Love him or loathe him - for many there is no in between - Donald Trump provides clues for enterprises about what it takes to run a successful lead generation program (although he may not actually know it).
When it comes to acquiring new customers (and keeping existing ones), brands are required to hold their attention regardless of where they are in their conversion (albeit fragmented) path and on whatever channel or device of their choosing. The "message"¬ù or the "noise" (depending on one's viewpoint) that Trump offers his "customers"¬ù helps them decide which way to vote and what to share with their peers, and the same is true of how enterprises influence buying decisions based on the content they put out in the digital world.
This content - and the easy access to it thanks to the 'Net - is one of the biggest reasons lead generation has changed so dramatically over the years. It has led to what is now known as the "self-directed buyer"¬ù who researches what they plan on buying, or the service they plan on signing up for, long before the company can typically uncover their intent.
In this month's feature of Website Magazine, appropriately titled, "Lead Generation: Making it Great Again," we explore how to develop content to meet those buyers' needs and the new techniques and technology that can help enterprises nurture, qualify and score leads as well as how to get them into the pipeline to begin with. Content is such a power player in today's digital experience that it shouldn't be surprising that several other articles within this issue address creating, analyzing, sharing, monetizing and even optimizing it. For instance, readers will want to check out an article on where to start with website personalization, which presents practical personalization ideas based on easiest to most difficult to achieve as well as articles on monetizing blogs, capturing product reviews from gift givers and improving content for better email engagement.
For when organic efforts aren't enough to acquire and retain customers, this issue also explores new attribution models within Google AdWords and data and privacy dilemmas all advertisers face - in addition to other information on Web security, testing and design.
We hope you enjoy this issue and join us on the Web, where our editors and contributors provide daily coverage of what matters most to your Web success.
Best Web Wishes,
Peter@WebsiteMagazine.com A LOOK AT WHAT'S COMING UP
As in each issue of Website Magazine, the foundations for next month's feature have been set; a peek at Quiz Time and Small Business Lab will indicate that our August issue will highlight successful 'Net customer service strategies. After all, it's not enough to acquire customers, of course, you also have to keep them and increasingly that's through the experience that brands provide before, during and after there's a problem. See you next month!
