Lead Generation: What is it and How Does it Help You?

mailbox and computer

You may have heard the term lead generation as it pertains to online marketing before but weren’t sure what it meant. Before we get into lead generation, let’s go over what a lead is first.

A lead is a person who shows interest in a company’s services or products in some way. Those leads usually hear from a business only after opening up the lines of communication, such as after submitting contact information for a free trial, offer, or subscription, rather than receiving a random cold call from someone who bought their contact information.

Try this example: you took an online survey to learn how to better take care of your aging parent in the last couple of days.  You get an email from the company behind the survey, perhaps a mobility products company, with more tips about how to care for your loved one. This approach is less intrusive than if someone had called you up one day when you least expected it, right? That’s what a lead is.

From a business perspective on the other side, the information that the company gathered about you from the survey will help them personalize future communications about solving your eldercare problems. The best part is, they don’t have to waste valuable time cold calling people who aren’t even interested in this topic.

Email campaigns are among the top three tactics used by marketers to boost performance, and on average, organizations generate 1,877 leads per month.

Now that you know what a lead is, let’s explore lead generation.

How Lead Generation Improves Your Business

Lead generation involves the generation of consumer interest in a business’ services or products. As a business owner, you want to generate quality leads to get more sales. So why is lead generation important and what benefits do you get out of it?

With lead generation, you can:

1. Build Awareness

Brand awareness measures how well your brand is recognized in target markets. This is the period in time when customers think of your business first when they need something you sell. The more people are made aware of your brand, the stronger your reputation will be and the greater your profit and brand value will be. Lead generation educates those in your defined market, creating a platform for “word of mouth.”

2. Increase Sales and Profit Ratios

More than 55 percent of B2B marketers spend half their marketing budgets on lead generation, says LinkedIn. One of the biggest benefits of utilizing lead generation is the boost in service or product sales. Basically, businesses that take advantage of lead generation programs are more likely to turn leads into full-on customers, increasing profit margins, and staying ahead of the competition.

3. Ensure a Positive ROI

Lead generation is essentially a marketing technique, and this can lead to a higher Return on Investment (ROI), as you only pay for the leads you receive.

4. Target Desired Audience

This approach allows you to target your desired patients and customers within different demographic locations. This will narrow down and pinpoint your target audience, so you are in control of where you think you can make more connections.

5. Collect Important Information About Prospects

With lead generation, you are able to collect vital information about prospects, their needs, and their preferences. This, in turn, can help you customize the value of your service to meet those needs.

6. Save Money Over Other Advertisement Forms

You need advertising of some kind to succeed in business, there’s no doubt about it. But it’s important for your business to harness the most convenient marketing strategy that’s not only cost-effective but that produces better results. Lead generation is the ideal solution for any business, especially a home healthcare business.

Breaking it Down for Home Healthcare

In 2018, the U.S. healthcare industry spent $2.84 billion on digital advertising, which rose to $3.14 billion in 2019. You can optimize your home healthcare website for lead generation. Keep in mind, your website has to be:

  • Fast: If it’s not fast, it won’t generate leads. Fifty-percent of patients or other users will hit the “back” button if websites take more than three seconds to load.
  • Secure: Website security is critical in the healthcare industry. Make sure your site is secure to instill confidence.
  • Mobile-friendly: Your website must be built for mobile consumption, as 62% of mobile device users use their phones to research health information or to locate local providers.
  • Coded for SEO: Your website should be optimized for SEO, which makes it easier for search engines to find, crawl, and index it.
  • Loaded with helpful content: Patients and their family members want informative content, particularly content that solves their problems.  In addition, search engines also want informative content, so the more content your site contains, the higher the chance you will rank for your top queries.

Contact A Servant’s Heart Web Design and Marketing

As part of our online marketing services, we can help you with lead generation to improve your business’ reach. Contact us to learn more at 760-227-2720.