Lead Generation

Lead generation is the process of attracting and converting individuals who show interest in a product, service or mission into potential customers, clients or supporters. It plays a central role in marketing and sales strategies by helping organisations build a pipeline of qualified contacts. Leads are typically collected through digital channels such as websites, social media, search advertising, email marketing and downloadable content offers.

To generate leads, marketers often create gated resources that require users to provide contact information in exchange for access. These offers might include ebooks, webinars, toolkits, free trials or donation calculators. When a visitor fills out a form, subscribes to a newsletter or engages with a chatbot, they are considered a lead. Leads can be segmented by type, such as marketing qualified leads (MQLs) or sales qualified leads (SQLs), to tailor follow-up strategies and increase conversion potential.

Effective lead generation combines targeted messaging, valuable content and seamless user experiences. For nonprofits, this might involve capturing interest from prospective donors or volunteers through mission-aligned campaigns. For B2B and SaaS companies, it supports the sales cycle by identifying high-intent prospects. Key performance indicators include conversion rate, cost per lead and lead quality. Using tools such as HubSpot, Salesforce or Mailchimp, teams can track lead engagement, automate follow-up and continually improve campaign performance. Strong lead generation not only grows your contact list but also builds trust and supports long-term growth.