Geolocation technology 'can improve lead generation'

In order to reduce costs and improve clickthrough rates, companies should be using geolocation to target customers, an expert has suggested.
Businesses should consider using geolocation tools to enhance lead generation in advertising campaigns, according to an industry insider.
Frank Bobo, vice-president of Digital Element, suggested in a blog for Net Imperative that targeted adverts by region or city can mean less wasted impressions and better clickthrough rates.
He used the example of a sports merchandise store, which will benefit if people from the Greater Manchester area surfing the web are presented with Manchester United shirts rather than merchandise from a London football club.
By making the content more relevant to the consumer, improved clickthrough rates can lead to increased revenue and reduced costs.
"Advertisers need to cut through the vast clutter of the internet to increase the reach, relevance and response of their messages," he explained on the website.
This week, a spokesperson for digital marketing organisation TGB championed the use of behavioural advertising as a technique for more effective lead generation.

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Expert recommends IP intelligence for lead generation

Lead generation can be boosted by using IP intelligence to customise marketing campaigns, says an expert.
An industry commentator has advised companies to use IP intelligence to enhance the quality of their lead generation.
Vice-president of Digital Element Frank Bobo made his comments on Net Imperative, where he highlighted how online media has become the most popular advertising media in the UK, with a 23.5 per cent market share.
In his opinion, by using IP intelligence advertisers are able to customise campaigns so that they appeal to consumers close to home using localisation software.
Also, by being able to sense what internet connection speed a consumer is using, Mr Bobo pointed out that marketers can automatically offer more advanced media-rich adverts only to those with the capabilities to stream them.
"By utilising IP intelligence, advertisers now have a way to reach out to an untapped and previously hard-to-reach online audience - the unregistered user," he wrote.
This week, Oxfam announced that it had improved conversion rates by using an innovative lead generation strategy, in which customers decide how much postage they want to pay on a product.

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Oxfam 'pioneers lead generation strategy'

The international poverty charity has seen a spike in conversion rates since allowing customers to choose how much they pay in postage, according to a spokesperson.
A new lead generation tactic by Oxfam has been "massively successful", according to a senior spokesperson at the charity.
Director of trading David McCullough described how the company decided to let customers choose how much they want to pay in postage when they buy an item.
He claimed that delivery charges can be an obstacle for online retailers, since consumers are not spending as freely in the current economic climate.
But the amount of money raised by the voluntary scheme has suggested to Mr McCullough that people do want to donate money, even during a recession.
"We are the first organisation to trial a 'pay what you like' format for online delivery and it has already proved massively successful," he said.
Since the scheme was launched a fortnight ago, conversion rates have increased by 35 per cent and more than £8,000 has been paid in voluntary delivery donations.
The shop sells a variety of products, from ethically produced clothes and gadgets to second-hand music and collectables.

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Behavioural advertising 'encourages lead generation'

An expert has championed behavioural advertising as a form of lead generation, but called for more information to be given to consumers.
Lead generation can be improved with the use of behavioural advertising, but the technique should be explained to consumers.
David Gilbert, spokesperson for digital marketing company TGB, claimed that this form of marketing provides "measurable return on investment", which advertisers love.
But users are objecting because they feel their privacy is being intruded upon, which would not be the case if they understood the benefits to themselves and to advertisers.
Mr Gilbert explained: "Once users understand how behavioural advertising works, they will feel more comfortable about it and trust will be restored."
He suggested that marketers add explanatory information on their website and clear instructions on how to opt out if they do not want their online behaviour recorded.
In his view, "targeted advertising" is nothing new in itself.
Recent research by the Internet Advertising Bureau and Olswang revealed that 72 per cent of online users are not aware of behavioural advertising.

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Social sharing 'can boost lead generation'

Advertisers should consider using social media alongside their email campaigns to encourage consumers to share content, according to a marketing website.
Marketers should consider incorporating social sharing into their promotional campaigns because it can provide effective lead generation, according to an online advertising website.
Utilising social media to encourage consumers to share content is particularly valuable when used as part of an email marketing campaign, observed Marketing Sherpa.
Research carried out by the website showed that 80 per cent of marketers believe that the use of social sharing can improve the reach of email promotions.
However, many advertisers are missing opportunities by not seeing the value in this tactic.
The website said: "When you combine targeted email with the scope of social media, new lead generation opportunities become available to marketers."
A source talking to Marketing Sherpa recommended not making content sales-driven if a company wants it to be shared in the "socialsphere".
Last week, the website claimed that email is not likely to be made obsolete by social media, especially for official messages such as receipts and other commercial transactions.
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Lead generation 'can be like dating'

