Whether you're a business owner or marketer, you know how important it is to keep attracting new customers into your sales funnel. Without a steady stream of leads, your sales pipeline can quickly dry up, making an effective lead generation strategy so critical.
Lead generation encompasses all the marketing activities aimed at identifying, nurturing, and qualifying potential buyers for your products or services. When done well, it keeps your funnel full of sales-ready leads. But generating quality leads is often easier said than done these days with so much digital noise and competition for attention. Here, we'll explore proven lead generation tactics and how AlphaGraphics' integrated marketing solutions can power up your lead generation strategy. Let's dive in!
The Importance of Multichannel Lead Generation
Back in the day, companies could focus most of their marketing efforts on one main source, like trade shows or print ads, and still bring in a steady flow of customers. This was a time when people weren't bombarded with marketing messages, and companies could easily reach their target audience through these channels. For example, a firm that sells relationship management software might focus on B2B lead generation events like industry conferences and trade shows. Similarly, a consumer goods company might rely heavily on print ads in popular magazines to reach its target audience.
Fast-forward to today, and the marketing landscape is unrecognizable. Modern buyers are hit with a constant stream of marketing messages across all sorts of channels - social media, email, content marketing, and paid ads. The average person sees thousands of marketing messages every day, making it tough for businesses to stand out and grab their attention. As a result, companies have to mix it up and spread their efforts across multiple channels to effectively reach their target audience.
Why a Multichannel Strategy Matters
With multichannel approaches being the new standard, it's easier to leverage both digital and traditional marketing practices to effectively reach and engage your target audience at multiple touchpoints along their buyer's journey. The Marketing Rule of Seven claims that seven exposures are the minimum needed to sway a customer's decision. Opening up more channels, especially in B2B lead generation efforts, helps you connect with the right people, more often, and get your message across when it matters most.
Top Lead Generation Channels to Consider
The channels you'll want to focus on will depend on your business, products/services, and target customer profiles. But some of the most effective channels for lead generation today include:
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Email marketing
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Content marketing (blogs, ebooks, webinars etc.)
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Social media marketing
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Search engine marketing (SEO and paid ads)
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Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM)®
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Events and tradeshows
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Referrals
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Telemarketing
To get the most out of your lead generation efforts, it's crucial to bring all your channels together in a way that makes sense. This approach helps you save money, creates a consistent brand image, and makes every interaction with your brand feel like a natural next step. When done correctly, multichannel lead generation can accelerate your sales process, attract higher-quality leads, and boost conversions.
The Power of Print in Generating Leads
Digital lead generation channels are crucial, but combining online and offline strategies is the way to go for a winning lead gen plan. Printed materials can really grab people's attention and get them to take action in a world dominated by screens. They offer a nice change of pace and a tangible experience. Direct mail is actually more effective now than it used to be, especially when paired with other tactics.
Most people are bombarded by hundreds of digital ads and emails daily, but most of them are easy to scroll past or ignore altogether. A well-designed printed item, on the other hand, has a better shot at grabbing attention – whether it arrives in the mail or is picked up at an event.
These can all play a powerful role in attracting interest from new prospects and driving them to your website or storefront where they can then be nurtured and converted.
Directional Signs & Graphics: A Lead Generation Secret Weapon
Most businesses view signs as just a way to show off their brand and help people find their way around, but strategic signage and graphics can actually be a really effective way to bring in new leads. Think about all the people walking by your store every day. Are you using eye-catching signs and window graphics to grab their attention and get them to take actio
With smart signage, you can draw people in, get them to sign up for your email list, scan a QR code, attend an event, or take that first step into your sales process. You've got a lot of potential customers passing by, so why not use signs to get their attention and turn them into buyers?
The Bottom Line on Direct Mail for Leads
You might think of direct mail as old-school, but it's still one of the most effective and affordable ways to generate leads. The digital age hasn't made it obsolete – in fact, direct mail has adapted and thrived. Research shows that people are actually more likely to interact with and respond to direct mail than to digital channels like email.
When done right with smart data and personal touches, direct mail gives lead generation programs an impressive return on investment. It works because, let's face it, direct mail has a tangible quality that digital just can't match. And when you get personal with variable data printing, you can connect with your audience in a way that feels more genuine.
Lead Qualification & Scoring
Generating a ton of leads is just the first half of the battle – you also need solid lead qualification, prioritization, and scoring strategies. This way, your sales team can zero in on the hottest prospects who are most likely to make a purchase. It's like a farmer sorting through their harvest, separating the ripe from the unripe fruits that need more time.
Lead qualification is the process of assigning a "score" to each lead based on how well they match your ideal customer and if they show signs of being sales-ready. You can qualify leads based on things like their job title, company size, or industry – these help identify if they're a good fit for your product. The goal is to create a system that accurately shows how interested and ready a lead is to buy. By doing this, your sales team can focus on the most promising leads and increase their chances of closing a deal. Factors used for scoring can include things like:
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Demographics/firmographics data matching your ideal customer profile
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Email open and click-through rates
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Content engagement behavior
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Event attendance
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Demo requests
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Site activity and web behaviors
Higher scores mean hotter, more qualified leads, so your sales team can focus on the most promising ones first. To make this work, you need a solid lead qualification and scoring system that uses lead nurturing workflows, progressive profiling, and marketing automation tools.
Lead volume and quality have a big impact on how well your lead nurturing and sales pipeline work. To boost success, consider adding physical marketing to your lead generation mix. Offline channels like these often get a lot of engagement and responses. When combined with digital marketing, you'll have more high-quality leads to cultivate and prioritize for sales.
AlphaGraphics: Your Local Lead Generation Strategy Partner
From direct mail campaigns that drive results to eye-catching signs and colorful print materials, AlphaGraphics is your local go-to for integrated marketing solutions that bring in quality leads. Our marketing pros can jump in at any point in your lead generation process:
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Data acquisition and list procurement
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Printing and finishing services
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Bindery and mailing
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Sign and display production
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QR code deployment and cross-channel nurturing
We bring all our capabilities together to establish a lead generation strategy that reaches your customers across multiple channels and drives results. This way, you can attract, capture, and convert more of the right buyers for your business.
Want to optimize your lead generation efforts? Partner with the lead gen experts at the AlphaGraphics center nearest you today!