump-start your inbound marketing campaign by purchasing leads from a lead generation company that uses inbound marketing methods and allows you to interact with your prospects, learn about their business needs, and even give quotes for your services. Your cost for these leads will most likely be even less than what you will spend on your own inbound marketing efforts, and will be of the same, or superior quality.

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Four Factors that Separate Real Time Leads from Lead Lists

Saturday, April 10th, 2010

qualified leadAccording to the Direct Marketing Association, 65% of business-to-business marketing is focused on lead generation. In the quest to maintain a constant stream of leads, many companies choose to purchase leads from a lead supplier. This can be an excellent way to boost your sales, provided you are getting high quality leads.

Many “lead” suppliers, however, are really only providing you with a list of contacts at businesses which may or may not have an interest in buying from your company.

When purchasing leads, it’s important to keep in mind what actually defines a lead. According to Business Dictionary.com, a sales lead is an “inquiry, referral, or other information, obtained through advertisements or other means, that identifies a potential customer (prospect).” A true lead will be:

1. Actively Seeking Your Services

A true lead is not just a name on a list, but a person who has demonstrated interest in your services. And a warm lead will have indicated, through their actions, that they are highly motivated and ready to buy now.

2. Verified Contactable at the Time of Your Purchase

List providers typically update lists on a monthly or semi-annual basis, leaving it to the buyer to verify the leads. Quality lead suppliers will provide leads that have been submitted by the source, so the data provided (e.g. employee size) is more accurate than that from any other business data source.

3. Highly Targeted and Matched to Your Business

The quality of your leads is also largely determined by the extent to which you can profile your prospects based on the unique capabilities of your business. In the case of list providers and generic online lead suppliers, the lead provider does not interact with both the buyer and the service provider, which means they cannot target prospects on parameters unique to your business.

4. Rated by a Detailed Scoring System

Lead generation companies that sell fresh, dynamic leads analyze prospects based on web page activity, frequency of visits, and accuracy of information submitted. Such highly targeted leads are simply not possible with a purchased list of potential buyers.

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