Lead Generation is the process of building your sales funnel from scratch. Reaching out to prospects and then making them interested in your proposition and eventually drawing them towards buying something from you. A most common example could be the job application email that we all have received a few times.
However, often the lead generation pipeline does not work smoothly and here are some reasons that hamper our lead generation work.
- The List is not Right
The first step to start a lead generation process is by having the right list to target. An email list for an email marketing campaign and a look-alike or tight segment list for social media and laser-sharp target for SEO and PPC. Often campaign is loosely run on the available list which results in a poor conversion as the audience does not connect with the message. The key is to make small versions of the list to run custom messages. The ideal goal is to have a one on one conversation using whatever media we choose thus have as many segments as possible and customise your message to that particular group itself. Remember lead generation is like a Snipper in action, it is not blind-folded carpet bombing.
- The Message does not Resonate
The message will only resonate if it is specific to the person it reaches. If it’s a B2B message ensure it is specific to industry/ sub-industry and then profile. Similarly, in a B2C scenario drill down to the lowest possible denominator thus, if you are selling shoe, segment it to men/ women, type: casual, running, training, size, brand etc. People resonate with the message only if it is specifically for them.
- Landing Page is not Apt
Now, once we get the segment and messaging right, where do our prospects land, the most common way in the lead generation process is to have Landing Pages and a common mistake is using the same landing page for everyone, it just defeats the purpose. Landing Page has to be unique and should carry the same essence that the custom message for that audience did and prospect should continue feeling special and that everything is just customised for her only.
- The Call to Action is not defined
A mistake that is often identified during a lead generation process is that of Call to Action not being defined or out of place. If we have talked to the prospect about a complimentary test for a specific area, the call to action has to be just that, it can’t be “Buy Now”. One should not be in a hurry to push sales, and each stage or funnel of lead generation cycle should be given ample thinking and effort. In our example, only when a customer does that free test one should talk about the need to upgrade or go for additional services. Also, the call to action should be identifiable and well distinguished.
- Sales are not in Sync.
A lot of time in our assessments we have found that the Sales unit is not in sync with the lead generation unit and do that communicate in the same language as they do not work together. It is always a good idea to work together and in fact route the communication through the sale team so they feel responsible and are immediately in action when the prospect needs assistance.
Read More: Techniques for Building a Solid Customer Base through Content Creation
