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What is inbound lead generation?



What is inbound lead generation?


Inbound lead generation is a term that describes how you acquire business leads for your company by promoting yourself or your products online through content like blogs and articles, social media posts, videos, webinars, ads on websites, etc.

The goal of inbound lead generation is to generate as many qualified leads for your business as possible so that they can become happy customers who will buy more things from you over time. It’s not enough just to have them visit your site once. You need to keep them engaged until they make a purchase decision. That means having a strong follow up system set up. This article explains why it's important to know about inbound lead generation.

We'll also show you some tips on best practices when generating inbound leads, including which inbound lead generation methods work well for different industries and companies.

What is B2B lead generation process?

There are two main ways to get new business coming into your organization:

Outbound lead generation - where you market directly to potential clients (both large corporations and small businesses). Examples include cold calling and emailing people, writing letters/emails, posting flyers around town, sending emails to existing contacts, etc.

Inbound lead generation - where you promote your product/service via websites, blog posts, social media, video advertising, podcasts, etc., instead of targeting people personally. Instead of reaching out to individual prospects, you're creating engaging content that attracts interested individuals to want to learn more. They then contact you either because they were attracted to your content or contacted you first. Either way, you've now created a prospect who may eventually turn into a customer.

Both types of campaigns require similar skillsets and techniques, but there are differences between each method. For example, if you're using an outbound campaign, you still need to qualify all leads before giving them a call. If you use an inbound approach, however, you don't need to worry about qualifying your leads because you won't actually talk to them unless they opt in.

Here are some key points to understand about both types of campaigns:

You should focus on building trust with your audience. People aren't going to go looking for your services if they don't think you offer something valuable.

Your website needs to appeal to your target audience. Make sure that your copywriting speaks to their interests and provides useful information.

If you're doing an inbound campaign, you'll likely start off with one or two landing pages for your offers. When someone visits these pages, you collect data about whether they would be good buyers and qualify them accordingly. Then you add other pages based on their interest level.

For example, if someone clicks on a link to your page from Google search results, you might send them to a single page explaining everything they could expect from working with you. But if they click another link, you direct them to a second landing page offering additional details. The idea is to create multiple entry points for leads to choose from.

Once you have identified a lead, try to find out as much info as possible about him or her. What industry does he or she belong to? What size business is his or hers? How long has he or she been in this type of business? Are there any specific challenges that person faces? Is this person ready to invest money in learning more about your service? These questions help you figure out exactly what kind of buyer you're dealing with.

Then you decide what kind of messaging works best for you. Your messages can vary depending on the industry. Here are some common approaches used by marketers:

Personalized emails - Personalize your message so that it sounds more like a conversation than a promotional pitch. Use phrases such as "Hi [name]," to personalize the experience.

Highlights benefits - Explain the value you provide and highlight the features of your product or service.

Pricing - Show your pricing structure at various levels and let users compare prices.

Educational materials - Offer educational material about your field, such as books or ebooks.

Case studies - Include case studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of your solution.

Video testimonials - Ask real customers to share their experiences with your product or service.

Webinars - Host live webinars that allow attendees to ask questions and interact with presenters.

Social media posts - Post helpful resources on your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. accounts, encouraging interaction.

As you gain knowledge about your ideal client(s), you can tailor your outreach efforts to ensure maximum conversion rates. Once you reach out to prospective leads, you'll want to engage with them further. There are several ways to capture leads' attention and encourage them to take action.

How are B2B leads generated in digital marketing?

Digital marketing involves the promotion of brands and products across multiple channels, platforms, devices, and locations. With the rise of automation software and artificial intelligence, the task of managing and optimizing digital marketing campaigns has become easier than ever.

To begin, here are four primary avenues for acquiring leads:

Search engine optimization - SEO refers to making changes to optimize your website for search engines. Some of those changes involve adding keywords, updating metadata, and improving user interface elements. All of these factors improve organic traffic to your site from search engines. Since a lot of leads happen organically, investing in SEO makes sense no matter what stage your business is currently in.

Content marketing - Content marketing encompasses the creation of original written or visual assets designed to educate readers and build awareness about your brand. This includes blog posts, white papers, infographics, videos, presentations, and anything else. By producing high quality content consistently, you can establish credibility among consumers. Plus, sharing interesting insights and stories helps boost your visibility within your niche.

Email marketing - Email marketing is a tried and true tactic that can drive significant amounts of targeted traffic to your website. Emails often contain links to relevant content, which encourages visitors to stay longer and explore more. And since emails typically arrive during non-peak hours, they tend to catch attention better than standard banner ads.

