In the web development industry, we know how important leads are. Not only do we monitor and track leads but they are also vital in terms of growing our business. Do you know why and how leads are generated?
If you’re interested in finding out how leads are generated and why they are so important, we can help you out.
Getting to Know Leads
Let's start with how leads are generated. A combination of inbound and outbound marketing strategies is usually used to generate leads. Inbound is known as new marketing and means that customers will come to you through referrals, social media or search engines. Outbound is the opposite and essentially refers to customers found through print, TV, radio or cold calls.
While both are useful, often leads that arrive through inbound marketing are a lot warmer because a customer has shown genuine interest. Although those that express interest in an outbound marketing strategy may still be potential leads, these are colder leads. To generate these leads, a site needs to be user-friendly as it may otherwise struggle to convert traffic into leads.
Most outbound leads will agree to work with the first person that contacts them - the last thing you want is for the business to go to your competitors. So, to avoid this, your website needs to be both attractive and user-friendly. Before any new customers agree to work with you they will probably take a look at your site and this will ultimately help them decide whether your business is worth their time.
The most important thing to be aware of when generating leads is that there are various steps in the ‘buyers journey’. This is crucial in knowing how to properly approach every lead. Of course, not all leads will be the same - some people will know exactly what they want while others may only be in the initial stages of making a decision. Developing leads is a demanding process and internal resources can’t always do this which is why a lot of companies tend to turn to agencies.
Why are Leads Important?
Leads are incredibly important to businesses. According to statistics, a nurtured lead can increase sales by up to 20% more than an unnurtured lead. Not only does this prove that leads work but the money spent on marketing is also rising above advertising, suggesting that it is becoming increasingly essential in the corporate environment.
Leads are becoming so successful that according to statistics, 63% of companies set generating traffic as their top priority marketing challenge for this year. Similarly, 70% of companies set conversions as their priority for 2018. This suggests that generating leads isn't just a phase and that it actually works, meaning that many will continue to use and adapt their sites to draw in more leads.
So, now you know what leads are, you will need to consider your plan of action for the future. There are various sales tactics but before you do anything else, you need to ensure that your website is up to scratch. For this, you could look to a web development company like i3MEDIA for any assistance you require. Of course, once your site is ready, you can start chasing those leads!