How to Use Lead Generation Services

Lead generation services are the key to unlocking a whole new world of potential customers for businesses. With the help of innovative techniques like online advertising, content marketing, and social media campaigns, these services can attract and convert untapped leads into loyal customers. This guide delves into lead generation services and how businesses can benefit from it.

What Are Lead Generation Services?

Before delving into the steps on hacking the key to better revenue for your business, what is lead generation? Even more so, who or what are leads?

Leads are the lifeblood of nearly any company that relies on acquiring new users or sales. A lead can mean different things to different companies but they are generally individuals or organizations within the marketing reach of a company that have the potential to become a user or customer. Leads can be prospects who have previously supplied their personal details (name, home address, mobile number, and other vital info) to a company to open communication with them or they could have just clicked an ad link.

Companies focus on leads because they have much greater intent to become customers than random individuals. Lead generation is the process of attracting these prospective users to show interest in a company’s products and services. It is part of a marketing lifecycle where visitors are duly converted to paying customers.

The system allows companies to bolster their revenue as these leads are more willing to utilize a company’s products or services. All in all, lead generation is an attention gatherer and enables companies to have quality leads in their sales pipeline that bring in a steady flow of revenue.

Some companies generate leads themselves but many leave it to other companies so that specialize in generating leads. According to an Insights Partners’ market report, the lead generation industry is expected to rise by a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.5%, surging from $3.1 billion to $9.5 billion by 2028. Lead generation services providers are mostly based in North America. Popular agencies include Agile CRM, Science Technologies, Hubspot, and Cloudtask, Inc.

Given this strong market demand, lead generation services are cropping up by the day. These firms help generate interest in a company’s products or services.

Lead generation services make the job of a company’s sales team easier as they filter potential customers who are genuinely interested in their services and are primed to make the transition. This way, a company can focus on product development or service innovation while a lead generation service does the groundwork to set the company up for easy sales.

In today’s dynamic business landscape, companies are continually refining their strategies to attract leads and capture the attention of potential customers. Some of the top lead generation tactics include:

• Blogging
• Email Marketing
• Network Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Coupons
• Live Events and Seminars
• Website Landing Pages

Each strategy has its specific industry where it is most potent. For instance, blogging, email, and social media marketing are effective lead generation strategies that online fashion businesses have leveraged for tremendous sales growth.

However, these same strategies may not be as effective for a software company. Software companies may have to rely on networking, live events, and seminars to get their target audience to notice them.

When Should You Use Lead Generation Services?

For many companies to meet their targets and keep the lights on, it is crucial to have high-quality leads. However, many companies lack a sales pipeline to promote their products and services. This is where a lead generation service becomes necessary. But when and why should a company consider using such a service? Let’s explore the specific scenarios in which a lead generation service proves beneficial.

• Startup Business

Every year, about 600,000 small businesses open their doors in the US, according to the US Small Business Association (SBA). These new businesses often need customers to grow and keep their doors open. However, most of the verticals that these startups operate are already dominated by 1 or more market leaders, which makes it hard for upstarts to build a user base or bring in strong initial sales. About 20% of startups fail within the first year of launch, while 49.7% close their doors within five years, per the SBA.

This is the sort of situation lead generation services can weave their magic. These B2B companies help spread the word and filter users interested in that business. With this, a startup or small business can easily get the attention of prospects and transition them into paying customers. Furthermore, running a new business requires founders to juggle multiple responsibilities with little budget.

This often leaves limited time for lead generation. By outsourcing this crucial business area to a lead generation service, startups can focus on their core areas, such as strategy, product development, and customer service, making them more efficient and productive.

• Enhance Revenue and Cash Flow Pipelines

Besides building a great product, every company dreams of increasing its revenue and cash flow. Lead generation services play a huge role in developing and nurturing the core elements of many businesses’ revenue and cash flow pipelines. One way leads grow revenue is by providing businesses with a pool of potential customers who are more likely to convert into paying customers. B2B companies with effective lead generation strategies make 133% more revenue than the average company, per data from Cleverly.

