Lead Generation Part 4 – Go It Alone

In previous posts in our series, we discussed various  lead generation strategies – form fills, content syndication and content syndication using webinars and white papers. The question then becomes, should you execute in-house or with the help of a marketing company. Many businesses choose to “go it alone” by leveraging internal resources in the hopes of saving on costs. However when going this route, there are various factors you really need to consider beyond just the cost.

Content

The first step is developing the content to drive the leads. You will need to create compelling assets such as white papers or webinars that will encourage a prospect to query for more details about your product or service. You likely have team members who have subject matter expertise, but can they write compelling content?

Lead Volume

When going it alone, it’s very important to consider what sort of lead volume you require. Most people assume a more-is-merrier approach to lead gen. But there’s such a thing as too many leads. You don’t want to be generating leads that your sales team is too busy to follow up on. So carefully planning and projecting how many leads can be handled by your team is an important step in the process, and it’s often an afterthought.

Capturing leads

Lead generation revolves around having a solid lead capture system in place.  How long your forms are and how much information you ask for will vary from business to business, but it’s generally recommended to keep your forms as succinct as possible with the understanding that you would be trading off quality for quantity by using longer forms.  Testing different lead capture forms and monitoring registrations and ultimate conversion rates will help you determine what’s working and what isn’t.

It will be necessary to create your own landing pages and follow up with these leads through some sort of lead nurturing process. If you are intending on running a live webinar as part of your lead generation strategy, you will also need to consider how you will deliver the presentation and remind registrants of the event date and other details.  You will also want to follow up with answers to questions and provide a link to a recording for those who couldn’t attend or wish to watch for a second time.

Targeting

When going it alone, it is less likely that you will be able to target as specifically as you might otherwise be able to with other lead generation tactics already discussed. It will be challenging to target prospects by employee size or geography for example unless you purchase lists or run a very targeted paid campaign. These costs will offset the savings you are likely trying to achieve by running the program yourself.

While going it alone is a popular way to approach lead generation, the end result is that it’s hard to generate a return comparable to working with a marketing company who has a proven process. While you might save on upfront investment, the quality and quantity of your leads may suffer. It’s important to weigh the different lead generation alternatives available, and determine what makes the most sense for your business.

Interested in learning more about lead generation alternatives for your business? Contact eBridge today.

Want more information about lead gen? Watch eBridge’s webinar series about lead generation.