Busting Common Lead Generation Myths

Keeping your sales pipeline going means pulling in continuous leads. With digital marketing, finding those leads has become easier, perhaps, and maybe even less expensive. The problem with charting new territory is that some rules are created too soon. When this happens, the marketing world adopts the faulty rules as fact.

The rules, as you’ve known them for years, may just be myths. To make sure you’re not making the same mistake over and over again—with the best intentions, of course—we’ve gathered some of the biggest myths surrounding lead generation. And then we busted them.

Myth #1: Forms should be as short as possible

Yeah, we wrote a whole blog about how short to make your contact forms. In many cases, especially when you’re out to gather as many leads as possible, this is true. However, quantity doesn’t always equal quality.

For quality leads—those that are extremely interested in your products and services—you may need to ask a few more questions. These questions might come the first time you use a contact form, or you may wait until you offer something larger and more in-depth. The point is, those who are truly ready to hear more about your company will be more than happy to part with a little more information.

Don’t be afraid to extend the length of your contact forms when you’re looking for leads that are more likely to convert.

Myth #2: Landing pages for each offer are unnecessary

The idea of creating a new landing page for each offer might seem laughable. Why can’t you just replace the info on one landing page each time you start a new campaign? As long as the contacts generated are funneled to the right place, a new landing page is a waste of time, right?

Wrong.

First of all, you want those landing pages to remain in effect for as long as possible so people can continue finding even your oldest campaigns. You never know what new leads are looking for. They may be very interested in ebooks and white papers from months ago if those contain information they need.

Second, and perhaps even more importantly, landing pages are indexed by Google. The more landing pages you have indexed, the higher you show up in search rankings. Better search results means even more leads.

Myth #3: The more leads, the better

Attracting a pile of leads with each offer or campaign sounds like a great result, right? The problem is that some of those leads may have no intention of making a purchase, either now or in the future. In fact, some may have just wanted the information you shared for their own purposes.

Rather than focusing on piles of leads that go nowhere, consider elevating your lead generation techniques to bring in those who are truly interested in your products. As mentioned above, contact forms that require more information could give you your first clue about who’s coming by with the intention of making a purchase and who just wants free stuff.

Myth #4: It’s all about the cost per lead

Generating leads can get expensive, so many companies focus on driving that cost down, no matter what it takes. The problem is that lowering the cost per lead could harm future sales. Sure, you might convert some of those leads into customers, but what happens when they don’t come back?

Instead of cutting corners on your lead generation, consider making a larger investment. Stop looking at the price per lead and start looking at the price per customer. Even better, consider how much you must spend to keep those customers coming back. Without quality lead generation—which does take a considerable investment—those who do convert to customers may not stick around after the first purchase.

Myth #5: Contacting new leads immediately is crucial

When you start considering a purchase, do you want a salesperson to start chatting you up immediately? If you’re like most people, you want some time to do your own research and come to your own conclusions, right? The same is true for the leads who visit your website. Don’t call them right away. Emails are acceptable as long as you’re providing more information instead of pushing for the sale right away.

You’ll know when it’s time to ask for the sale. Until then, provide information when potential customers need it. Then step back and let your marketing funnel do the work.