Posted by: Christy Roth, Project Manager

When setting lead generation goals for a new program, there are many important considerations to keep in mind. To start, you need to realistically evaluate your team and resources. It’s important to have an idea of what type of lead volume your sales force can handle. You want the users to have the best experience possible, including receiving timely follow-up if they are requesting contact. In addition, it’s helpful in planning to talk to the sales team about what types of leads they receive the most value from, which could be dependent on the type of offer(s) the user registered for, the type of online event they attended, whether or not they raised their hand for contact, etc.

Another key part of starting the lead generation program is knowing what products or campaigns will be the focus of the lead generation push. When embarking on a lead generation launch, you need to keep in mind what you’ve done with past products and how your brand is perceived. Will users understand that this is your product? Do they already trust your brand?

The next step is locking in your tactical mix – where and how will you advertise? The right combination of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, external media campaigns, email broadcasts, vertical search engine programs, and social media, for example, can be invaluable. When looking into these tactics, be aware of where your competitors are advertising and how you can differentiate yourself to the targeted user.

Of course, you’ll want to establish from the outset what performance metrics you’ll use to measure the program and set quantitative goals for what you hope to achieve.

All of these factors help in planning a successful lead generation campaign. Always remember to review your past results, making decisions based on what has performed and what hasn’t, and to optimize your lead generation program while it’s in effect.