Online Lead Generation Metrics

Sep 19, 2014 by Mark Maier

An update from The Center For Media Research on Online Lead Generation Metrics comes as a welcome influx of data that will help your clients make decisions on what they want to do and where the trend is going toward in online interaction....

"According to the Chief Marketer 2014 B2B Lead Generation Survey, content marketing, website registrations, social media and pay-per-click advertising posted the most significant gains in usage for B2B marketers seeking new leads. 67% of B2B marketers said they would use content marketing this year, compared to only 53% for 2013. The rise in website registrations or opt-ins goes hand-in-hand with the increased reliance on content marketing: 70% will rely on online registrations this year, compared to only 58% last year.

Channels Used or Planned for Lead Generation 2014
Channel	% of Respondents
Email	87%
Online registration/opt-in	70
Social networks	68
Content marketing	67
Trade shows/conferences	62
Webinars	44
PPC/Display	43
Direct mail	42
Telemarketing	37
Online directories	36
Retargeted ads	32
Live events	28
Affiliate marketing	26
DR print	25
Rented lists	19
Compiled data	14
Source: Chief Marketer, August 2014

Use of social media in lead generation rose to 68% in 2014, although the channel is still tricky for B2B marketers, says the report. “… social media has provided a way… to interact with prospects and existing customers… but conversion via social has been slow and challenging,” summarizes one respondent. And, “   social allows potential leads to hear a company’s voice and experience our personality even before meeting in person,” wrote another.

The Biggest Obstacles To Generating New Leads Via Social Media

• Inability to effectively measure ROI   34%
• Prospects wary of social marketing   35
• Too many channels to understand   23
• Content requirements of social   47
• Social leads not sufficiently qualified   34
• Social not relevant to core audience   20

Source: Chief Marketer, August 2014

Over 65% of respondents are using email as part of their generation strategy this year; only 15% had no plans to use email in 2014. The marketers who didn’t plan to use email this year cited a variety of reasons, including:

• Fear of looking like spammers (26%)
• Low open rates (17%),
• Low ROI (24%)
• Inability to effectively reach prospects via mobile (10%)

Marketers who use email are getting their names from a variety of sources, with 73% citing web registrations or opt-ins directly from prospects. 31% are renting files from brokers or compilers, while 20% are using third-party email opt-ins and 26% are using media or publishing partners. Only 4% admit to using addresses collected via automated harvester software.

B2B Lead Generation Tactics Yielding The Largest Number Of Qualified Leads (For Your Company; Choose 3)
Tactic	% of Responses
Referrals	50%
Email	48
Live sales visits	46
Direct marketing	25
White paper downloads	20
Search marketing	19
Telemarketing	17
Webinars/podcasts	15
Company owned social pages	12
Conversations in social groups	11
Social networks	8
Targeted display	7
Online directories	7
Monitoring social messages	4
Custom publishing	4
Source: Chief Marketer, August 2014

Most respondents are thinking long-term, with 69% saying they want to acquire customers who will prove profitable over the lifetime of their relationship with the company. Only 31% said they are looking to acquire new customers who will be profitable from the first transaction.

Offerings To Prospects In Return For Their Contact Information Or Opt-In
Incentive	% of Total
Product discounts/samples	33%
Enhanced services	24
Reduced/free shipping	16
Entertainment content	4
Contest/sweeps entry	21
Source: Chief Marketer, August 2014

43% of respondents say their lead generation aims for 2014 are focused primarily on finding new customers. Retention or reactivation was the core goal of 9%, while 41% are focused on current customers with an eye towards expanding outside that circle. The remainder cited a variety of approaches, including rebranding efforts and cross-channel initiatives tied to generation.

65% of B2B marketers are measuring their lead gen ROI by the cost of prospects that ultimately convert (cost per acquisition). 22% look at the cost of collecting prospect data (cost per lead), and 13% look at how many prospects are contacted by a salesperson (cost per opportunity).

With the multitude of channels available to consumers and marketers today, attributing exactly what effort was responsible for the lead or conversion is a challenge, says the report. 64% attribute leads to multiple channels and 12% to single channels. 4% attribute to first click and another 4% attribute to last click, while 10% leave it up to a customer reported source. A few of the remaining respondents said they didn’t have any methodology for attributing leads."

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