Lead Generation in the UK

Where can I learn about Digital Marketing?

Lead Generation is currently one of the hottest sectors of the digital marketing world. According to the IAB it is the fastest growing sector of online advertising. So where can you go to find out more about lead generation and the latest information about digital marketing? Well, apart from reading our blog (of course!) you could also visit our good friends at Knexus.

Knexus is an extremely useful platform for those that want to be up-to-date on the latest trends in digital marketing without leaving their desk! They use zeitgeist tools such as Webinars where leading industry figures share their knowledge on their area of digital marketing expertise.

Knexus invited us to talk about the lead generation industry and last week we made our first foray into the world of Webinars! For those of you that want to hear (and see) what we had to say then watch this space! Otherwise, the Webinar is available now on their website along with Webinars and presentations from 12 different areas of digital marketing.

Conference Season – to ad:tech or not to ad:tech?

The new media world and Affiliate marketing world is well served in terms of opportunities to network and show off. Over the past year I’ve attended the A4U expo, Search Engine Strategies, The e-commerce expo, Technology for Advertising, Internet World and ad:tech London. Is the market over saturated or do each of these conferences serve a necessary purpose?

The feedback from clients and competitors alike was that last month’s ‘Internet World’ was not value for money, didn’t provide anything like the expected footfall and didn’t result in new business.  Talking to exhibitors at Earls Court, most people seemed to be looking onwards to ad:tech London but viewed exhibiting at Internet World as “something they should do”.

I can’t help but feel that rather than employing the ‘flinging spaghetti against the wall’ approach you can get more by being choosy about the conferences you attend and exhibit at. One of the main reasons to take a stand is to have somewhere to meet your clients, finding a space in the cafes in these places can often be problematic, not to mention noisy.

So this year LeadPoint UK have decided that rather than just walk around and take everyone else’s free goodies we’d join the crowd and exhibit at ad:tech London. Stay tuned for more information about the free stuff/competitions we’ll have on offer....

Alain - alain.desmier@leadpoint.com

More on Twitter

In case you haven't read our previous post about Twitter then you might just be about to read about something that will change your business for the better.

Twitter is a free service that allows users to send text-based updates known as "tweets" of up to 140 characters long to the Twitter website and via SMS. Once you have an account you can receive these instant updates straight to your mobile phone or see them online.

What this means is that by creating a Twitter account you will be able to receive and send real-time updates on a whole variety of different topics. Twitter enables you to communicate with your customers wherever they are. Send them a reminder, a special offer, anything to help build a relationship and ultimately close more deals.

If you want to keep up to date on what is happening at LeadPoint then go to twitter to create an account and then follow us at http://twitter.com/leadpointuk .

For more information about Twitter, read our good friend Bill Rice’s latest blog post or listen to him in discussion about the benefits of using Twitter.

Education Leads

Education is big business. Universities and Colleges are starting to spend millions of pounds on marketing to attract new students. What you may be surprised to learn is that the University of Phoenix is the world's biggest online advertiser! Many of these institutions are turning to lead generation to increase the success of their marketing activities. In the US, Education is LeadPoint's fastest growing vertical. In this post, Yvonne Chew, Business Analyst in the Education team in our LA office gives us an introduction to why Education Leads are the hottest new lead generation category.

Getting passed over for a promotion due to your lack of academic qualifications? Not getting your dream job because the other candidate has, at one point in his life, worn that graduation cap? Or simply, getting made fun of by that cute girl in the bar because you don’t have a degree (yep, girls can be realistic and judgmental)!

In the society that we live in, it has become increasingly crucial to have at least a Bachelors degree. Corporate America bases hiring decisions on your academic achievements (see any job posting if you don’t believe). Even for self-starters, being just street smart is no longer enough. The investors will want to see your ‘prowess’ academically. It is a fact that you get judged more favorably if you have an MBA degree versus a high school diploma. This is even more so today with globalization. How else will the hiring manager know that a prospective candidate from overseas is capable of performing the job without really knowing the person? Getting that higher education speaks volumes about your level of motivation and commitment to self-development. Degrees will get you far. So, if you care about your career, you’d be considering higher education.

Despite all the added pressure to get more qualifications fortunately it has never been easier to get educated. More schools are providing that online option, and getting your degree online has become more recognised and popular. Hence, if you are still putting off your pursuit of that degree or certificate due to lack of time or reluctance to give up your job, you truly have no excuse to do so anymore with online education. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to get info from the schools and find out more. Lead generation is helping to put these prospective students in contact with the schools that can offer them the best programs and ultimately allow them to progress further in their careers.

