what is lead generation marketing

Lead generation marketing is the process of generating consumer interest in a product or service with the goal of turning that interest into a sale. In online marketing, this typically involves collecting a visitors contact information (called a "lead") via a web form. Lead generation is a core part of the sales funnel for many B2B companies since their products can cost thousands of dollars and web visitors are less likely to buy their product or service directly from the website. There are two main components to the lead generation process: getting traffic to your site and then convincing them to share their contact information with you. Once a lead is created, if the customer is in the target market, the lead becomes a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) and the digital marketing team will begin nurturing the lead via marketing campaigns. Lead generation is also important for ecommerce and other businesses, as email marketing is still one of the most effective channels for marketing online, and gathering a prospective customers contact info allows the business to market to them later, even if they do not make a purchase immediately.