Do the Google thing on “CRM lead generation” and your head will explode. You’ll be told repeatedly that it’s ‘the most important software tool there is for marketers.’ Fair enough general statement. How does it work? Most of those same Google hits tell you it’s a ‘multi-faceted process.’
In other words, it’s like nuclear fission. Really powerful, but before you push the button, you need to know exactly what’s involved in splitting an atom. You’re never going to get an elevator pitch answer. There are, however, some highlights and headlines. We’ll share them with you.
OMG, DYK?
Yes, it’s an acronym firmly entrenched in our marketing lexicon. Heaven forbid we should expend the energy to actually say, Customer Relationship Management. As for what that mouthful stands for, it’s not really a computer program—although you do need software to do it effectively—as much as it is a strategic process.
Our human brains crave patterns and replicative processes. If something works, we’re compelled to find a way to preserve the steps so we can duplicate the success. That’s the value proposition of CRM. It allows you to take a systematic approach to managing your interactions with leads, prospects, and current customers.
If you did Google the acronym CRM, you saw that the first 4 results were paid ads for companies who offer CRM software solutions. While each company might approach it from a slightly different way, they all help you manage core principles of lead generation.
Businesses need to find more people who will buy their product or service. The process is called lead generation. If you’re on the marketing end, you’ll likely say this is your top priority. These CRM software solutions help you automate this process by turning it into a 2-part process.
You’ve got to find new people who’ve indicated an interest in your product or service, and then get them to visit your website before you can turn a lead into a customer. Your CRM tool helps you serve up the “hey, look at me” shout-outs to people on the Internet. You’re tossing out tasty bits of intriguing information that’s making perfect strangers curious about you.
You could call it the courtship phase. They don’t know you. But your efforts using CRM help you conveniently keep popping up on their attention radar. CRM lead generation helps you do this with:
And finally, some enchanted online evening, they finally pay your website a visit. Now, CRM lead generation moves into the second act.
A stranger is attracted to your website and becomes a visitor. They’re converted to a lead when they provide you with contact information so you can deepen your relationship and close them so they become customers. Then, you have to deepen and delight these customers so they will become promoters who recommend you to people they know. And the circle of love starts all over again.
The CRM software helps you schedule content so it’s optimally delivered to assist with each of these transformations. It starts the process, but CRM has that “M” in it for a reason. You’ll have blog and social media posts, email messages, eBooks, landing pages, surveys, webinars, and even more content that has to be delivered at precisely the right time to assist with attracting, converting, closing, and delighting website visitors.
A spreadsheet isn’t going to cut it.
Which is why, when you ask someone to briefly and quickly give you the lowdown on CRM lead generation, you feel like you might as well have asked Stephen Hawking to walk you through the necessary steps to achieve nuclear fission.
Neither nuclear fission nor lead generation can happen without the right ingredients. It’s doubtful you’ll be able to obtain the uranium and plutonium isotopes for nuclear fission. Any suggestions we might offer would put us both on the wrong side of the law. Different story for CRM lead generation. The right ingredient for it is content.
We can help you with that.