Consumers do not like to give away too much information when they are first approached by marketers, according to an industry insider.
Marketers should think of lead generation as similar to dating when they ask for information about customers, an industry insider has suggested.
Chief marketing officer of Market2Lead Kevin Joyce claimed that web forms should only ask for simple things such as an email address initially.
He pointed out that as the relationship with the consumer progresses then deeper questions can be asked.
Mr Joyce highlighted a person's social networking address as the sort of information that marketers should not ask for at first.
"You don't ask for a complete medical history on a first date. Likewise, with a first web form, you should only ask for some basic information," he said.
A study by Pontiflux and Harris Interactive revealed that 96 per cent of adults who filled in a web form were happy to provide their email address.
Last week, a spokesperson for True suggested that marketers should encourage customers to talk about products, because this can often be an effective form of lead generation.

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Customers 'can be a source of additional lead generation'

An expert has informed businesses that they can achieve new lead generation by encouraging customers to get involved.
Having people talking about a brand can be the best kind of lead generation, an industry expert has suggested.
Time Jones, a spokesperson for True, questioned why brands do not ally themselves with customers more, as such relationships can allow a company to improve its service and see more people talking about a brand.
He suggested that businesses involve customers in product development and reward them for their input, but it is important not to offer excessive incentives.
"If it starts looking like out and out bribery, your recommendations lose all credibility," explained Mr Jones.
In his view, it is positive to embrace bad feedback and allow customers to leave reviews online, because he claimed it will improve the credibility of a brand if a buyer's views are listened to.
This week, online advertising website Marketing Sherpa suggested that marketers share previously recorded interviews and press publications with consumers as potential lead generation tools.

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'Recycling' your way to lead generation

A marketing website has informed advertisers that it can recycle content from the media or trade publications to promote a brand.
Lead generation does not always have to involve expensive campaigns or for new content to be created, according to an online marketing website.
Marketing Sherpa has recommended that advertisers look at related content that may interest consumers or build up their image of a brand.
An example of content that could be shared with a customer via email would be a video or article with an executive from the company which had previously appeared in the press.
The website said: "Sharing an article you believe prospects would find interesting gives them a break from repeated calls to register for content or provide contact information."
Another source of positive content that Marketing Sherpa highlighted would be by-lined articles that appear in trade magazines.
By using these kinds of promotional techniques, the costs are limited and the number of conversions it takes to cover expenditure would be very low.
Last week, the website reported that the wording of a headline can have a significant effect on lead generation.

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Headline wording 'influences lead generation success'

Companies should test which styles of headline produce the most effective lead generation, says an expert.
Effective lead generation can be driven by the way a headline is worded, an industry expert has suggested.
Philipp Postrehovsky, marketing manager at mogo, told Marketing Sherpa that adding certain words to headlines made a significant difference to the clickthrough rate achieved.
For instance, he found that using the word "new" lifted clickthrough rates by 30 per cent, while adding the company name increased it by 123 per cent.
Mr Postrehovsky also suggested opening up the range of keywords used on a website, although he stressed the importance of analysing results so that it is clear which phrases are driving traffic.
"The strategy of looking at a wider [keyword group] definitely worked. Even though the keywords are higher up the funnel and not a specific product keyword, they worked really well," he told the website.
To test the success of headlines, mogo initially used Google's Quality Score program, which determines how high an advert will be ranked, predicts the actual cost-per-click and decides how relevant keywords are.

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'Size does not matter' in banner ad lead generation

A new report has suggested that advertisers using rich media in promotional campaigns should not worry about how large the display is.
Marketers intending to use rich media adverts for lead generation should not focus their energy on the size of the banner, according to new research.
A report by Eyeblaster, which looked at more than 250,000 adverts across the world, showed that for standard format banners bigger is better, but that it is not the case with rich media.
Gal Trifon, chief executive officer and co-founder of the company, claimed that this survey supports previous research on the topic, which suggests that the level of engagement with consumers is dictated by other factors.
He explained: "Eyeblaster data suggests that physical size of a banner has less to do with performance than creative execution and rich media."
The report suggested that the most successful form of rich media adverts are half leaderboards, with rectangle adverts coming second.
Media Post defines rich media as a display that uses dynamic motion such as scrolling text, sounds or video.

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