Google Testing Full-Contact Lead Capture

Google AdWords is testing a type of full contact lead capture for Adwords; the below link has more details but looks like “PPC Hero” was the first to roll out details on this beta, named contact form extensions.

Contact form extensions provides a contact form directly in the search ad, which a searcher can fill out and the advertiser can then use in the future to contact that lead. It is very similar to a lead acquisition form, but this one is found directly in an expanded Google AdWords ad.

Link to article from Searchengineland; which contains links to th PPC Hero content as well.

http://searchengineland.com/google-adwords-testing-lead-capture-forms-contact-form-extensions-32971

Is a lead with a public email address as valuable as a lead with a business email address?

Since a good portion of my dialog with marketing folks revolves around the topic of lead generation; I’m sometimes in situations where what I perceive to be a valuable lead is not necessarily what my clients perceives to be a valuable lead. As I’ve said in some prior posts – I’ve learned the hard way that the first thing I absolutely have to do is get on the same page as my client / prospect as to what their definition of lead is, and a quality lead at that. Simple common definition issues can really create problems or expectation issues down the road; or even kill the sale altogether without common understanding of each other’s perceptions and definitions of leads.

One lead generation issue that has recently come up is the perceived value of a lead when the individual opts to use a public email address, such as a yahoo, hotmail or gmail as opposed to their “business” email address. There were some questions as to whether a lead had value, or the same kind of value, if they weren’t explicitly using their business email address.

Before we answer this question – I think there is an opportunity to first ask – why would a legitimate potential client choose to utilize a public email address vs. their work provided email address?

Based on my experience – here are a few reasons why:

• Prioritization: Most folks have “dual” addresses – we all have a gmail or yahoo account. If we registered for everything using our business email we would likely get 2-3 times as many emails as we already receive – my business email is for urgent business from external clients and internal correspondence…my sourcing and business research takes place in my gmail or yahoo account, which doesn’t mean it’s not important – it’s just typically not as urgent.

• Comfort: Plain and simple, most folks are just not comfortable using work email for anything but internal correspondence or client correspondence

• Privacy: People use public email accounts to “screen” information simply to make sure the site or information they’ve requested lives up to what they were expecting it too. My company sees this all the time from existing clients requesting some of our whitepapers – they use their gmail address; even though we have their business email address already on file.

• Control: A public email address gives me one level of anonymity in the event I’m not ready to engage in further dialog yet. My research is important – but again, it may not be urgent yet.

• Accessibility: Public email accounts are accessible via any web browser – any where; without having to log into secure VPNs or remote desktops – just simpler to do for folks when traveling or away from work computer on evenings, weekends etc.

• Portability: Folks like a permanent address in addition to their current address – if / when they switch jobs – they can still access certain information without interruption.

• Spam Control: Public email services like yahoo, gmail etc. have invested heavily in spam control technology…in some cases better than my own corporate spam controls.

 • Restrictions: There are certain companies and industries that flat out restrict the use or even access of work email for external communication due to security issues. For example; I spent two years working for a defense contractor– I was unable to receive or send email outside of the defense contractor network – but there were designated computers for external communication – but I had to use a public service email address when using them.

As you scan the list above – they all seem like plausible / reasonable answers why someone might elect to use a public email services – but I don’t think any of them ‘detract’ from the value of the lead. Whether a prospect opts to use a public email service or a business email service, it does not mean the individual is not a legitimate, qualified prospect – it simply means they are willing to receive unsolicited email – but only on their terms.

Hope this helps.

Thomas pulls plug on Thomas Global Register – DNR

Earlier this year Thomas Publishing shuttered IEN (Industrial Equipment News) – and now they’ve announced plans to suspend U.S. operations of Thomas Global Register – basically an International directory more in the model of Thomas Register than the evolving Thomasnet (http://www.thomasnet.com)

A major web presence going down is never a good thing and certainly not a good sign for the International manufacturing and export advertising markets; but as Thomasnet has evolved – Thomas Global remained nothing really more than a directory and you have to think that perhaps the need for multiple directories, all in english, just doesn’t make practical sense any more…or perhaps the cost to “reinvent” Thomas Global for the changing marketplace is just too big for the expected return they’d see in these uncertain times. It’s also fair to assume Alibaba and perhaps even Global Sources were continuing to erode market share.

