Leads. Everybody needs them, whether you’re selling a product, service, or just straight up content. A quality email database of qualified leads can be hard to come by, and even harder to create at scale. That’s why we’ll often hear lead generation horror stories of huge email lists full of bogus email addresses or unqualified leads. This can happen for a number of reasons, including email list buying, bulk email additions or poorly targeted lead generation. So, do you know where your leads are coming from?
Know Your Lead Generation Sources
First, take a look at your list of leads. Do you have sources and verified consent for them? Did they come from reputable sources? Hopefully the answers are yes, but fear not if you’re a little unclear on a few. Compare your known lead sources to your unknown and see how they stack up in terms of email open rate and clicks. If they’re not too far, chances are you’ve got a qualified list.
Next, dig deeper into the data and see if certain sources or targeting parameters yield better open or click-through rates. The level of analysis will vary based on the records in your database, but you’re looking for patterns to find worthy lead generation sources based on the interest you see from the leads sourced on those sites. You can also compare demographic data or content interactions, if you know it. For example, it would be helpful to know that leads sourced from Method A open emails twice as often as those generated from Method B.
Optimize Your Lead Generation
Once you know which lead generation sources or methods are working, you can test and refine your lead generation strategy to better align with your top-performing targets and sources. Find similar sites to those that produce the most engaged leads, and trackback the leads that have converted into customers to gain new insights into who your customers are, and where they’re coming from.
Don’t be afraid to cut out under-performing lead generation tactics, and always be testing new lead nurturing strategies, including email subject lines, frequency of sends, and additional off-site promotions. Your goal is to know where each and every lead came from so you can track them through the sales funnel and determine who your target leads are (and where to find them) based on who becomes a paying customer.
Try Opt-In Advertising For Lead Generation
One of the most trackable and proveable lead generation tactics is opt-in advertising. We can help you target your desired audience on the sites they already know and visit frequently, without wasting time and money driving them to your site. The result is a verified, qualified database of leads you can act on immediately. Ready to try opt-in advertising for lead generation? Get started for free today.