A common query we get from new clients is how to increase sales and revenue without embarking on traditional pay-per-click campaigns. To quote one of our heroes, not that there’s anything wrong with PPC, but there’s a world of choices other than that out there. Our regular answer, however, tends to point to a defined direction: it’s all about thinking of your brand in a holistic way. In terms of lead generation, this translates into generating interest for the brand, its products and/or services. How? Where, there’s the old-school approach (traditional advertising, mega productions, and so on) and there’s our approach.
As we have addressed before, brands can be seen as a set of multiple stories that are in constant motion and development. Following this line of thought, the main goals are to unleash the brand’s potential and to evaluate the potential for marketing that exists in everything the brand does and represents. This is where the art of generating new leads begins.
Of course, not everything that happens is news or communications-worthy, but that’s one of the reasons why marketing professionals exist. Generally speaking, the transition to a story-guided brand is a great way to start getting leads from unexpected places and audiences. The process itself varies, but often requires a few mandatory steps:
- Evaluation stage. We consider this phase to be of extreme relevance. First of all, brands can be very different. Some might need minor tweaks in their strategies, others whole new strategies from scratch. Some are quiet and subtle, others loud and flashy. Some are wasteful, others are precise in their resource management policy. But for every case out there, getting to the bone is a key step that will allow us to see where the brand is right know, how far can and, most importantly, how far should it go.
- Planning stage. A holistic approach to the brand will place it as part of one (or more) communities of people and consumers. Here’s where things start to get really interesting. When the brand places itself among a community, it means that a relationship will have to be developed and sustained. Community-oriented actions often do a tremendous job in generating new leads.
- Execute, explore, start over. Once you execute a plan, the show must go on. There’s always room for improvement, but no matter what, the brand must start exploring alternatives and planning new actions…it’s all about keeping the story in motion!
A resourceful professional works with whatever is at hand, and creativity can help boost a limited budget. Champions of lead generation are well aware of the potential that a lead-trained eye offers: from a kid wearing the brand’s t-shirt on YouTube to staging a surprise show or producing media stories, the range of possibilities is virtually endless – and the time to act is now.