If this got you interested and you want to find out more, then you might want to read the following article about how the internet has changed the education industry.

How the Internet Revolutionized Education

 

Lead Generation Shorts

Ok so its summer in London, at least it feels like it. 70F (for you all Americans) feels like a bit of heat wave for us Brits and we’ve been making the most of this glorious weather with picnics, ice creams and of course the very British approach to sunshine and clothing; shorts and sandals

For those unaware of this bizarre approach to summer wear from the descendents of Boudicca, let me explain. At the first sign of summer (and I mean the very first sign!) normal conservative stiff upper lip Brits head for the beachwear sections of their local department stores and rush for the tills.

Peoples whole demeanours change and otherwise rational human beings start smiling at each other, they start opening doors and saying good morning, safe in the knowledge that it truly is a good morning.

By some strange meteorological anomaly however the sun only shines on week days when the majority of the British public are at work, on the weekends the rain pours down. We all nod our heads and agree that it’s ‘good for the garden’ but no one means it. Barbeques are tucked safely back in the shed and dreams of buying ‘that paddling pool for the kids’ are pushed firmly to next year.

Of course the way to get round this very British problem is to wear your summer clothes to work, however in most British companies, wearing shorts and sandals to work will result in a swift termination of your contract. “Where’s Joe Bloggs gone” your colleague will ask... “he wore shorts” another smug colleague will declare whilst eyeing up the stapler and hole puncher that used to be yours.

Not at LeadPoint or in fact at most Internet start-ups - shorts and sandals are the norm in the summer time and we can often be seen waiting on the corner of Mortimer Street for the Ice Cream man. To those of you that can’t wear shorts to work, you have my sympathy.

Alain – alain.desmier@leadpoint.com

Lead Management Best Practices

As we always tell our Lead Buyers, your success of failure is primarily determined by what you do with the leads once you have received them.

For an excellent introduction to the kinds of things that every Lead Buyer should be thinking about, read this post by Aaron Ross from his Build A Sales Machine Blog.

Lead Generation and Filters – Target Your Customers Better

When times are tough you need to make sure every penny of your marketing budget is spent efficiently and this applies as much to lead generation as any other marketing activity. The difference with lead generation is that you can use filters which allow you to very quickly adjust things to ensure that you can still achieve a good return on investment regardless of wider market conditions.

If we take a quick look at the mortgage market today, you can clearly see the importance and value of using filters. With brokers currently feeling the pinch from lenders and the wider credit crunch, it is proving increasingly difficult to place business. This does not however mean that the lead generation techniques that have been used to good effect up until now are no longer valid.

Any decent lead provider should give you the option to use a variety of filters that enable you to buy leads where the prospective customer information will fit with even the most stringent lending criteria. In addition, there should be filters to allow you to target your customers by area. This will enable you to spend your marketing budget much more efficiently. If you choose to buy leads from your local area you can visit your clients in person which will increase your conversions. When calculating return on investment you need to take a number of factors into account and the revenue generated through improved conversion rates is an important factor.

Another vital filter in the current market is to be able to choose the credit status of a lead. The credit status of a lead is determined by the consumers response to a number of questions covering their credit history, including whether or not they have missed a mortgage payment in the last twelve months, been issued with an IVA, defaulted or been declared bankrupt. If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then the lead should immediately become sub prime.  

When filters are used properly to target the most suitable prospective customers for your business taking into account what is happening in the wider market then the whole process of lead generation becomes extremely effective.

David King

New Business Manager

Leadpoint UK

The Voice From Within

This week we have a special guest post from Yvonne Chew, Business Analyst in the Education team in our LA office. In case you didn’t know, LeadPoint was founded in the US in 2004 and now trades in 16 vertical and has over 60 people working for them. Yvonne has kindly given us an insight into what it is like working for LeadPoint in the US.

Yesterday marked my one month ‘anniversary’ working at LeadPoint. As such, I’ve decided to give a shoutout and give the world the scoop from within. No, I’ll not tell you what LeadPoint does; no, I’ll not tell you about our marketplace - the value we bring to the industry speaks for itself. Instead, I’ll tell you about my initial experiences of working for LeadPoint the company.

I came from a Fortune 500 company, gigantic and old school where things typically take years to implement. Coming to LeadPoint was a welcome change. It was a huge contrast to my previous experience. The folks here are all gung-ho and uber-motivated. It is such a refreshing change to be immersed in an environment where everyone’s working towards the same goal: grow the company without compromising ethics. Creative ideas that help the company are welcomed from all; new initiatives to improve are quickly pushed forward. Errors that hinder the system are quickly spotted and fixed. No question is too mundane, no idea is too lame. It feels really good to be in such a stimulating environment.

