Regardless of the company’s size, automation can be a crucial strategy that helps generate high-quality leads. When compared to traditional lead generation methods, it is faster, more accurate, and always follows a predetermined scenario, ensuring consistent brand experiences. An appropriately implemented voicebot assigned to generate leads can shorten the time of acquiring potential customers. Bots work exceptionally well in internet marketing and are increasingly being introduced into the lead generation process.
How are sales leads acquired and what is lead generation?
The process of lead generation involves identifying potential customers and collecting their contact information, also known as sales opportunities. The collected leads are utilized by the sales team, which prepares suitable offers and potential promotions. A sales lead enables locating customers at a very early stage of their sales journey. The company’s task is to build a relationship with potential buyers, aiming to assist their purchasing decisions.
Often, a company’s success depends not only on its budget but primarily on its lead generation process. An effective technique can provide an advantage over the competition. More and more companies attach great importance to their online presence, and they are aided by content marketing strategies, online forms, or SEO. The combination of these elements attracts customers to the brand and differentiates the company from its competitors.
Classification of sales leads
Depending on the stage of the buyer’s journey, they are classified as different types of leads. Just because a customer contacts a company doesn’t mean they are convinced to make a purchase yet. Initially, they may only be interested in the brand’s offer, which then transforms into a marketing lead. Such a lead is interested in a specific product but is still uncertain if they actually need it. They are not yet ready to make a purchase. The most desirable type of lead is a sales lead. This customer knows exactly what they want, is decisive, and ready to make a purchase.
Hot sales lead
A hot lead refers to a group of customers who are convinced and ready to make a purchase.
A hot sales lead is a customer who knows their needs, is determined, and enthusiastic about the offered product or service. Such leads often come from referrals by satisfied customers.
When dealing with this group of customers, the most important aspect for the sales department is a quick response and immediate assistance. Even the slightest delay can result in losing a customer.
Warm marketing lead
Warm leads are characterized by the customer’s interest in a product or service but without an immediate desire to make a purchase. The acquired marketing lead should be analyzed, followed by the implementation of appropriate marketing actions that maintain contact with the customer and sustain their interest in the service. Warm leads are usually acquired by the marketing team through various marketing activities such as:
content marketing (blogs, infographics, and video marketing)
email marketing
newsletter
social media marketing
advertisements
telemarketing
Customer contact, or cold lead
A cold lead refers to a contact that is not classified as a potential customer. It is often considered the least valuable, but it should not be disregarded since it represents the largest group of leads.
Generating leads through voicebots
Generating leads with the help of voicebots can be an excellent solution for businesses. How does a voice assistant work in practice?
In mass communication, a bot works perfectly. Its biggest and indisputable advantage is the lack of limitations in handling calls. The bot can simultaneously make and receive calls, and potential customers don’t have to wait in line. A voicebot speeds up the process of checking potential customer databases, and the cost of a voicebot call is more than half as low as the cost of a traditional human-made call.
The advantage of a bot over traditional communication in lead generation
Thanks to the help of voicebots, companies can acquire leads faster, more effectively, and easier. Bots enable two-way communication, and their level of performance is always consistent. Implemented solutions are becoming more advanced, which gives customers the feeling of talking to a real person rather than a recorded secretary. Using such a solution allows sales departments to develop other, more creative competencies, while unwanted and repetitive work is delegated to the bot.
Is it possible to effectively generate leads with a voicebot?
The effectiveness of a voicebot in lead generation depends on whether it has been correctly implemented, tested, but also on the campaign conducted by the sales and marketing department. A properly implemented bot works excellently in communicating with the customer, and the customer is almost unable to distinguish whether they are talking to a human or a voice assistant.
The effectiveness of voicebot actions increases when the marketing campaign planned by the department introduces questions that users frequently ask and clearly presents the offer. The key is to address the campaign accurately to customers and provide clear guidance on the course of action. Well-planned lead flows, touchpoints, and appropriate channels are the key to success.
The bot always follows the given scenario, which is its enormous advantage. It ensures users have consistent brand experiences. Voicebot is the latest trend in lead generation, leading to the maximization of sales leads acquisition.
Methods of lead generation
There is no one way to acquire sales leads; there are many techniques that can help in acquiring customers. Lead generation is a company’s chance to acquire another satisfied user. It is always worth focusing on the content conveyed to customers. Personalized and appropriately targeted messages generate the most interest. It is worth considering and testing several existing possibilities to find the one that best fits your brand.
SEO
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) refers to optimizing a website to increase visibility and traffic in search engine results. Website optimization is a time-consuming task that requires patience but is worth the effort in the lead generation process.
Call back widget
A call back widget is an addition to a website that encourages users to contact the company. It is usually placed in a Call To Action (CTA) section, which provides an easy and quick way to fill out a contact form.
Content marketing
Content marketing involves creating content for a website and positioning it using SEO tools. Customers notice companies that share knowledge through valuable blog articles, case studies, eye-catching graphics, or videos posted on platforms like YouTube and social media. Tutorial content related to the offered products or services increases the possibility of acquiring a customer who leaves their contact information. Paying attention to keywords that appear in the content improves the company’s visibility online.
Social media
Social media naturally attracts customers, so managing them works in favor of the company, and regular posting encourages people to follow its activities. A significant portion of interested customers checks the company’s values and alignment with their own through social media. It is an ideal place to showcase and promote the company’s values in the best possible way.
