Intent-based Lead Generation

Lead generation. Let’s talk about it.

But before we dive in, let’s set the record straight… What exactly is a lead?

Believe it or not, this term is misused all the time. So let’s take some time to define and understand what the word is actually referring to.

A lead is someone who has indicated interest in your company’s product or service in some way, shape, or form. The keyword to look at here is that they’ve indicated interest.

The term lead is often confused with prospects, and used interchangeably, even though they don’t mean the same thing.

A prospect is a potential customer, someone that has been qualified as fitting certain criteria:

• fits your target marketer (sole/seniority, industry, and company size),
• has the means (money) to buy, and
• is authorized to make buying decisions

Prospects DO NOT have to have indicated interest in your product or service. They just need to meet the criteria above.

Straight? Dope, let’s move on.

What is lead generation?

Lead generation is the process of attracting and converting strangers and prospects into someone who’s indicated interest in your company’s product or service. There are two types of lead generation: Inbound and Outbound.

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Lead magnet. Awesome illustration by Gustavo Zambelli. Check it his amazing illustrations on Dribbble.

We’re going to focus our attention on Outbound Lead Generation, but let’s take a few moments and understand the differences and similarities between the two, so you can determine which approach is best for you.

Fishing or Hunting

I like analogies. So that’s what I’m use here.

Inbound Lead Generation is a lot like fishing. You’re literally putting bait on a line, casting it out, and reeling it back in when you get a bite. Bait, in this context, is any material, information, incentives, etc. (content) that your prospects can follow back towards your company.

Seriously… what are the chances.

It is a process where you, the sales hacker or marketer, find unique ways to attract people to your business. Inbound lead generation is warmer than outbound lead generation, often referred to as cold outreach, because in an inbound scenario, it’s the prospect who chooses the type and timing of the interaction.

That doesn’t mean outbound lead generation sucks. Not at all…

Outbound Lead Generation is all about the hunt, and good hunters not only shoot well, but also track well. Tracking, in this context, is the ability to identify and decide if a target is worth the shot.

The key characteristics you’ll find any skilled huntsman:

• Patience. You’ve got one shot… so you’ve gotta take your time, think, and decide when the moment is right.
• Empathy. Great huntsmen respect the game, and they respect the kill… oops I meant close. It’s the circle of life baby!

Note: The hunters I’m referring to are the real hunters… you know the ones that actually aim? I’m not talking about shotgun hunters, spraying slugs, and hoping they get a kill.

If you’re a “shotgun” hunter… stop, you dumb fuck. You’re giving us real huntsmen a bad rep in a game that was once highly reputable.

No, I’m not going to apologize for my choice in words. Love it, hate it… I don’t give two  in a bucket. I spit #truth… and you are a dumb fuck when you think it’s a good idea to mass blast people cold… disrupting their day-to-day.

Respect the game, or don’t fucking play.

Outbound marketing has gotten a lot of negative press in the last decade or so. Punch the term into Google and you’ll a million results filled with negative language like “interruption,” “in-your-face,” and “irrelevance.” Some posts even go so far as to proclaim its death.

Outbound is not dead.

If you think it’s dead, you’re dead wrong. Stop blaming the game, and take a real hard look at yourself because the #truth of the matter is… it’s you who’s been doing outbound all wrong.

Let’s correct that… put that dang shotgun down and pick up your big boy rifle. I’m going to show you how to aim and shoot.

Lieutenant Dan here gonna show you the way. Damn straight, U.S. Army veteran reporting in from the illest fighting force known to mankind. Boom boom!

Lead generation using intent signals… let’s talk about it.

Outbound lead gen is typically colder than inbound lead gen, and is often referred to as interruption marketing as opposed to permission marketing. You’re actually more familiar with this than you probably think. You’ve experienced these growth tactics in your daily routine — messages on signs, buses, billboards, and commercials…

Marketing is a contest for people’s attention. Let me show you how to warm up your cold outreach by using intent signals to generate leads.

The majority of lead lists are generated based on your definition of an ideal customer, such as industry, company size, job title, seniority, technology used, etc.

List building using intent signals allows you to generate leads based on what’s actually happening real-time. For example:

Recently funded Internet companies with more than 50 employees in US and with min 50,000 monthly web traffic.

OR

Blockchain companies in New York that are hiring for developers & have less than 100 employees.

OR

Recently launched mobile apps based companies that are hiring for software testers in India and headquartered in the United States.

OR

Companies spending money in digital marketing in London and have more than 100 employees and use Hotjar.

Lead generation with intent signals allows you to take your targeting to the next level, enabling you to go beyond just basic search filters that everyone else is using.

This approach allows you to get hyper targeted in your outreach messages, whether that’s through Linkedin automation with Orca, traditional email prospecting techniques, or both together as one in a multi-dimensional pipeline.

It’s a new day, and sales is changing… better lead gen, better prospecting tools. That said, we’re proud to announce our partnership and integration with EasyLeads.

EasyLeadz + Orca = Growth

Our top priority at Orca is to help you do sales better the right way.

Our direct integration with EasyLeadz allows you to generate leads based on intent signals so you can warm up your cold outreach with companies who are hiring for roles, using software, etc. complementary to your products/services.

Don’t get left behind… level up your skills, huntsman.

Ready? Checkout this guide to get setup and running with EasyLeadz + Orca integration.

Source https://useorca.com/blog/blog/intent-based-lead-generation