Another sharp contrast is that the people here are super smart and highly educated. Coming here, I find myself surrounded by a bunch of MBAs and such. But above all, the one key factor that led me to take on this job is the personalities of the people here. They are nice and friendly, always willing to lend a helping hand. Thanks to everybody for helping me settle in. Without all the support and encouragement, I wouldn’t have been able to get up to speed so quickly.

Sounds too good to be true? Find out for yourself. I’m really fortunate to be a part of this awesome team.

Lead Generation Today

The lead generation industry is changing at a rapid pace. Whether, it s a new entrant to the market or the launch of a new technology, there is always something happening. There are also a number of macro factors that are having a large impact on lead generation. Some of these are out of anybody’s control but it is important to discuss what they are so lead buyers and sellers can adjust their expectations when things change. In the past, lead providers have not taken the time to explain to their customers how the market is changing and how this will affect them. The result is that often lead buyers and sellers have a fixed perception of what to expect from lead generation and these opinions are not updated to reflect the wider economy.

For example, if we look at lead buyers buying finance leads. For those that started buying leads a year or so ago before the start of the credit crisis, the general view of lead generation was that is served as a useful tool to get some easy money! All you had to do was buy a few sub prime remortgage leads convert two or three and make a few thousand pounds in return and bin the rest.  By contrast many of those that have come to lead generation recently tend to think that lead generation doesn’t work as they buy 10 or 20 leads and only convert 1 or 2 into business.

Both of these perceptions are wrong as they do not take into account everything that has happened in the world of lead generation and the wider economy over the last year. With the proliferation of broadband and finance related websites the average UK consumer is going online more often and visiting more websites to look for financial advice. They are filling in more forms and submitting their details multiple times. Whereas a few years ago they may have left their information at a later stage in the sales process – i.e. when they were ready to make a purchase – now they are looking for mortgage related advice at an earlier research stage. The result is that when buying leads, a broker gets access to the consumer in this earlier research stage and will therefore require more time and effort to convert into business. This is an effect experienced by many online companies and is not something exclusive to the world of lead generation.

The other major difference today in the finance world is that lenders have slashed their product offerings and fewer consumers than ever are being approved for mortgages. This means that if a broker bought the same fifty leads today compared to a year ago, the number converting into business would be dramatically different. The lead generators cannot control this as they are as much at the mercy of wider market conditions as any other company in the industry. However, this is not to say that leads won’t convert into business. It just means that compared to a year ago, a broker has to buy more leads to do the same volume of business. It is the responsibility of lead generators to explain all this to their customers.

The fact remains that lead generation is still the most cost effective and measurable way to source new business. Compared to traditional forms of marketing such as newspaper advertising, direct mail etc. lead generation offers lead buyers the flexibility and control to target their customers.

Lead Generation and Ancient Rome

The Lead Generation industry could learn a lot from the Ancient World....Unconvinced? Ok, hear me out.

In 49BC the first triumvirate had gone down the pan, Crassus has got himself killed in Parthia and the greedy Pompey wanted the equivalent of a back end, cost per lead and CPM deal - all to himself. Influenced by corrupt Roman senators he outlawed Julius Caesar (who at the time was calming the revolting Gauls). “Hoc voluerunt ” (they would have had it this way), Caesar was heard to say with a sigh of regret as he looked out on the thousands of  dead Pompey soldier son on the battle fields of Greece after his final and crushing victory in the Roman Civil War.

So where’s the link, hyper or otherwise?

Well “Hoc voluerunt ” is very relevant to the credit crunch environment that all lead generators find themselves in right now. What is the ‘right’ thing to do? There are non LeadPoint affiliates (and we know who you are) who are cutting corners, double and triple selling leads, advertising false rates and generally misleading consumers both in expectations and in delivery.

As a parallel, the UK credit crunch was exacerbated by short term gain and a lack of responsibility. As Northern Rock desperately tried to find a way out its problems, scores of customers began withdrawing their life savings because the press (the BBC) failed to report the Northern Rock position accurately.

The market will recover, as will consumer confidence, as will seller payouts. But the lead generation industry can only be as robust as its practitioners and we all have a responsibility to ensure that consumers are advertised to in a responsible and fair way. When the market has recovered and lenders return to the field with capital, it would be a tragedy for all concerned if the long term casualty of the credit crunch was lead generation integrity.

......And if you’d like to know more about Caesar and Pompey can I suggest you read Plutarch and then Massie, in that order.

Alain – alain.desmier@leadpoint.com