Chris Young
Creating a consistent lead-generating machine is a major milestone for every company.
Creating a viable product is one challenge, however, getting people to pay attention to that product and then part ways with their money for it are two different problems requiring different skill sets. Lead generation is the activity that solves this problem and it’s so important that a multi-billion dollar industry around lead generation tools continues to grow. In the same way that machinery helps workers become wildly more efficient, lead generation tools also help sales professionals reach more people and convert them into more sales.
Lead generation involves identifying a company’s target audience and delivering the right message to guide them through the sales funnel, ultimately leading to a purchase. This process varies between B2B and B2C markets, each requiring distinct strategies. In B2B lead generation, the focus is on identifying and reaching the right companies, whereas B2C lead generation targets individual consumers. While the specific setup of a lead generation campaign can differ depending on the business, B2B strategies typically emphasize personalized outreach methods like cold-calling, email marketing, and LinkedIn networking. On the other hand, B2C lead generation often relies on PPC ads, such as those on Google and Meta, to attract individual buyers.
Lead generation tools are any tool that might help with any part of lead generation. There is a wide variety of lead generation tools that run the gamut from PPC platforms such as Google and Meta, to lead scraping tools that can help with cold B2B outreach. Since lead generation tools have such a wide range of applications, it’s hard to nail down exactly what the best tools are. Mileage may vary depending on the kind of lead generation required–a data scraping tool may not be the right application for a Main St. business that wants to cast a wide net and bring in new business. Similarly, PPC ads are probably not the right lead generation tool for a high-ticket service or product that few businesses or individuals may need.
Lead generation tools help companies reach more people and get better information than would otherwise be possible without the tools. In terms of reach, lead generation tools help companies get in touch with more of the right people than was previously possible. Think of a highway billboard that may target millions of people per year in the hopes that a small percentage of the individuals in transit will find a product or service useful. While a billboard is technically a lead generation tool, it is not be the best for most companies. On the other hand, a lead generation tool such as PPC advertising makes use of available data to meticulously target individuals who are likely to need a product or service. Using this technology ultimately helps to weed out unqualified individuals from a product or service offering that would be irrelevant to their current needs or situation. This makes each advertising dollar go farther by improving the reach of the ad and the quality of the leads.
The best lead generation tools will depend on the kind of lead generation conducted. Companies who want to cast a wide net will focus more on platforms with billions of users whereas companies who have a very targeted demographic may want to find prospects one-by-one.
Google is undoubtedly at the top of the heap when it comes to lead generation. This popular platform dominates Pay-per-click advertising and search engine marketing with an incredible average ROI of $2:$1. Google is an excellent platform because the users identify their own interests based on the search query provided. When combined with additional Google data, paid advertisements can be delivered to a broad audience with a high degree of precision. Lead generation companies like Be More Digital make use of this feature with a combination of highly targeted advertisements and solution-driven landing pages. This combination reaches leads with the right headlines in the ad text and then brings them to a page where they can get more information and then take action on that information.
Meta is another great lead-generation sales tool that uses a different technique for identifying potential leads. It uses user data around likes and interests that’s fed to an algorithm to determine who the most likely customers are for a given product or service. This platform has several billion users across the world and chances are, if there’s a target market for your product, they can be found on different Meta platforms.
LinkedIn has one of the biggest publicly available databases of professionals. Businesses that use account-based marketing or sales strategies are the main beneficiaries of LinkedIn as a lead-generation sales tool. Specifically, Sales Navigator provides hundreds of millions of professionals and their employers, as well as a way to contact them with In-Mail. Unlike other lead generation strategies that use PPC or SEM, LinkedIn is mostly used for cold outreach to previously-identified companies and individuals that fit within the parameters of a certain persona. Instead of sending these leads to a landing page, the most common strategy is to initiate a conversation and then request a call or video meeting to offer a pitch.
Hunter.io is a software platform that can be used on its own or in conjunction with other platforms such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator. This platform is only a database of professional contact information–names, emails, phone numbers, employers, positions, etc.--that many SDRs use to get validated data. This lead generation tool has nearly risen to the level of “permission to play” for any B2B lead generation.
SalesForce is really a stand-in for any CRM that allows lead generation teams to track their sales pipelines and leads. Other popular CRMs are HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive, and more. In fact, a good CRM is as essential to lead generation as the platforms that the leads are generated on. Different platforms will have different strong suits–some offer email outreach, and others offer light and easy features at a good price for agile startups. Salesforce, in particular, is known for its advanced data analytics and the ability to integrate with almost every other sales tool you’ll use (and some you won’t) for lead generation efforts.
Surely there is a litany of other lead generation tools that end in “-ly” or “-ify” that more or less do the same thing as the lead generation tools mentioned. However, these major players are big fish in a big pond. Other tools help companies manage budgets, plan social media campaigns, build ad copy, and generally act as ancillary lead generation tools. However, lead generation tools can be complicated to say nothing of lead generation itself. Companies get the best lead generation results when working with lead generation agencies such as Be More Digital. Working with an agency can practically create a shortcut since there is minimal lead time and almost not training required. Furthermore, good lead generation companies are already familiar with best practices that help jumpstart any lead generation efforts. To learn more about working with Be More Digital for lead generation, get in touch with our customer success team today, or read one of our many lead generation case studies to get an idea of how we work!
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