Generating leads is one of the main goals we have when we invest in a website or any marketing activity. We want the phone to ring and the email enquiries to come through to our inbox each and every day. Lead generation is somewhat of an art and a science. We need landing pages that encourage people to submit their details, we need a system and a process for following up with those leads. This can often involve multiple bits of software to make it run smoothly (and as automated as possible).
For example, you need to be able to create landing pages for a start. You may be able to do this as part of your existing website, but sometimes that’s not possible. You may want to test different landing pages and run experiments to see which converts the best. You may need a CRM system to store your leads and an email marketing platform to manage your automated lead nurturing campaign. How about promoting your lead magnet? You’ll need to think about social sharing and other promotional tools to drive traffic to your landing pages.
All this functionality can be time consuming and cumbersome to set up and manage. This is where lead generation software comes in.
Benefits of Lead Generation Software
The main benefit of using lead generation software is that many of the integrations you require are built into one platform. Depending on which software you choose, you can benefit from simple drag and drop landing page builders with templates based on high-converting landing pages. This takes away some of the guess work (and design know-how) when it comes to creating pages. It also means you don’t need access to your website to start generating leads. This is great if you don’t have full access to your website, or you want to keep your landing pages completely separate.
Many will offer additional features such as pop ups and alert bars too which help to push up conversion rates if done effectively.
The templates on offer should be mobile-friendly as standard, so you don’t need to worry about device compatibility. Some platforms even optimise your landing pages for speed too, so Google will love them that little but more :).
Most platforms will offer some kind of A/B testing where you can trial different versions of your landing pages to see which convert the best. Be aware though that you will need a high volume of traffic to generate meaningful results from these, so if you’re expecting a few hundred or a few thousands visitors to your landing pages, the results may show up a false positive and lead you down the wrong path, so be sure to run experiments for long enough to gather as much data as possible.
Many platforms have built-in add-ons such as email automation and CRM systems which means you only need one piece of software to manage the whole process. This could save you money in the long run and make managing your campaigns much simpler.
How to choose the right lead generation software
- Grab a pen and paper and write down the process for acquiring leads from start to finish. Think about how they will find your landing page (social media, email, search engines), what information will they submit, where will it go, how will you follow up, what happens if they don’t convert?
- For each stage of the process, what functionality would you need from your software? Landing page builder, CRM, email marketing, ability to share via social media or feed into your remarketing audiences? Does this functionality need to be built in to one platform or would integrations with your existing platforms be preferable? For example, if you’re already using Salesforce for your CRM or MailChimp for your email marketing, it might make more sense to find a lead gen platform that will integrate with Salesforce or MailChimp, rather than one that has its own systems.
- Write down your budget. These platform can command a high monthly fee, so be clear on what you’re happy to spend.
- Do your research! Armed with a list of what you need from the platform, research possible solutions. Remember that the quoted price for this type of software can often increase when you start adding on the functionality you need. The cheapest price point can suck you in and get you signed up, only to realise that it doesn’t do what you need it to do and you’ll need to pay extra to make it work for you. This is why you shouldn’t skip steps 1 and 2.
- Think about the future – will the platform grow with you? Is there functionality that you don’t need today but would like to have in 12 months’ time?
Other things to consider are the support options – how much support do they give customers? Is it self-service tutorials or is there someone on the end of a phone or email if you get stuck? Check out independent reviews to get an idea of what other people have experienced when using the software, but remember that their requirements are likely to be different to yours.
The downsides
Read the sales copy on any website and you’ll be wondering why you’ve never signed up before. They all claim to be the answer to your lead generation problems, but there’s always going to be downsides. The main one would be the cost. As mentioned above, it’s rare that the cheapest plan will do everything you need, so when you start adding on the functionality you require, it starts getting expensive. If you’re just looking to run a couple of campaigns a year, the cost can outweigh the benefits.
As with any new piece of software, it’s not going to create campaigns for you like magic; there will be a steep learning curve in finding your way around the platform and figuring out how to set up the campaigns effectively. It’s also not going to help you with a well thought out strategy, so you’ll need to have this in hand before getting started.
If you’re after something really bespoke, you may find that there’s always a compromise no matter which solution you choose. In this situation, you may find some platforms are happy to work on bespoke solutions (for a price!), but in the majority of cases you’re left to work with what the platform can provide as standard. It therefore helps to prioritise the functionality you need by listing the non-negotiables and nice-to-haves separately.
In summary, lead generation software packages are designed to make your life easier when it comes to building your email database and nurturing those leads. Their integrations should fit seamlessly with your existing processes to ensure it’s not creating you extra work, but rather streamlining things for you. The major drawback can be the costs associated with the packages, especially if you need functionality that’s not included on the basic packages, so make sure you do your homework first before signing up!
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