Lead Generation Strategies That Start With "P"

Today we explore the letter "P' for lead generation strategies:

Podcasts.

One of the hallmarks of Web 2.0 strategies, podcasts allow you to deliver audio and video presentations via the web. Since it leverages multiple senses, it allows your target audience to interact with your website much more effectively than just reading text. Podcasts can be effective for playing archived webinars and seminars, interviews, customer testimonials, analyst briefings, and many more. Use your imagination. Think of your website not as a place to store written text, but as a multimedia platform. The possibilities are endless.

Personalization.

In today's marketplace, we are bombarded with saels messaging from multiple channels. Marketers that take the time to personalize their messaging and market one-to-one will yield a much greater return. You may have received a direct mail piece that has your name on it and a unique URL. When you type in the URL you are directed to a page that seems to speak directly to you. Email sent with dynamic content that tailors to your demographics and interests is another form of this tactic. Websites that allow you to self-select your interests and needs and then morph the pages to your profile and remember you the next time you come back are perhaps the holy grail of this strategy. Whatever you do, remember that everyone wants to be treated as an individual, even if they fit in a larger marketing profile.

Public Relations.

PR is still one of the most cost-effective strategies you can leverage to drive demand. But you shouldn't settle for a PR firm who can't tell you what kind of demand they are driving for your business. Impressions are yesterday's metric. Instead of using generic URL's in your press releases and articles, insert specific links to a dedicated landing page that will reinforce the PR program. Then use your web tracking software to measure the number of hits and subsequent conversions. Tie your PR firm to performance rather than expensive monthly retainers.

Partners/Channels.

Selling indirect through the channel can be a very effective strategy for growing your business. Over time, investing in a channel strategy can deliver superior leverage and grow your business exponentially. It does take a good 18 months for any good program to start showing solid benefits. You also need to be prepared to invest a considerable amount of time and energy up front to get the program up and running. In most cases, the partners you recruit will not have your product as their primary product or service, so it takes extra attention and a good economic return for them to get established. Once you have gotten the program going, your costs of sale drop significantly and you can see some solid positive growth.

Personas.

Instead of trying to track 100+ fields of data, consider aggregating your prospects into several categories and label those categories. For example, "Set and Steady" may be a 50 year-old male CIO with 2 children who is risk adverse and relies on a tight circle of contacts to advise him on key decisions. An "Up and Comer" may be a 34 year-old woman who is assertive and willing to take risks. She is an avid reader and uses research along with instinct to make decisions. Neither is right or wrong. They are just possible representations of your target audience. Once you identify the profiles that most likely describe your prospects, it is much easier to market to those profiles or personas. Your prospects will think you are marketing directly to them, but what you are really doing is marketing to the representation of who they are; attempting to guide their thoughts and actions based on perceived behavior or anticipation of what they will do. This is a very powerfule form of marketing and is really starting to have an impact in B2B.

Stay tuned for the letter "Q".