High quality and consistent lead generation can also contribute to revenue growth by increasing the average customer lifetime value (CLV) – which measures a customer’s worth to a business during their entire relationship with the company. A report by CSO Insights found that companies with mature lead generation practices have a 9.3% higher sales quota achievement rate.

As a result, businesses with strong lead generation processes are more likely to attract high-value customers, increasing sales and revenue. Moreover, these companies have a high customer retention rate, further boosting revenue and customer lifetime value.

• Increase Market Reach and Awareness

By design, lead generation services help businesses increase their reach and boost market awareness for their businesses. These services are skilled at identifying and attracting potential clients, helping startups expand their customer base. They achieve this feat through the implementation of an array of tactics. Some of the strategies include email, content, and social media marketing.

One of the key advantages of lead generation services is their ability to provide businesses with qualified leads from existing campaigns. These leads often have expressed interest in a product or service, making them more likely to convert into paying customers. For example, one of these services could offer a business a roster of people who have previously clicked on a link in one of the business’s emails and displayed an interest in the product or service.

To sum up, lead generation services are crucial in expanding businesses’ market reach and awareness. By utilizing a targeted approach, providing qualified leads, and building brand awareness, companies can expand their customer base and establish themselves as industry leaders.

• Working With a Tight Budget

Print advertising, media advertising, and digital advertising are some marketing efforts companies must leverage to navigate the highly competitive online marketplace. Nonetheless, not all companies have the resources to operate in this multi-channel environment. Given this, using lead generation services can make it easier for them to work within their budget and get the desired results. This way, they can often attract more leads for the same amount of money and much less effort.

What to Look for in the Best Lead Generation Services

Lead generation services are becoming quite mainstream in almost every industry. There are hundreds of companies that serve as a much-needed springboard and support system for businesses to expand their market reach and increase profitability.

Does this mean you should randomly select one? Absolutely not. Some of the most compelling factors new businesses should look out for when hunting for a lead generation service to work with are listed below. The factors include:

• Using Innovative AI Tech

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology is witnessing an extraordinary surge in support. Initially considered a mere side-project by several tech giants, it has now evolved into a fully-fledged industry that businesses eagerly embrace. In fact, the AI market size is expected to eclipse $400 billion by 2027, per a MarketsandMarkets report.

Why the paradigm shift?

Today, AI is widely regarded as a viable assistant that can significantly benefit most kinds of businesses and lead generation services are no exception. AI can significantly help businesses streamline, filter, and target leads, all in an semi-automated manner. This can make the cost per lead (CPL) that you pay significantly lower as the service spent much less money to generate the lead. The best lead generation services have skilled employees watch over the AI carefully to make sure that it’s working correctly.

Using AI to generate leads can also assist businesses with predictive analytics. By analyzing extensive customer data and historical trends, AI algorithms can forecast patterns and pinpoint individuals or companies with a high chance of becoming leads. This enables businesses to focus their marketing budget and simplify lead generation processes by concentrating on the most probable options instead of trial and error.

A recent study conducted by DemandBase revealed that three-fourths of companies that have integrated AI into their operations experience better engagement with potential customers than those that don’t.

An example of an AI-powered lead generation services agency is Crazy Egg. The company’s AI software analyzes prospects’ behavior and crafts personalized messages that meet their needs. This goes on to influence them to become willing customers.

• Reputation and Track Record

When searching for the best lead generation service, it’s important to consider potential providers’ brand reputation and track record. These factors can provide valuable insights into the provider’s reliability and performance. A lead generation service with a strong reputation demonstrates its commitment to delivering high-quality leads and meeting clients’ expectations.

Additionally, a provider’s track record can show evidence of their expertise and provide insight into their stability and financial health. Working with a provider with a consistent track record of success likely means consistently more leads and less risk of unexpected disruptions or reputational damage.

