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Guidance on Getting an Awesome Lead Generation Campaign for Your CPA or Consulting Firm Off the Ground
I got me one of those “AHA!!” moments the other day from a group of partners when I pitched a lead generation campaign to help them build their practice.
It was a Zen-like moment when they realized that they could complement their referrals and networking and build their practice with a new marketing strategy – a strategy built around using their thought leadership as the centerpiece of a lead generation campaign.
I fear I created a monster, because all of a sudden, we were talking about offers and integrated media plans and leveraging LinkedIn accounts and drips and.... well, you know – the stuff that marketer’s dreams are made of.
What’s a Lead Generation Campaign?
When I talk about a lead generation campaign, I’m not talking about a lead that has come from a referral source or “over the transom” from an unsolicited phone inquiry. These types of leads may be the very best type of leads out there because the prospect probably has reached a point where they’re actively looking for a solution to a problem they have.
A campaign is very different. It has an offer, a way to reach “suspects” who may (or may not) be interested in the offer, and a very defined and specific trail from acquisition of the lead right down to writing a contract or sales offer. A lead generation campaign is a path from awareness to sale that can be created, planned and managed.
Partners just aren’t wired to think this way about business development. But with millions and millions and millions of their prospects (you should be so lucky!) searching online for solutions or information, it’s probably time to expand their marketing horizon.
What Marketers Should Say to Partners about Lead Generation Campaigns
OK marketers, it’s time to get a little bit bold and sassy, and get those leads flowing into the company! Here’s what you can be telling your partners about lead generation campaigns:
(1) We need to pick a very specific target, not just air breathers in general
The most effective lead generation campaigns are those where the target market is very specific. This allows you to build campaign materials around the target’s persona, as well as helping in selecting the right media and channels for promoting the offer.
(2) We need to know what specific product(s) or service(s) we’re gonna sell – this is a sales exercise, not branding!
You have to have a sales end game in mind when you’re developing a lead generation campaign – this is not an exercise in branding! Fill in the blanks and try this when you write an objective for the campaign:
“We’re going to target (type of person /type of industry), and get (#####) appointments for selling (name of a product or service). We hope to generate (number of leads) and produce ($$$$$$$) in new business from the campaign.”
Now, what partner isn’t going to love this level of action and specify?
(3) I’m not going to do this unless we have a solid, well thought out comprehensive campaign plan!
It’s time to dig your heels in, Part 1. Don’t execute a lead generation campaign without a well thought out, comprehensive lead generation campaign plan – and get it approved by the partner. There are quite a few moving parts to lead generation campaigns, and everyone involved – even partners – will have a role in its execution and success.
(4) If we don’t have a sales plan that’s part of the campaign, let’s not waste any more of my time or your money.
It’s time to dig your heels in Part 2: Do not do a campaign if you have not appointed an individual responsible for making contact with the lead and bringing that lead through the sales funnel to the engagement. What a monumental waste of time, talent and resources if you generate a huge number of leads and then let them languish because nobody was handed the sales ball to carry over the end line.
(5) We need a real kickass offer – not some humdrum folder or an thinly veiled piece of sales collateral
You need to tell your partners this in a very firm and clear voice, maybe ten times or so: An offer is not a chance for someone to download a sales brochure.
An offer is something like a whitepaper or ebook that is built upon thought leadership … thought leadership built around a pressing issue or hot button that your target market/persona is facing. But it’s not enough just to address a hot issue.
You also need to make your offer interesting and compelling by giving it a show stopping title that makes the reader curious and motivates them to fill out a form. Marketers – this is your job. It’s time to let your creative chops shine. So instead of a whitepaper called “Top 10 Tax Tips for 2014” (Zzzzzzz…….), try something a little bolder like “The Top 10 Ways Taxpayers Can Avoid Going to Jail in 2014”.
Same topic, same material, different twist.
(6) There’s lots and lots of eyeballs out there, and we need to reach them in a lot of different ways
Now it’s time to talk to partners about “integrated marketing campaigns” and show them how you’re going to use all of the marketing media channels at your fingertips to reach eyeballs with their offer. Blow their minds by showing them a campaign that consists of online promotion, social media, email, paid per click, and so on, and if you really want to blow their mind, show them how you’re going to track and measure which channel works best.
(BTW: that’s one of the really cool things that HubSpot does. Call us if you want to go behind the curtain and see how HubSpot really works.)
(7) Let’s measure what we’re doing, find out what works, throw out what isn’t working, and let’s always be trying new ideas
Another truth that you need to reveal to partners is (gulp!!!) that you can measure everything – from website visitors to lead conversion to sales conversions and a lot more. The good ol’ days of talking to partners anecdotally about results of your marketing efforts are fading as rapidly as partners become more and more literate with the power of digital marketing.
The good news: if you measure it, you can change it. Twitter not working to drive lead in for the campaign? Stop tweeting! Email kicking butt? Do more of it! When you measure, you get marketing clarity.
(8) We gotta stop one and done marketing and get into the nurturing business
It’s time to dig in your heels Part 3: Get your partners out of the “one and done” mentality of lead generation. It’s pretty unlikely that you’ll get an engagement out of your first touch with a prospect (it happens though), so you need to have a nurturing plan to move them from suspect to prospect to lead to client. This plan is going to consist of regularly schedule email in a drip campaign, subscriptions to your newsletters, and at some point, that phone call from the assigned sales resource seeking an appointment.
#9: Be patient – Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day and Neither are Lead Generation Campaigns
When it comes to marketing, let’s just say that most partners don’t come to the table with an abundance of patience. That’s why they’re more apt to look to direct mail or telemarketing in the “Hey!! Are you happy with your CPA firm?” vein, but then get all mumbly and grumbly when they only get appointments with 1 out of every five hundred suspects.
Lead generation campaigns require time and patience, and a continual review of campaign metrics to so you can double down on what’s working to generate or nurture the lead. But in today’s digital environment you can avail yourself of “set it and forget it” lead generation campaign tactics, like using call to action buttons and landing pages on your website. With the proper planning, technology and infrastructure, they can work 24/7/365.
Now go forth, create a lead generation campaign and plan, and find your own moment of Zen after you see the bliss on your partners’ faces!
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