Advertising - Advertising is essentially buying space on TV, radio, billboards, newspapers, magazines, and other forms of traditional print media. However, even though these mediums are becoming less popular, they remain effective due to their ability to reach a wide range of audiences.

Many organizations utilize multiple tactics simultaneously to maximize ROI. To determine which ones are right for your business, consult your team members and consider the following criteria:



Which channel generates the highest number of conversions?

Are you able to track metrics related to each channel?

Is your budget allocated appropriately?

Does every tool fit together seamlessly? Do the tools complement each other rather than compete against each other?

Do you receive positive feedback after using each channel?

Where do most B2B leads come from?

Most leads are acquired organically through word of mouth referrals, search engine rankings, and referral programs. Social networks play a big role too. According to HubSpot, 60% of leads came from friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances. Other sources included:

Online directories (e.g., Yelp)

Directories (e.g., Yellow Pages)

Referral programs (e.g., AARP)

Business networking groups

BBSes (bulletin board systems)

Recruiting sites

However, only 20% of leads originated from paid advertisements. So while paid advertising is an option worth considering, it shouldn't be your sole source of leads.

Some experts recommend focusing on three main areas when attracting leads:

1. Listening to your audience.

2. Creating great content.

3. Optimizing your presence on social media.

By listening closely to your customers, you can uncover opportunities to meet their needs. As a result, you can develop content that appeals to them. Finally, by connecting with them regularly, you can nurture relationships and increase engagement.

This doesn't mean you should abandon your current strategy altogether. Rather, you can integrate these ideas into your overall plan without drastically altering the fundamentals. Remember, the purpose of lead generation isn't simply to gather names and numbers. The end goal is to connect with people who will ultimately become loyal customers.

Inbound lead generation refers to generating leads by attracting prospects through a variety of methods that have been proven effective for businesses over time. The term "inbound" comes from the idea that you're bringing potential customers into your business instead of trying to sell them on something they may or may not be interested in buying.

This article will explain exactly how inbound lead generation works and give some helpful tips if you want to get started. Let's dive right in!

Why are inbound leads important?

For many companies, getting new clients can be difficult because people aren't always willing to take action when presented with information about their company. This is where inbound lead generation steps in as one way businesses can make sure prospective buyers know who they are while also making sure they don't miss opportunities due to lack of interest.

It takes work, but there are ways to generate quality leads so your business doesn't waste too much money chasing after bad ones. You'll find that inbound leads allow you to focus more on closing deals than just sending out emails, cold calls, and other forms of outreach. Once someone has found you online, it's easier to keep in touch and build rapport before asking for a sale.

How do I start my own inbound lead generation strategy?

The first step is understanding why you need these types of leads. For example, maybe your goal is simply to get more email subscribers. If that's all you care about, then you might consider using free tools like MailChimp, Constant Contact, HubSpot, etc. These services provide templates and drag & drop systems to help you create campaigns quickly. As long as you stay within the confines of the system (i.e., no spamming), you should be able to set up a campaign without having to worry about technical details.

If you plan to use those same platforms to send follow-up messages after a customer signs up, then you might want to look at paid options like Aweber or GetResponse. They offer better tracking features, support for advanced automation, and access to additional integrations to help improve results further.

Once you've decided which type of platform you'd prefer, you'll probably want to learn some basic SEO techniques. That means knowing things like keywords, title tags, meta descriptions, backlinks, social media sharing buttons, etc. To start learning about search engine optimization, check out our list of best SEO resources here.

Now that we established both goals and priorities, let's talk about how to actually go about doing this. Here are some ideas to get you going:

1. Use Google AdWords to target specific terms related to your industry.

You can choose between pay per click advertising or keyword bidding. Both will cost you money depending on how competitive the market is, but whichever option feels most comfortable to you.

2. Create landing pages for each product/service you sell.

These pages should contain lots of content and compelling images along with call to actions that tell visitors exactly what they need to do next. Some good places to start include HubSpot's LeadPages app, LeadSquared's Landing Pages Builder, Wistia's webinar page builder, and Squarespace's website creator. Make sure to optimize each page so that it ranks well in search engines.

3. Write articles on topics relevant to your niche.

Then submit them to directories like EzineArticles, GoArticles, ArticleBase, Squidoo, and many others. Each directory requires different amounts of effort to promote yourself, so do some research to determine whether any of them would fit your needs. After submitting several articles, you'll notice your ranking increase.

4. Share your content via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

Many professional networks require approval for posting, but once approved, you should see engagement rise significantly. It's worth taking the time to share valuable posts regularly so that people begin to recognize you as an expert in your field.