• Budget or Pricing

When considering lead generation services, pricing is an important factor to remember. In this industry, pricing can be especially confusing because there are a multitude of different options such as the cost per click model (CPC), cost per qualified lead (CPQL), or cost per acquisition (CPA). In most cases, the quality of leads a business receives corresponds to the amount they pay for it. It is important to know your options and carefully consider which product best suits your needs and budget.

Some companies charge moderate prices but deliver high-quality leads, while others are more expensive but have less impressive track records. It’s critical to find a provider that fits your budget, but it’s not wise to compromise on quality to save a few dollars.

• Communication and Transparency

Lead generation agency that is transparent in both its processes and communication is another factor to consider. Depending on the pricing model that is agreed upon, transparency can be especially important to ensure that competitively priced leads keep flowing. Many agencies offer creating analytics pages using Google Data Studio or another similar platform for lead tracking so that you can keep a close eye on their progress.

• Conversions

If your leads aren’t converting, there are many different reasons that could explain the problem, most of which due to problems with the business, not the lead generation agency. However, it’s also possible that the agency is sending you poor, low intent leads that have little hope of converting.

Red Flags to Watch Out For

• Zero Track Record

Always be wary of services that have no track record or that refuse to show you that they deliver strong results. If the company lacks the necessary experience to convert potential customers into active ones, there’s little reason to employ their services.

• Poor Communication

Poor communication from agencies is often a bad sign. Make sure that the company is dedicated to bringing you quality leads and that it’s willing to work with you to improve your business relationship.

How to Generate Leads Yourself

Need leads but want to try to capture them yourself before turning to a lead generation service? In this section, we cover the step-by-step process of how to set up your own newsletter, a common method for generating leads. For the purposes of this illustration, we will demonstrate how to create a newsletter sign-up form online:

Step 1: Choose the Best Newsletter Platform for You

Even though this is obvious, choosing the best newsletter platform for your business and niche is important. Given that there are many options, focus on the platforms that offer all the features that you are looking for.

Using the best newsletter platform will make navigating the complex leads pool easier and help you get in front of your preferred prospects in no time. One top pick for creating a lead generation magnet is Hubspot.

Step 2: Create an Account

The next step is to create an account on Hubspot. To do that, head to the Hubspot website and sign up for a free account.

To do this, click the ‘Get Started Free’ button on the far right side of the screen. On the registration page, insert an email address and click the ‘Verify Email’ button. Another option is to click the ‘Continue with Google’ or ‘Sign up with Microsoft’ icon. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the registration process.

Step 3: Head to Forms

Once in the newly created Hubspot account, hover on the ‘Marketing‘ tab to access a drop-down menu. Locate the ‘Forms’ option and click on it. This will lead you to the ‘Forms’ tab. To create a new form, click on the ‘Create form’ icon on the top right side of the screen.

Step 4: Select Form Type

The next step is to select a preferred ‘Form’ type. Hubspot offers a number of form types. Select one of the options and click on the ‘Next’ icon on the top right side of the dashboard. In our illustration, we want to create a business newsletter sign-up

Step 5: Create a Follow-Up Email

Once done, create a follow-up email that will be sent immediately to contacts that sign up for the newsletter. To do this, click on the ‘Follow-up’ option on the top of the dashboard and click on ‘New email.’ Insert your pool of emails as well as the subject and body in the open side window. Review other options like where the newsletter sign-up should be forwarded to and any other additional settings, and click on ‘Publish’ to complete the process.

Then, add the form on the website as a separate landing page, pop-up, or embedded form to gain visitors’ attention.

Are Lead Generation Services Worth It?

Lead generation services can be vital springboards through which a company can attain its goals. This could be more cash flow or revenue or simply building a user base. Lead generation services can make a difference in the success of most businesses. Though it may not be worth it for some companies that don’t rely on outside user and customer acquisition.