February 2, 2022

The Ultimate Guide To Leads Sources - Which One Should You Use?

It's really important to have a variety of different sources of leads in order to land clients and make sales. And while it can be difficult to keep track of where you're getting your leads from, we're here to help! This guide will go over the different types of leads sources, how to use them, and how they differ from each other.

Contents

In order to be successful in your business, you need to know what are the best leads sources and how to find them. This guide will give you a rundown on the different types of leads sources that you should consider and how to go about finding them.


What Are Leads Sources?

There are three main types of leads sources:

 

1. Email leads – These come from your website or blog, and you can use them to get new subscribers for your mailing list. 

No matter where the person lands on your site, they're an email lead! The only caveat is that if someone clicks through a link in one of these emails (such as a "free gift" offer), then those people aren't considered part of this type. 

 

2. Social media leads – This is the most common type because it's easy to track who came from which social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, etc. 

These are also referred to as "organic" or "earned" leads, because they're not purchased from a third party (like an email list). They can be used for both B2B and B2C marketing campaigns. 

 

3. Direct mail leads – This is the most traditional type of lead source, but it's still important to have! You can print out these lists and get new subscribers for your mailing list with them (or even just hand-write some envelopes).

 

Each of these sources has its own pros and cons that we'll go over below

 

Email Leads

Email leads are the most common type of lead, and they're usually easy to get. The only downside is that if someone clicks through a link in one of these emails (such as a "free gift" offer), then those people aren't considered part of this type. 

If you want to use email marketing for your business, though, it's still important to have an email list! You can also add subscribers from social media or direct mail sources by using autoresponders , which will automatically send out new subscriber welcome messages after someone signs up on your site or fills out their details in a form.

 

Social Media Leads

This is the most common type of lead because it's easy to track who came from which social platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google+. 

These are also referred to as "earned" leads, because they're not purchased from a third party (like an email list). They can be used for both B2B and B2C marketing campaigns. 

If you have multiple social media accounts that you manage yourself then this is probably your best option – just make sure each one has its own autoresponder so people don't end up getting too many emails from the same source.

 

Direct Mail Leads

This is another common type of lead, but it's still important to have! You can print out these lists and get new subscribers for your mailing list with them (or even just hand-write some envelopes). 

These leads are usually purchased through a third party who then sends you an email asking for permission to use their name on your mailing list. 

This is also called "opportunity" marketing because they're not directly sent by you or any other company – this makes them less likely to be spammy than other types of leads though.

 

Picture from uplead

Why Do Leads Sources Matter?

Leads are a vital part of any marketing campaign, but it's important to choose the right ones. If you're not sure which type is best for your business then try testing them all out and see what works best!

The most important thing about leads is that they must be relevant. For example, if you send an email to everyone who signed up on Facebook for a free trial (and don't have their permission), this will look like spam advertising and probably won't work well at all – even though these people might want more information from you later on. 

You should also make sure that you're not sending too many emails to the same person – this will make them less likely to open your email.

Most leads sources are paid for, but there's also a few that aren't. You can get leads from social media (such as Twitter and Facebook), forums, blogs and more. 

These are usually referred to by other businesses or people in your industry who have already heard of you before so they'll be more interested in what you have to offer than someone new. This is like being in an "inner circle" of marketing where it's easier for potential customers/clients/ members to find you.

If you're not sure which type of lead is best for your business, then try a test run! If you're not sure how to do this, then ask your marketing agency or someone in the industry.


Leads Sources: Best Practices

Each lead source has its own advantages and disadvantages. For example, blogging is great because you can build a following of people who are interested in what you have to offer , but it's not the best place for building relationships with your target audience.

 

1. You should also make sure that each lead source doesn't cost too much money – if they do then this could be an issue as some companies don't want to pay more than $10/lead (this might increase over time). 

If a company charges too much per lead or isn't worth paying for, then it will probably put off potential customers from contacting you.

 

2. You should also make sure that each lead source is good for your industry – this means it's relevant to what you're offering and has a high chance of converting into an actual sale or customer/client/member. 

For example, if someone in the financial sector wants to buy something from you as they've heard about how great your company is then they might be more likely than someone else who isn't interested in finance at all .

If there are too many leads coming through one particular lead source (for example social media), then this could put off potential customers so try not to over-rely on one particular lead source .

 

3. Leads can come from many different places and you should be prepared for this. You might get a few leads through your website, but most of them will probably come from other sources such as social media or email marketing.

You also need to make sure that there is enough time between when you put out the information about what it is that they are interested in buying (for example via an ad) and when they actually call/contact you – if not then this could delay the sale so try to give yourself at least 2 weeks.  

This means putting out ads on Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels, sending an email to your list and then waiting for the phone to ring.

If you have a lead generation system in place such as Salesforce or HubSpot, they could be used by salespeople (or anyone else) who are looking to generate leads – this is called 'outbound marketing'.

This means that someone will go out into their network of contacts/contacts and ask them if they know anyone who might be interested in what it is that you're selling – so make sure these people aren't just spamming everyone with emails asking for all kinds of information.

 

4. There are many different ways that leads can come to you – the most important thing is to make sure that they're genuine and not just spamming everyone with emails asking for all kinds of information (remember, your website needs content).  

It's also a good idea to use tools such as Google Alerts or Feedly so you can keep an eye on what people are saying about your business/product online in case there's any negative comments being made which could be damaging. 

 

5. Finally, it's also a good idea to keep an eye on what people are saying- about your business/product online in case there's any negative comments being made which could be damaging.  

This is because you have the opportunity of reaching out and offering some kind of feedback or comment – this might not always help (although sometimes it will).

But if someone has said something bad then you can send them an email to let them know that they've been talking negatively about your product/service without actually having anything positive to say themselves.

 

So How Do I Get Started?  

Well, you could always just send an email to every single person on your contact list, asking them if they know anyone who might be interested in what you're selling – this is a good way of generating leads but it's also very time consuming and will probably take up most of your day.  

It can also feel like a bit of a waste because the people you've emailed are not going to be impressed that someone has contacted them out of the blue without even knowing anything about their business/product or service (although some may see this as an opportunity).  

If you want more targeted results then you can use tools such as Google Adwords or Facebook Ads to find people who have searched for keywords related to your product/service and then send them an email.  

You'll need a good understanding of how these two advertising platforms work in order to be able to get the most out of this process but it's definitely something you should consider if you're looking at generating more targeted leads online.

No items found.

Himangi Lohar

Share Post:

Comments System WIDGET PACK

Start engaging with your users and clients today