The internet is a vast bank of information where you can pretty much find anything you want, including practical help for achieving an end result. This easy availability of information is one of the reasons that many people take on DIY projects, but all too often the end results — as any DIY disaster can attest — are not always positive.
The same can apply when businesses take the DIY approach to lead generation, believing they can save money if they do it all in-house. However, without the right knowledge and expertise, there is a much reduced chance of your lead generation campaign being successful and delivering the return on investment you were expecting.
Unless you already have an in-house marketing or lead gen team with the right skillset, DIY lead generation is very risky, often costly, and could end up having a negative effect on your business. Below are a few reasons why DIY lead generation could be bad for your business. We’ll also outline a few reason why your current lead generation may not be working
1. Lead generation often takes time
Building a good and long-lasting lead generation campaign that delivers results takes time and a little patience is often required. It will often need an investment of time, effort, and resources before any tangible results are seen. It is very likely that attempting to do lead generation yourself will demand at least the same amount of time and energy, if not more.
If you don’t have a dedicated lead generation team, you may soon find that you are spreading yourself or your staff (whoever is working on it) too thinly. You could even get distracted away from the main goals of your business and fall into a rabbit hole trying to generate leads.
Sometimes, you may be able to meet the rigours of a lead gen campaign at the start, but have difficulty following it up, as it will need a significant amount of attention. As well as this, lead generation campaigns often have steep learning curves that will require time before the lessons can be learned and practical changes be applied to them.
2. Lead generation requires specialist tools and knowledge
Your business may currently be using a range of tools and platforms that have different functions and purposes when it comes to lead generation, or you have used them previously with mixed results. Alternatively, if you are completely new to lead gen methods you may have not used any digital marketing tools before.
If you are already struggling and don’t feel confident with the lead generation tools and platforms at your disposal — from Google Ads to social media advertising platforms, ad creative software, SEO performance tools, analytics and more — it will be difficult to make your campaign successful.
Hiring a professional to take on your lead generation will put you in a much better position for success. Not only will the lead gen expert have the knowledge and skills needed, but also years of experience in the industry. This means they’re not relying on guesswork and winging things hoping they’ll be right; they know exactly what to do, especially if they have worked in your sector before.
Also, decent lead gen agencies will have the tools and technologies already in place for a strong campaign, meaning you won’t have to invest a large amount of money on additional tools and software that you aren’t trained how to use effectively.
3. Lead generation done badly can slow you down
Many businesses strive to grow and expand as they become more successful, which likely involves adding more staff and additional cost to your payroll. The hiring process can impact your growth because you need time to look for the right person to take on the extra responsibilities. The increased amount of work can be difficult to find time to fit in and can sometimes lead to you hiring the wrong person in haste.
On the other hand, if you have a lead generation agency on your side, you can add qualified experts within a short space of time. They can easily fit in with the flow of your business with little to no supervision needed. It will not only save you time and money in training new staff but will also avoid unnecessary delay or errors that might otherwise occur.
4. Lead generation is dynamic — you need to be able to adapt
Every consumer is different, and they can change their minds quickly. This means lead generation strategies have to evolve, you cannot afford to be stagnant with your lead gen campaigns. Businesses need to be ready to adapt and take things to the next level, which is where a pipeline strategy comes in.
A pipeline strategy analyses all your sales and marketing data, so your goals and decisions are based on revenue. A professional lead generation service will be well-qualified and experienced in helping you with a strategy that works for your business. They will also have the flexibility to adjust depending on the outcome of the strategy and your business requirements and targets.
Why might your current lead generation activity not be working?
If you are attempting DIY yourself, or have entrusted it to someone without the full set of necessary skills, here are a few reasons why it might not be bringing you the desired results…
- You don’t have any measurable goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) in place – a strategy can’t be successful without you knowing what the desired result should be and knowing what needs to happen at each stage to get there. Being able to measure performance points that are the foundation for success is key.
- You have poor or outdated data – you could be missing key details about your audience and what is working in your campaign if you don’t know how to interpret your data. Outdated keywords are a main cause when it comes to issues with lead generation. Keyword generation is an ongoing process that needs to be done regularly with current and potential new trends in mind. If you don’t do this you could miss out on valuable insight and your lead generation will suffer.
- Your process is weak – not having a robust process behind your lead generation is like trying to find your way in the dark. You will struggle to see good results from lead generation without a well-planned process in place.
- Your qualifying criteria is flimsy or non-existent – one of the main reasons why businesses, sales people, and marketers fail to hit their targets is because they waste too much time talking to the wrong prospects. It is important to make sure there is a filtration element to your lead generation process in order to get the best results.
- Your call to action isn’t strong or consistent – if your call to action is weak or the message of it is inconsistent, you aren’t giving your prospect a compelling reason to follow the call to action. You should decide early on what you want the outcome to be that can best help you turn a prospect into a paying advocate for your business.
It’s time to call in the experts
Even though it is tempting to do everything in-house, if you don’t have any previous knowledge or experience in lead generation, it will save you time, energy, and potentially money to use an experienced agency like Pronto. We have the expertise to execute a successful lead generation campaign that will help your business gain the quality leads that you can focus on converting into sales. We have worked in many key sectors including home improvements, solar, insulation, heat pumps, double glazing, legal, finance and more, delivering proven lead gen results for our clients.
