SEO Most Effective Lead Generation Strategy

Lead generation is one of the most crucial aspects of business – and it is one of the most challenging. Part of the difficulty is that it is never over; you can’t sit back and say, “There, I’ve done enough lead generation.” A new study reveals that search engine optimisation is one of the most powerful tool marketers and business owners have at their disposal. Webmarketing 123 finds that SEO is more effective than PPC and social media marketing in generating leads for B2C and B2B marketers. So why are marketers concentrating on social media rather than SEO?

Webmarketing 123’s 2011 State of Digital Marketing Report, which surveyed more than 500 marketers, revealed that “57 percent of B2B marketers and 41 percent of B2C marketers” said that SEO was their best source for lead generation. Each group named PPC as the second most effective tool, and social media pulled into third place for both B2B and B2C marketers. Another interesting figure from the report indicates that 60 percent of participants plan on increasing their social media marketing budgets in the coming year.

While about half plan on increasing the budget for SEO, there is a clear move towards focusing on social. Almost 70 percent of the marketers reported that Facebook, Twitter, and Linked did generate leads for their businesses, and over half closed deals as a result. Both B2B and B2C listed Facebook as their top social media marketing platform, and B2B relied more heavily on Twitter and LinkedIn than did their business to consumer counterparts. It is felt that these platforms can provide a greater return if businesses invest the time, money, and know-how.

It is also clear from the 2011 report that marketers see the value of using a multipronged approach to reach customers, incorporating various techniques to generate leads more effectively.