Either way, I’m sure they still have a healthy chunk of advertising dollars still coming in for it; albeit declining, so I’m sure they’ll devise a plan to funnel those dollars to thomasnet vs. lose them altogether.

Link (via BtoB magazine): http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090702/FREE/907029993

What is a lead?

In my interactions with prospects and clients about online marketing; it is inevitable at some point that the word “lead” will be in the conversation, or likely the focus of the conversation. Typically it will be used in the context of “lead generation”; statements like – I’m in interested in generating leads or we’re looking for more leads or how many leads can we generate if we work with you etc…

In the 10+ years of conversations I’ve had on this topic, I’ve learned the hard way that the first thing I absolutely have to do is get on the same page as my client / prospect as to what their definition of lead is. Simple common definition issues can really create problems or expectation issues down the road; or even kill the sale altogether.

What I’ve found is most times when folks say lead in the context of online– what they really mean is sales lead, or transactional leads (RFPs, RFIs or RFQs). That might seem obvious – but in order to talk about marketing strategies and tactics and program recommendations, I need to know if someone either cares or places value on earlier stage leads (see my blog post on understanding the buying process online).

If someone is focused only on the tail end of the buying process online (either intentionally or ignorantly) – I need to understand why. It could be they are resource constrained; and therefore unable to follow-up appropriately and nurture early stage leads or they’ve just never thought the whole issue through, to no fault of their own. Hopefully, I’ll gain a chance educate them on the importance and opportunities missed and potentially help them work through resource issues or internal constraints.

Depending on the specifics of that discussion; the topics of “lead nurturing”, “lead qualification” and “lead scoring (what makes one lead better than another)” often come up as well; making the entire conversation so much more meaningful in the long run by engaging me in more aspects of their business and putting me in a stronger position to really integrate my recommendation into their current (or future) business practices.

 So back to the topic at hand – what are the common factors in my definition of a “lead” – regardless of the stage?

Well in my experience; early stage and late stage leads should all have the following information in common:

• Contact Information: Enough so you can either nurture it further through “re-marketing” efforts (follow-up tactics) or so you can figure out who in your sales organization should get it for more immediate follow-up. E-mail address at a minimum; but add in full name and mailing address and perhaps even a phone number or fax and now you have the ultimate in contact information with multiple options and means for follow-up.
• Demographic Information: At a minimum, you should know the company the individual is from and hopefully their industry focus and job role; which can help you determine their potential application and can set both the tone and manner of your follow-up.
• Category of Interest: What is it that they are looking for or at? Are they downloading a white paper? Looking for more information on a specific product? Asking for Pricing? Or are they just curious about your company? Again; this will help set the tone and manner of your follow-up sales, re-marketing or drip-marketing efforts.

 That’s it….you get these three pieces of information; and you have yourself a lead.

 To determine the qualification of that lead; e.g. is this  a “transactional” lead or other sales lead vs. perhaps an earlier one – there is a slew of additional information you might need; some of that information can be gleamed through lead-qualification processes that will be a subject for future blog posts, but through these processes you can ask questions focused on:

• Preferred Means of Contact
• Timing
• Budget Availability / Influence / Ability
• Level of Interest
• Competitor Options under Consideration etc.

If you are still struggling to get on the same page as either your vendors or even internally about what makes an online lead a lead and how important it is to place value on early stage vs. just focusing on late stage leads; take the discussion out of the context of online and take it offline, use a tradeshow analogy.

When someone registers to attend a tradeshow you are exhibiting at…are they a lead? In most people’s opinion; at best they are a suspect.

How about when that individual actually shows up at the exhibition hall? Probably not; perhaps still a suspect…maybe a prospect.