5. Start building relationships with influencers in your industry.

By reaching out to bloggers and journalists on social media, you could potentially gain credibility in exchange for providing them with exclusive content. Also, reach out directly to bloggers whose audience overlaps with yours. Even better, try offering them something of value in return for writing reviews of your products.

6. Join local events and meetups.

Attend networking groups to connect with other professionals. Ask questions and listen closely to everyone else in attendance. Then approach attendees later and ask if they're open to speaking with you about their challenges. Offer to write guest blog posts for them or even contribute a few words to their newsletter. Remember, you never know who knows whom.

7. Host webinars and live seminars.

Hosting a webinar allows you to educate your audience directly while allowing them to interact with you during the event itself. Live seminars are similar but involve face-to-face interaction. Either way, you'll benefit from seeing if your message resonates with attendees and finding out what kind of changes they'd like to implement based on what they learned.

8. Attend conferences and trade shows.

Conferences and trade fairs present an opportunity to network with other professionals and have conversations that could result in future business partnerships. Keep track of who you speak with and what kinds of contacts you develop. When possible, sign up for panels where you can discuss subjects of mutual interest.

9. Set up appointments with decision makers at companies large enough to warrant your attention.

Depending on your budget, you might only be qualified to contact executives at small to medium sized enterprises. But, regardless of size, you still stand a chance at connecting with someone in charge of hiring decisions. Just remember to avoid talking about price until you're already close to signing a contract.

10. Send thank you notes after every transaction.

Thank you letters show appreciation for anyone who helped you grow your business. By following this simple practice, you demonstrate confidence in your ability to succeed and build trust among colleagues, vendors, partners, co-workers, etc.

11. Build connections with employees at companies that buy your products or service.

A great place to start is LinkedIn. Follow up with individuals you've worked with to ensure they remain aware of your company. Don't forget to mention anything special you did for them either.

12. Work with referral programs to identify individuals who might refer business to you.

Some companies reward referrals with discounts or rewards points that can be redeemed for certain items. Others reward loyal customers with higher prices. Whatever method you decide upon, ensure that you're honest with your customers about how your program works.

13. Track everything you do and analyze data.

There are plenty of analytics software available today, including Google Analytics, Piwik, StatCounter, and Salesforce Service Cloud. All of these apps offer reports that reveal insights into visitor behavior patterns, conversion rates, average order values, revenue generated, etc. But perhaps the most useful tool in this category is Conversion Optimizer, which helps you test various elements of your site to pinpoint which tactics bring in the biggest bang for your buck.

What are examples of inbound leads?

One example of an inbound lead source is a person searching for a particular piece of equipment that has recently gone on sale. Another example of an inbound lead source is a person researching a product he wants to purchase. Regardless of the reason behind the inquiry, you can now easily capture his name and address as part of his journey towards becoming a client.

Another common inbound lead source is a person looking for a solution to a problem she faces. She searches for solutions on her computer, smartphone, tablet, or another device. Your task is to become familiar with the key phrases she uses and craft responses designed specifically to appeal to her interests and concerns.

What does it mean to qualify inbound leads?

Qualifying leads involves filtering out the dead wood from the crowd. Qualification criteria varies wildly across industries, but generally includes factors such as education level, income bracket, location, age, gender, profession, etc. For example, if you run a plumbing company, you'll likely want to exclude teenagers whose parents won't approve of their activities. Likewise, if you own a pet store, you might want to eliminate families with young children.

To qualify leads effectively, you must understand their unique characteristics and tailor your response accordingly. Otherwise, you risk wasting precious time on prospects who wouldn't ever end up being a client anyway.

Where do B2B leads come from?

Leads come from three primary sources: Internet ads, direct mailers, and word-of-mouth recommendations. The easiest option is to rely primarily on internet ads. Although this method isn't perfect, it tends to yield the highest ROI (return on investment) compared to alternative sources such as direct mail and networking.

As far as internet ad formats go, display advertisements typically produce better results than text links placed on websites. So, if you're serious about growing your business, you're probably better off focusing on creating high-quality displays rather than spending hours optimizing your website's internal link structure.

In today's digital age, there has been a shift towards content marketing over advertising as well as social media channels such as Facebook or Instagram. Content marketing helps businesses build trust through their customers' eyes and converts them into potential prospects who can be used for business development purposes. This type of content includes blogs, articles, webinar recordings, white papers, eBooks, case studies and more. It also includes videos that include interviews with experts on niche topics like customer service, technology, health and wellness, etc.

The most popular form of content these days is the blog post because it allows you to write about your expertise (or even just something interesting) and then share it with people using various platforms including LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Medium, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, Tumblr, etc. You can create great content without having to pay anyone else to do so - you're essentially writing it yourself but sharing it with others.

