The Importance of Selecting the Right Lead generation Channels

With so many choices, how can you pick the best lade generation channels for your business? And does it really make a difference? Why not just place an ad in the local newspaper and be done with it?

The channels you select are important. The right choices will expand the value of every dollar you spend. Unless you have money to burn, your lead generation dollars need to be as well targeted as your message. Three key elements to consider in choosing your channels are reach, attraction, and cost.

Reach

You can’t attract new customers if they don’t know you exist. You must reach out to them with a compelling message, and your lead generation channels are the carriers of that message. When considering the various channels, remember that your customers won’t go out of their way to get your message, and they shouldn’t have to. So you want to work with channels that reach your customers as a regular part of their lives.

Attraction

Once the channel and its message have reached a target customer, you hope that that customer will pay attention to the message and be attracted by it – in fact, attracted enough so that he will take action. How do you determine which channels will attract your target customers? Consider the criteria:

• Credibility – Is the medium believable? Do your customers trust it?
• Appropriateness – Does the medium have the right kind of impact? Is this the way your customers want to be approached and communicated with? Is it consistent with their picture of themselves?
• Associations – What other thoughts does this medium bring to mind? Are they pleasant or unpleasant?

Cost

You are running a business, after all. So unless you’re extremely profitable or have unlimited money to spend, cost will be a factor in selecting the lead generation channels you’ll use.

First you’ll look to the financial condition of your business, your budget, and your revenue goals to see how much money you’ll need to get the results you want. Then you’ll evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the various channels available to you. The most efficient channels will give you the most “exposures” in your target market for the least cost. The most effective channels will give you the most qualified leads for the least cost.

Effectiveness in your channels is ultimately more important that their efficiency. But if you haven’t yet determined the effectiveness of the channels you want to use, trying the most efficient ones, consistent with the reach and attraction criteria discussed above, may be your best strategy.

Reference: Lead Generation Channels