Articles in The 'lead generation' Tag

Avoiding Analysis Paralysis in Uncertain Times

by Fiorella Öxndal

While organizations have to be able to pivot easily during these uncertain times, business must continue, and as a result you’re marketing. There are marketing tactics that you can and should ensure are getting attention at this time.

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Affiliate Marketing Works for Lead Generation Websites, Too

by Anne Garcia

Affiliate marketing can be a great strategy for both e-commerce and lead generation websites. A Cost-Per-Lead (CPL) affiliate marketing program works where you only pay an affiliate a fixed commission if a visitor completes a form on your site, thus generating a lead. The form can simply be a name and a phone number for your company to follow up with via phone or email. Given that you would be committing to pay your affiliates for each individual who completes a form, it is important that the landing page the individual is being sent to has enough qualifying information to discourage individuals who are not viable leads from completing the form.

If you want to only pay affiliates per lead, it is important to have some measures in place to reduce fraud, so that the advertiser only receives quality leads. Here are a few ways to reduce the number of unqualified leads that you may be paying a commission for:

• Implement a CAPTCHA box at the bottom of the form.
• Require an email confirmation or double opt-in.
• Verify your leads.

Successful lead programs have the following characteristics:

• A long history of generating online leads through multiple marketing channels with good results.
• A very clear definition of a qualified leads versus an unqualified lead.
• An automatic process to determine if a lead is qualified or unqualified.
• Strict security measures in place to protect the company from paying commissions on fraudulent leads.
• No restrictions on the number of leads produced on a monthly basis.

A CPL affiliate program can be easier to set up than other advertising campaigns and would not need as much time and focus once the set up is complete. In addition, you can choose a fixed commission that is less than the cost of a new lead from your email or Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising campaigns.

Lead generation affiliate programs are more common in the finance or service verticals than retail. CPL affiliate programs can be an ideal match for your business if you are focused on closing sales once the online lead is generated.

Leverage Your Facebook Fan Base to Generate Leads

by Taylor Wilson

It has become increasingly understood that having a Facebook presence for your business should be among the top things to be included in your 2011 online marketing efforts. The question is no longer why Facebook is a valid channel, but how to capture leads and generate a return on your investment (ROI).

Creating a loyal fan following within Facebook takes a lot of ongoing commitment, dedication, consistent engagement and strategy. Engaging fans to like your page by offering incentives, promotions or exclusive rewards is one of several ways to build your fan base. But the question that remains is: what do you do once you have your captive audience? Being able to capture fans’ email addresses, names and possibly phone numbers is a great way to get to better know your audience and build your database for other possible marketing efforts.

(Below is a screen shot of how you can capture your Facebook fan’s credentials)

The above custom Facebook tab has a lead generation form built into the design that allows you to easily capture your fan’s information. Building up and creating a Facebook fan base is step one, but it’s how you capitalize on your Facebook fan base and convert them into a sale that is key. Creating a custom Facebook tab that allows your fans to engage by asking questions as well as providing their contact information is great way to continue to build a relationship with your customer base outside of Facebook.