How about when they begin to flip through the directory that features your company or they start to walk down the aisle where you have a booth and signage?  Getting closer…but still not a lead?

How about when they stop and read your signage or view your booth and display…if even at a cautious distance? Warmer still…

How about when they drop a business card in the bowl or hand you their badge for scanning? For most folks…this is a lead now, everything that happened before then held little to no value.

Is this right the way to view lead generation? Am I fairly evaluating my trade show experience or even maximizing my trade show investment by only counting those cards I acquired or badges I’ve scanned?

The truth is – my prospect was a potential lead the moment they registered to attend the show itself. The person was an early stage lead for sure, but they were curious enough about my industry to register to attend a show that I felt appropriate to exhibit at. In a perfect world, if I could market and nurture that individual along from the beginning, I would have “bettered my chances” of them being among those who dropped their card or had their badge scanned vs. waiting for them to discover me on their own.

It all points back to the buy cycle (again, see my earlier posts). While evaluating marketing options and strategies, it’s important to remember that customer conversions (new sales) are the outcome of multiple influences over time.

From a sales & marketing perspective, being discovered as early in the process as possible is critical; as the impressions and results from the first few exposures and searches create the baseline criteria that the buyer will use to compare all options under consideration as final selection and purchase timeframes gets closer.

As always, I hope this post at least triggered some thought if not discussion.

Understanding the Buying Process Online, Part IV: Consideration & Comparison

In this continuing series of posts, we’ve explored the online buying process from a sales & marketing perspective. In previous posts we’ve reviewed the various phases of the buying process including initial discovery through creating curiosity and awareness as well as how to get in front of those individuals already engaged in specific research and search activities.

In part IV; we’ll talk about the third phase of the buying process – consideration & comparison. This is the phase where your potential customer has completed most of their informational searches and research and is in the process of comparing various options.

Buy-Cycle Phase 3. Consideration & Comparison

At this stage, your potential customers have completed most of their informational searches and research and are now considering specific options, including your company. This is the prime opportunity for your company to differentiate themselves from the perceived comparable alternatives also under consideration. The customer is likely considering specific information from each alternative supplier related to specifications, cost, brands, and how the products or services make them feel in general. The reality is; most individuals online are trying to narrow and compare similar features first before they look for what makes one product different (better or worse) than the other. Websites that make this “comparison” easier like industrial directories, specialized search engines and online buyers guide play an increasing role for potential customers at this stage. Publishers of these resources recognize that end-users are looking for easier ways to compare suppliers and offerings side-by-side. Since a potential customer is starting to compare finer details and information; the information you subsequently make available via your website or information published on these resources becomes increasingly important. It’s also important at this stage for you to build trust that you should be the vendor they ultimately select. Hopefully as the potential customer first discovered you, you’ve captured the prospects’ contact information (or an email address at a minimum). Now it’s time to put it to use as part of a nurture campaign; which is essentially the continuation of the education process by providing value to your prospective clients, typically via email. Your goal is to keep the lines of communications open and one of the most effective ways to continue communicating with your prospects is with an email follow-up campaign. There are several “best demonstrated practice” resources available online for setting up a lead nurturing program; but they all have in common a desire to continue to reinforce that you know how to provide value to your customers and should be the vendor they ultimate decide to purchase from. Once they are considering and comparing you as a potential vendor; you want to make sure the information you are providing give them the specific detail that helps them fill in the gaps. You can do that by providing access to the technical information that may not have been relevant until now. You are basically seizing the opportunity to politely nudge and nurture them towards ultimately becoming a customer of yours. For example; as they go deeper into website; provide plenty of ancillary links to even more detail about not only your product line or solutions, but value-add services and client case studies.

