-A lead is any person or company that is potentially interested in your product or service, and potential customers who show interest is called: "hot lead", while those with no prior knowledge of your business are called cold leads.

Obtaining information about leads and assigning priority levels is the first key step in your sales funnel. It covers all the tactics to convince potential customers to voluntarily give up their information (for example, by filling out a form).

Today is your lucky day because we are going to discover the main current trends so that your lead generation marketing generates the conversion rates you need:

- Conversational Marketing

Conversational marketing through the use of chatbots is on the rise. Chatbots are a form of artificial intelligence that can be set to interact with customers. As of 2018, using the Facebook Chatbot platform alone, more than 300,000 bots have been created.

People want quick answers to their questions, and chatbots can be automated to greet and guide potential customers in real-time.

Chatbots are a great resource to collecting data from potential customers. Whether it's email addresses, names, contact numbers, style preferences, comments.

All information transmitted during a conversation with your chatbot can be stored and used to score your interest.

Try to maximize the enrichment potential of your database, while automating it. Lately, web bots are getting a bad reputation for spamming page visitors. So avoid bothering and try to be helpful

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- Search and voice marketing

Voice search is now one of the leading search methods available. It is not surprising that companies have begun to strive to optimize their websites and their content for this type of search.

Focus on long-tail keywords, as they are more like the speech patterns of people looking for answers. Instead of simply saying keywords like "best online billing software," potential customers are more likely to use conversational expressions like "Alexa, which online billing software is best for freelancers and small businesses?"

To generate more leads, your web content needs to become more conversational. It would help if you also focused on phrases that match the target audience's language. Use voice research tools like BuzzSumo to discover popular questions on many forums and Q&A sites.

- Video content marketing

Video marketing has exploded well above expectations as a marketing tool, according to HubSpot.

Webinars, webcasts, demos, live streams, and short informational videos on websites and social media are on the rise. This is because most consumers prefer video content to reading. Therefore, you are much more likely to engage, wow, and convert your potential customers by using creative videos that tap into human psychology.

Videos are an excellent tool for building your reputation and authority, just remember to set up a lead generation form to get the most out of it.

- Influencer Marketing

We are increasingly seeing companies looking to partner with influencers from the respective niches, in an attempt to broaden their reach.

The budgets allocated to influencers have doubled in the 2020-2021 period as it is a tool that allows you to associate with someone famous and with audiences full of potential clients. The key is to find the right influencers who will share the same values as your brand.

Having an influencer who actively endorses and promotes your product/service is a great help for lead generation. With a simple mention and link to your website, you can get thousands of visits. In turn, you should proudly post their testimonials. There is one important rule of thumb: tailor your approach to a few specific influencers, and then broaden the net with other aligned influencers.

-Account-based Marketing

Account-based marketing remains a strong strategy. Defined as a way to "focus resources on a target set of accounts," this growth strategy focuses on sorting out the most suitable leads from our list and customizing campaigns for each specific account.

ABM strategies persist because they offer good results and a clear return on investment. Instead of casting a wide net, focus sales and marketing resources on a clearly defined set of target accounts and high-value customers.

Working with a reduced-number-of target accounts also allows for better tracking and measurement. Strategic ABM, with the main focus on relationship building, appears to be a win-win for sales, marketing, and customers.

Converting leads into customers and creating relevant content are very important tasks for marketers, without forgetting that the most important thing that is expected of us is the generation of high quality leads.

Trends in lead generation marketing come and go. Your ability to go with the flow, innovate, update, and always work to carefully optimize the lead experience in your funnel is what will keep your strategy effective.