Lead Generation

Lead generation is the process of turning strangers who match your ideal customer profile into known contacts—people whose name, company, and direct email or phone you now hold with permission. In practice it means offering something useful (a guide, webinar, audit, calculator, or short call) so that prospects volunteer their details. Once a person crosses that line, they become a “lead” and enter your Demand-Generation pillar; the Marketing-Funnel then nurtures them into meetings, and the Sales-Pipeline works to turn those meetings into revenue.

A prospect who simply browses your blog is not a lead. A scraped list is not a lead. A LinkedIn follower is only a lead once they click a webinar link and fill the form. The key is explicit engagement plus usable contact data.

Builds a owned audience you can reach any time

When you run paid ads or post on social media, you rent someone else’s platform. Leads move the relationship into assets you control—your CRM and email list—so you are not at the mercy of algorithms or rising click costs.

Lowers customer-acquisition cost in the long run

Attracting cold traffic repeatedly is expensive. Once a lead record exists, follow-up by email, retargeting, or sales call costs pence rather than pounds. Nurturing a list drives down blended CAC and smooths month-to-month pipeline volatility.

Creates the raw material for forecasting and optimisation

You cannot manage what you cannot measure. Knowing exactly how many leads each channel supplies—and how many of those become MQLs, SQLs, and deals—lets you shift budget towards the most efficient levers and forecast revenue with confidence.

Map the ideal customer and their pressing pain

Before channels or content, list the firmographics (industry, size, geography) and roles (CFO, Head of IT) you want. Interview current clients for the top three headaches delaying their projects. Every magnet you build must touch one of those pains or it will pull in the wrong crowd.

Craft a low-friction value offer

Pick an entry asset that feels valuable yet quick to consume:

• Checklist or template – “GDPR audit workbook” for legal buyers.
• Calculator – “Cloud-migration cost model” for SaaS CTOs.
• Mini audit or scorecard – “30-minute brand positioning teardown.”
• Live Q&A or webinar – “Zero-trust roadmap for fintech CISOs.”
  

Ask only for details you will use—first name, work email, company—and promise clear next steps for privacy compliance.

Select the right mix of Demand-Generation channels

Referrals – Encourage happy clients to introduce peers.

Paid search – Capture active intent around high-pain keywords.

Paid discovery (paid social) – Put the magnet in LinkedIn feeds of precise job titles.

Content marketing & SEO – Rank evergreen guides that solve the pain.

Outbound outreach – Offer the magnet in a personalised email or LinkedIn DM.

Remarketing – Show reminder ads to site visitors who left before opting in.

Each channel has its own page in this wiki; use those guides to set budgets, targeting, and creative.

Build a friction-free capture funnel

1. Landing page states the pain, the payoff, and the minimal form.
2. Form submission triggers an instant confirmation email with the asset link.
3. CRM records source, timestamp, and essential profile data.
4. Lead enters a short nurture sequence—two to four emails delivering extra value and a soft CTA to book a discovery call.
   

Score and route for quick follow-up

Attach automatic fit and engagement points. When a lead crosses your MQL threshold, notify the SDR team in Slack and create a task to call or email within 24 hours. Leads below the line stay in drip nurture until they click or download something else.

Measure and iterate quarterly

Track:

• Cost per lead by channel.
• MQL and SQL conversion rates.
• Revenue per lead after three and six months.
• Lead-to-deal velocity in days.
  

Double spend on channels with low cost and high downstream impact; retire magnets that attract poor-fit leads, and create fresh ones around newly surfaced pains.

Conclusion

Lead generation is the first controlled step in turning unknown, qualified prospects into revenue. Focus on a real pain, offer clear value, capture only what you need, and route fast for follow-up. Use the supporting channel pages in this wiki—referrals, SEO, paid search, paid social, outreach, and remarketing—to design a balanced mix that fills your pipeline predictably and keeps acquisition costs in check.