The process of attracting potential customers and capturing enough information to begin a marketing or sales relationship.
A system for turning audience interest into identifiable business opportunities.
Short and sweet:
The process of attracting potential customers and capturing enough information to begin a marketing or sales relationship.
A system for turning audience interest into identifiable business opportunities.
See also: Lead, Demand Generation, Landing Page
Lead generation encompasses the full range of activities aimed at attracting strangers and turning them into people who’ve expressed at least some interest in a business, whether through a form submission, a phone call, or a chat inquiry. It spans nearly every marketing channel, from SEO and paid ads to events and referrals, since any activity that captures contact information from a genuinely interested person counts toward it. Because it’s often the first measurable step in a sales process, lead generation volume is one of the most closely watched numbers by marketing teams, though volume alone means little without also tracking how many of those leads actually turn into customers.
A roofing company running Facebook ads that link to a “free roof inspection” form is doing lead generation, collecting a homeowner’s contact details before a single sales call happens.
Trade shows have long served as a channel for this same kind of work for B2B companies, letting a booth staffer scan a badge and walk away with a qualified contact instead of a random business card.
Webinars are one of the most reliable tools for it in the software world, since simply registering for the event requires giving up an email address and job title upfront.