Marketing Tactic Considerations:

Participation in directory products and programs that make it easier for end-users to compare similar suppliers should be a no-brainer if you are interested in reaching potential customers at this phase. Continued visibility in the search engines should also continue to be considered as well contextually-placed banner ads; provided these ads are placed alongside or with keyword or category search results to give your company a little extra visibility and differentiation among similar or related alternatives. As stated above; if you’ve been fortunate enough to gain earlier stage leads with contact information; using direct email nurture campaigns will increase your chances of ultimately securing a customer as well.

Understanding the Buying Process Online, Part II: Curiosity & Awareness

In a posting last week, I described the buying process online. In that post, I mentioned that it’s important to remember that when we evaluate our marketing strategies and tactics; it’s critical to remember that new client acquisitions (new sales) are generally the outcome of multiple influences over time. I also made reference to maximizing your visibility to your target customers during all aspects of the buy cycle.

In this week’s post – we’ll review the earliest phase of the buy-cycle; curiosity and awareness.

From a sales & marketing perspective, being discovered as early in the buying process as possible is critical.

Buy-Cycle Phase 1: Curiosity & Awareness

Since the primary goal of most overall marketing campaigns is to eventually create new customers; getting these potential customers to think of you first when they need to satisfy a need, want or desire should be among the target outcomes of any marketing campaign. Generally referred to as “exposure”; creating curiosity or general awareness about what your company does or offers provides familiarity to those that have not yet discovered you or visited your website. The overarching idea is that when a person needs to satisfy a need, want or desire they remember your name or your site and visit you directly. A strong curiosity or awareness component of any marketing campaign will keep your company in the minds of people who might not be ready to act now, but who might take action down the road.

As a prospective customer first becomes aware of your company and / or your offerings, they might be curious as to what else you can do or whether your company or your solutions or products can do everything they need for the price they can afford or in the time frame they require. At this stage, your organization is in good position to be one of the top of mind vendors for your potential customer; but you still potentially have a knowledge and / or a credibility gap with the potential customer.

The best thing any organization can do at this stage is to build a bridge across the knowledge or credibility gap. The bridge is as simple as providing something of value as soon as possible to your potential customer. More times than not, that “something of value” will be in the form of sharing information that the company has and the prospect does not. In other words, your goal at this stage is continue to educate. This education can take shape in numerous ways that provide value to your potential customers:

• Whitepapers,
• PDF data sheets or catalog downloads
• Case Studies or Application Notes
• Online videos or Webinars
• Email newsletters or blog postings
• Press Clippings / PR and any number of other methods

Marketing Tactic Considerations:

To promote the availability and accessibility of this information; you should consider a combination of E-newsletter campaigns, broadcast banner advertising to a wide, but targeted audience, and direct email campaigns to your target market.

These types of campaigns are often referred to a “push” marketing as you are attempting to push your message in front of your target market to create interest and demand as opposed to waiting for them to be looking for a solution, as in the later phases of the buy cycle, and attempting to “pull” them towards you as a vendor of choice.

As potential customers “get serious” about their interest in a topic; they begin to become more proactive and specific in their research online and potentially more urgent in their need for relevant information or solutions. We’ll cover more about this as next week I’ll cover “Specific Interest and Search”as we continue to talk about marketing alignment to the buy-cycle.

Understanding the Buying Process Online: Part I: Overview

While evaluating marketing options and strategies, it’s important to remember that client successes (new customer conversions) are generally the outcome of multiple influences over time. To maximize your online marketing effectiveness; consideration should be given to maximizing your visibility to your target customers during all aspects of the buy cycle.

 

From a sales & marketing perspective, being discovered as early in the buying process as possible is critical; as the impressions and results from the first few exposures and searches by a potential customer creates the baseline criteria that the buyer will use to compare all options under consideration as final selection and purchase gets closer.

 

The graphic below illustrates a typical buying process in the B2B space from initial awareness straight through to purchase. Although the buyer may not articulate the buying process in this specific way, even the most casual purchases are made with a similar process.  

 

Typical Buy Cycle

 

 

 

 

 

In future posts; we’ll review the specific details and importance of each of these phases of the buy cycle and the marketing considerations for maximizing your visibility during them.