Email campaigns
Email campaigns involve sending pre-prepared and personalized content that helps in lead generation. In email marketing, it is important for the content to be well-matched to the recipient. Fortunately, there are many programs that streamline this process and assist in automating sent messages. A contact database for acquiring customers can be generated through a chosen CRM system.
Business Meetings
Business meetings are a great option for companies that want to be noticed externally. They provide an opportunity to meet in person. One major advantage of business meetings and trade shows is the fact that other companies or individuals with similar interests and business goals participate in such events. These are people who are closer to making a purchasing decision compared to those who are just starting to show interest in a particular solution. During such meetings, companies can generate a significant number of leads.
Advertisements
Introducing advertisements, such as Google Ads, can be a good idea and a great addition to sales and lead generation marketing activities. Attractive graphics can be the key to success. Eye-catching images that can grab the customer’s attention, generate interest, and stand out from others while not being intrusive or annoying pose a considerable challenge, but the success of an advertising campaign depends on it. Unfortunately, lead generation through online advertising is a costly endeavor, but one should not be discouraged because over time, advertisements can pay for themselves and yield the desired results.
Creating a landing page that interested customers can land on after clicking a link is a good addition to an advertising campaign in lead generation.
These are not the only ideas and methods for effective lead generation. There are many possibilities, and the selection of the most suitable lead generation tool depends on the individual business needs of the company.
Effective tools to support sales lead generation
The interest in tools that help generate leads is increasing among companies. Combining several available tools that support automation makes the lead generation process easier, more enjoyable, and more efficient.
Bazo and its role in lead generation
Bazo is a very simple and intuitive tool. It effectively automates lead generation. With Bazo.io, a company has access to information such as the number of acquired leads who have left the website. Access to Bazo also allows adding a message to the website that catches attention and encourages users to click back into the browser tab. The package includes templates with ready-made content, or the user can add their own message.
In addition to information about users leaving your website, Bazo prepares reports on the website, collecting information about which subpages were viewed by potential customers, how much time they spent on them, what they were looking for on the website, and what their real purpose of the visit was. By obtaining such information, the team responsible for the website’s content can easily determine which solutions are most interesting to potential customers.
Albacross in lead generation
Albacross is a tool similar to Bazo. It collects email addresses and, in specific cases, contact numbers from customers. Its main goal is to identify leads visiting a company’s website. Unlike Bazo.io, Albacross does not have an analytical panel, history of unidentified visits, or on-site automation.
Zapier, helping in lead generation
Zapier is a paid tool that allows integrating many other applications for lead generation. Zapier is popular in marketing automation. It is a service worth considering with over 3,000 integrations, making it easy to automate workflow from A to Z.
Lead generation supporting tools are becoming increasingly popular and available in the Polish market, raising awareness about them. Sales and marketing departments are more inclined to seek assistance in their daily work, which positively affects the number of generated leads, website content, and the company’s attractiveness.
Is sales lead generation expensive?
The cost of generating a lead depends on many factors and the marketing actions taken. The final cost of acquiring a lead depends on the lead generation process and sources.
Calculators available online come to help in estimating costs, assisting in calculating expenses and understanding how much money should be allocated for lead generation. Whether investing in leads is worthwhile depends on the effectiveness of the entire sales process in the company. To determine this, three factors can be taken into account: sales goal, sales value per individual customer, and stages of the sales process.
Sales goal
The first step is to determine the sales goal in the company. This is a crucial point for lead cost calculators as it defines the sales value the company aims to achieve in a given year.
Sales value per individual customer
The next step is to determine the average sales value per lead and how many purchases they make within a year. This helps determine the number of contracts that need to be closed in a year to achieve the sales goal.
Stages of the sales process
The last but equally important element is to define the sales process in the company. Each stage should be outlined, and the effectiveness of closing sales should be determined. Some calculators have the ability to adapt to almost any sales process, regardless of the sales funnel used in the company.
What is a lead magnet and how to use it for lead generation?
A lead magnet is a way of collecting contact information in exchange for a free item or service. It is a method to attract potential customers by offering them a free gift that is designed to introduce them to the initial stage of the sales funnel.
In the next stage, the acquired lead undergoes lead nurturing, where it is passed on to the sales department, which tries to convert the potential lead into a customer who will purchase the service or product.
Examples of lead magnets
A lead magnet involves offering the customer any content, item, or service that provides them with a glimpse of the value they can expect to receive or helps them solve a problem. Examples can include educational content, access to a closed group, special offers, courses, video materials, product samples, and many more.
Artificial Intelligence in lead generation – is this the future?
By investing in artificial intelligence solutions, companies often discover errors and oversights in their existing lead generation processes or contact databases.
By purchasing additional tools to support the team in their daily tasks, marketing and sales departments can focus solely on leads that have already been qualified. This saves time on unsuccessful contact attempts. Combining the right tools with a chatbot can improve the quantity and quality of acquired leads.
Lead generation is a complex process. It will take some time before it becomes fully automated by artificial intelligence, but for now, AI can make it more efficient. Voice assistants should not be seen as competition for employees but rather as reliable assistance in their daily work. The bot’s purpose is to improve the team’s efficiency and effectiveness by relieving them of repetitive and less creative tasks, allowing colleagues to develop and engage in more complex tasks that bring them satisfaction. Implementing a bot should have a positive impact on the overall team performance. With bots, processes become more organized, and over time, service costs decrease.