A lead is someone who expresses interest in a company’s product or service. Leads are on a step along the pathway to becoming customers. On inbound marketing, lead generation occurs after an audience has been attracted. A website needs a call-to-action which, if clicked, takes the visitor to a landing page that includes an offer. Lead generation marketing uses content, emails, ads and social media to drive traffic to the landing page. Leads can also be bought, but these are lower quality leads that have not indicated any interest in the product or service. Lead generation can be conducted on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, or accomplished through PPC ads. B2B leads tend to come from referrals. Dedicated software and social media should be used to assist with lead generation, and the sales team should be involved in the process. HubSpot has a free lead generation tool that is recommended.

Key Takeaways:

• Lead generation attracts prospects to your business, then nurtures them with the goal of converting them into customers.
• There are a number of ways to generate leads organically, which is better than buying leads that haven’t opted in.
• Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have lead generation tools, and pay-per-click ads can be used as well.

“A lead is any person who indicates interest in a company’s product or service in some way, shape, or form.”

Read more: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/beginner-inbound-lead-generation-guide-ht