2009 - The year of the lead?

Net Imperative
17-12-2008 

Could lead generation provide a cost efficient solution to marketers economic woes? Justin Rees, head of marketing at Leadpoint explains why adopting the practice may be a New Year’s resolution worth sticking to…

With just weeks to go before the start of the New Year, even the most Panglossian of optimists seem resigned to the fact that 2009 is going to be a tough year to put it mildly. As a result, there are conversations in boardrooms all around the world as to how costs can be cut and cashflow improved. Marketing budgets are often the first to feel the sharp end of the finance director’s axe, despite a raft of research and case studies proving how companies can benefit significantly in a recession by spending money on advertising.

Even though online advertising spend has continued to grow at the expense of more traditional channels, the digital marketing community is not immune to the effects of the recession. In the “current climate” difficult questions will be asked and agencies and marketers will be under intense scrutiny to justify the next viral video campaign or plans for a branded social networking site.  Nobody will be able to escape the question “what’s the expected return on investment from this?”

However –recession or no recession – advertisers still need customers to generate revenue. It is all very well cutting costs but this is only half of the equation. Looking towards 2009 advertisers have a number of choices; either cut marketing budgets and batten down the hatches until the economy improves or spend marketing budgets more efficiently. It is in this context that lead generation will be thrust into the spotlight and lead generators will become the digital marketing superstars of the post credit crunch era.

The beauty of lead generation is that it utilises all forms of digital marketing. The consumer may have arrived at a lead generation website from searching on Google or responding to some form of display advertising or even after receiving an email about a product or service. A lead is only created when the consumer submits their information and has given their express consent to be contacted about the specific product or service. Irrespective of the particular channel that generated the lead, a lead buyer effectively reaps the benefits of somebody else’s marketing spend. When buying leads an advertiser is not buying a click or an eyeball or a website visit but an engaged consumer that has expressed an interest in the advertiser’s product or service. Buying leads enables the advertiser to get one step closer to a converted customer than other forms of digital marketing.

With a bleak economic outlook for the foreseeable future, in 2009 marketers will need to justify every penny they spend and make sure they can demonstrate a visible and measurable return on investment which is why lead generation will most likely be at the top of every advertiser’s New Year’s resolutions list.

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