But how does all of this relate back to business-to-consumer (B2C) companies when they have to deal with inbound leads? What exactly are those "leads" anyway? And where do they actually come from? How can a company use content to generate new leads? Read on to find answers to these questions and many more...

Where do the best leads come from?

It might seem obvious at first glance, but one thing that needs to be remembered here is that everyone knows someone with whom they want to work together. We all know some person we'd love to hire -- either ourselves, our family members, friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc. But if no one ever reached out to us, would we bother hiring any of those individuals? Of course not. So why would we think otherwise for our own companies? The same principle applies for finding prospective clients or employees. Someone will reach out to you and ask for help, whether you're looking for a partner, employee, vendor, consultant, etc. For example, I once had a client who was trying to track down the owner of a small manufacturing facility located somewhere overseas. They were able to identify him by his name tag and location in the building, but couldn't get a hold of him via email or phone number. After weeks of searching, my client finally found him on LinkedIn and asked him directly if he wanted to buy a machine. He did indeed, but only after getting several calls and emails from me asking if he needed anything special or specific. Had I never sent out that initial message, I probably wouldn't have gotten a response and therefore wouldn't have known the best way to contact him.

So how do you go about generating enough quality leads for your business? There are two main ways to approach this question: 1) outbound lead generation methods and 2) inbound lead generation methods. Let's look at both options below to see which method works better for YOUR company.

What is the best B2B lead generation?

Outbound Lead Generation Job Description

An outsourced lead generation expert usually doesn't have much knowledge about your industry. Instead, they focus mainly on providing high volume of leads based on keywords/phrases that match up with what your prospecting team already uses for their campaigns. These types of services typically cost anywhere between $100-$500 per day depending on the amount of traffic you need generated. An important factor to keep in mind regarding outbound lead generation services is that they don't necessarily produce qualified leads. Many times, the leads generated aren't even interested in engaging with your brand. Your team must still follow up every single lead generated by a third party to determine its worthiness.

On the other hand, inbound lead generation job description goes beyond simply sending out messages to prospects. A good inbound lead generation strategy involves creating a system to capture information about each visitor who lands on your site. Once you've done that, you'll be able to analyze the data to see who clicked on certain links on your page, what time of day visitors tend to visit, what pages they click on, etc. Then, you can target similar visitors with personalized messages tailored specifically to meet their interests.

Another benefit of an effective inbound lead generation campaign is that you can measure results quickly. You can start seeing conversions within 24 hours of starting your campaign, compared to the 8+ months it takes to collect leads through traditional means. If you're ready to take charge of your lead generation efforts, let's now move onto other tips and tricks to improve your chances of success.



What percentage of leads should come from website?

According to HubSpot Research, 65% of respondents say that websites play a major role in driving leads to their organization. On average, marketers spend around 20 minutes interacting with a web user before converting them into a lead. That's why it makes sense to put your best foot forward right away and make sure your website looks appealing and easy to navigate. Make sure your call-to-action buttons stand out prominently and also give users clear instructions on what actions to take next. Don't forget to optimize your landing pages to ensure that search engines notice and index them properly. Also, make sure that your website contains relevant content that engages readers and encourages them to stay longer so they become loyal fans instead of short-term visitors. When everything lines up perfectly, you'll see increased conversion rates.

If you're wondering how to choose the perfect lead generation software for your business, check out our list of the best lead generation software providers. Some of them offer free trial versions to test drive their solutions before making a purchase decision.

What are the sources of inbound leads?

When deciding where to invest your resources, consider three basic factors when choosing between inbound and outbound lead generation:

1) Cost - Does the process require significant upfront costs to generate leads? Or perhaps more importantly, could the investment provide a long-term ROI (returns on investment)?

2) Time - Is it possible to complete the entire process in less than 30 days?

3) Results - Do the results justify spending money on marketing activities? Are you likely to achieve measurable improvements in revenue or ROI?

Once you've figured out which option is best for your particular situation, it's time to dive deeper into tactics to increase your return on investment. To learn more about lead generation and lead nurturing, download our ebook: 10 Tips & Tricks Every Marketer Should Know About Leads.

To sum things up, lead generation isn't always straightforward. Just remember that while outbound lead generation may save you money initially, it won't bring you the kind of lasting returns that inbound lead generation will. With the right guidance and tools, however, you can easily turn cold leads into warm ones and begin reaping substantial benefits almost immediately.

Have you experienced any challenges with lead generation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!


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Anyleads

San Francisco

We are the leading marketing automation platform serving more than 100,000 businesses daily. We operate in 3 countries, based in San Francisco, New York, Paris & London.

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