Adopting a Strategic Lead Generation Framework
Organizations, now more than ever, are under pressure to formulate innovative strategies to attract prospects. Lead generation has therefore assumed top priority and marketing teams across organizations are adopting various methods to ensure the uninterrupted flow of leads.
While on the one hand marketing teams are striving to maintain a steady flow of lead nurturing definitions, on the other they are also required to justify their marketing spending. These multiple constrains hinder marketing efforts and impede the lead generation process. Hence streamlining this process by employing a strategic framework can be immensely helpful. This can not only ensure a higher number of leads but also more quality leads.
Here is what a strategic lead generation framework would resemble:
Self-Audit: Self-assessment is ideally the first step. This would involve assessing the existing lead generation capabilities, techniques currently used for lead generation, the effectiveness of these techniques, possible areas of improvement, etc. It is also important to assess whether the organization is equipped with the right resources and infrastructure to accommodate changes.
Strategic Planning and Budgeting: Following the self-audit, the next step is to plan the lead acquisition model and campaign. Formulating a lead generation strategy is also essential at this stage. A detailed planning of how to engage the market and convert prospects into qualified leads is crucial. This also calls for collaboration with the sales team. In addition, communication channels are to be decided based on the target market, and appropriate messages are created for dissemination at various stages of lead nurturing. The budget for the lead generation campaign is drawn at this stage. This budget covers all possible expenses that may be incurred. Once the budget is drawn, approval is obtained from the concerned authorities.
Allocation of Roles: With a strategic plan in place, assigning responsibilities is the next step. Communicating the requirements of the campaign and the specific goals of the campaign is critical at this stage. The skill sets of the team have to be evaluated, and the team has to be equipped with the necessary tools to kick-start and manage the campaign. It is also important to standardize the campaign management policy and methodology at this stage.
Choice of Automation: Several lead generation campaigns have failed owing to the lack of centralized control – the absence of a tool that could provide a consolidated view of the status and performance of the campaign. Organizations use disparate systems for email marketing, online advertising and web analytics, thus making their management complex and expensive. By adopting lead generation software or a complete marketing automation solution, organizations can better manage their campaigns and guarantee success. Considering the option of automation is an important step at this level.
Campaign Execution: This stage marks the launch of the lead generation campaign, during which direct marketing activities begin, the advertising plan is implemented, email marketing is rolled-out and all online initiatives such as podcasts, webcasts, etc., are extended to the target market.
Campaign execution is followed by performance tracking based on web analytics. The metrics produced give a clear idea about the success of the campaign, which elements of the campaign have generated more response, etc. But the key to the success of a campaign lies in its being responsive to prospects’ needs. And this strategic lead generation framework can be immensely helpful in making lead generation campaigns truly responsive!
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