Lead generation has never been talked about as much as in this period. And certainly not because it’s new: acquiring leads interested in a brand’s offer is one of the most used digital marketing strategies ever. But in the boom era of email marketing and privacy and cookie policies, leads are the “new gold” that companies can no longer do without.
So an essential treasure is that the time has come to make money if we want our online communications to be truly effective.
Lead Generation: What Is It? How Does It Work?
Let’s start from the basics: what does lead generation mean (and above all, what does it mean today)? First, lead generation is a strategy that involves multiple channels and platforms for the achievement of a single purpose: acquiring target contacts interested in our offer, who, through their consent to privacy, authorize us to send communications of various kinds.
Next, we must transform this “first-party data” from leads into customers through direct contact. Let’s get more specific: through lead generation, we can acquire a certain number of email addresses which will become our database, starting from which to activate an effective email marketing strategy. People who form leads can buy our product or service or lead to a conversion. Simple, isn’t it? In theory, everything is simple.
Today more than ever, people are aware of the value of their data, and to choose to give it to us, they must have a perfect reason. It is no longer enough to exchange the data for a discount code or ad hoc material: it is essential to create value to convince your target audience with engaging content and a promise of quality. But above all, we must give them an excellent reason to stay after gaining their trust. It is, therefore, essential to identify the desires and urgencies of your target, to pique their curiosity, and to arouse their interest. Then, we must structure a tailor-made strategy targeting the right people for our specific offer.
Not Just Email Marketing: Why Is Lead Generation Also Essential For Online Advertising?
At the beginning of this article, I mentioned first-party data (also called first-party data), but what does that mean? It is precisely that data that companies acquire directly from users, in respect of privacy, which gives us more precise and more defined information than the more classic and used third-party data, which derive from external platforms.
And if until now, we have been able to use this data in a cross-section, the earthquake affecting the world of digital marketing forces us to work more and more with first-party data.
The new Cookie Law and banners for choosing tracking preferences will significantly limit the data we can collect. Added to this is the announcement of Google, which in 2023 will abandon third-party cookies on Google Chrome. The updates of the iOS 14 and 15 operating systems will allow the user to choose whether to accept the tracking system or reject it. This approach is in line with the maximum protection of user privacy, which forces us to rethink advertising activities. It is undoubtedly the time to acquire first-party data through lead generation to be prepared when the situation has settled down. Still, it will present us with a completely different context for the success of performance marketing activities.
Not Just Leads But A Real Community
In this article, I won’t go vertically into how to do lead generation for a straightforward reason: it all depends on the brand, the objectives, the type of conversion we want to achieve, the offer we can propose and many other aspects that it is essential to evaluate time after time.
But what’s always valid is the approach. Setting up a lead generation activity without an a priori definition of the methods and opportunities is already a more than likely hole in the water.
As already mentioned, people are reluctant to share their sensitive data with anyone, especially if there is no real and exciting return. And it’s not just about offering something in return. It means giving a real reason to join a community, a recognition between the brand and the user, where the latter expresses a genuine and authentic desire. A promise that it is essential to keep in every single digital activity if we want to build a community that is as solid and loyal as possible. An authentic and genuine promise of value.
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