Although Google failed to put a final nail in the coffin of the digital tracking cookie, an increase in mobile and private browsing and the use of opt-out banners continue to make it less and less effective for advertising purposes. First-party data, then, remains crucial: and there are few better or more effective means of acquiring new customer data than through the use of a lead gen campaign.
But, what makes for an effective lead gen campaign? A few months back, we shared our thoughts about Meta’s lead gen ads: let’s take a step back now and talk lead generation, how it can be achieved through digital advertising, and our recommendations for the uses of this invaluable data.
What is a Lead Gen Campaign?
Lead generation is how it sounds: the process of acquiring new first-party data, typically in some variation of name, address, email, phone number, etc. Lead gen can come as a natural byproduct of sales and marketing efforts; it’s also a common goal for digital advertising campaigns, in order to fill the sales funnel or build up an email database.
Lead generation often requires a “hook”—a benefit to the user to hand over their personal information. These hooks can come in the form of takeaways (downloading a whitepaper, branded swag), sweepstakes or contests, discounts, or subscriptions to mailing lists, but in the end, the goal is the same: data collection and eventually, sales.
This sort of tactic often replaces or can be an add-on to existing list purchase efforts, with the added bonus of being able to utilize the contact information for email marketing purposes. (Agency note: we do not recommend list purchases in most cases, for reasons we’re happy to get into another time).
At one point, nearly all of the lead gen campaigns that we managed were B2B—not so any longer.
B2B vs. B2C Lead Gen
Business-to-consumer advertisers have stepped up their lead generation efforts over the past five years, recognizing the value that first-party data represents. While a majority of the B2C campaigns we have managed in the ’20s have been sales-focused, consumer advertisers have increased their use of this tactic in order to build up their email and remarketing lists in a cost-efficient manner.
In practice, the goal is the same—sales—but the process to get each through to that goal can vary. With B2B, lead generation is usually step #1 in a multi-step funnel that turns leads into marketing qualified then sales qualified, typically with the use of salespeople and marketing materials. With B2C, it’s a little more direct, bypassing sales folks and getting leads into email and remarketing campaigns.
Lead Gen: What Is Needed?
For a successful lead gen campaign, your hook needs to be compelling to your target audience. In the past, we have seen B2B brands utilize takeaways such as whitepapers, webinars, infographics, and newsletter subscriptions, with newsletters, discounts, and contests popularized on the consumer side. Gated content, or asking users to submit their information in order to access the materials they are seeking out, is a common method for data collection on a brand’s website; we however recommend in-platform lead forms with providers such as Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok (where possible) for better conversion rates. Google offers a lead form with its Search product as well, though these lead forms can be bypassed by the user to get to your landing page, whereas on the social channels, information needs to be submitted before leaving the ad.
Setting up a lead gen ad is similar to the setup of a sales or awareness-focused creative, with the added feature of a lead form (shown below) to collect user information. Or, if you choose to send people to your website to collect leads, a lead form onsite would be required. Ad creative for lead generation is similar to that of a sales or brand awareness campaign, with a call-to-action focused on submitting information, downloading content, or learning more.
Help with Lead Generation Campaign
Getting started with any new initiative can seem like an insurmountable challenge at times—fortunately, we’re here to help! If you have tried or are looking to begin lead gen activities for your small business or nonprofit, drop us a line and let the 20 years of experience here at Screechy Cat Media work for you! We offer setup, management, reporting, and consultation on digital marketing and advertising services.
