The following is taken from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) website concerning online lead generation best practices.

In 2005, the IAB Lead Generation committee was formed, responding to the need for a group to address the issues regarding this emerging interactive communications channel. It is a high-level approach to lay the foundation for ethical practices in lead generation marketing, specifically in the handling of customer data, expectations of reporting leads and dealings with customer transparency.

Lead Generation Best Practices Overview

Customer Transparancy

- All lead generation efforts should be strictly permission-based; consumers should not be coerced or otherwise unknowingly misled to accept an advertiser’s offer.

- Advertisers/Publishers/Vendors should only send consumer offers or information that strictly adheres to the offers and information they have requested. For instance, if a consumer asks for mortgage information, that consumer receives only mortgage information.

- Advertisers/Publishers/Vendors should not rent, resell or trade the lead without consumer’s consent as outlined in their privacy policy.

- Advertisers/Publishers/Vendors should provide a clear, concise privacy policy that fully-explains to consumers how their data will be used. The policy should be readily accessible to consumers for review.

- Publishers/Vendors should fully-disclose the data consumers share and identify its source to advertisers in the instance that proof of permission is requested. Advertisers should make the data and source accessible to consumers.

- Auto-responder and prompts are recommended to confirm the consumer’s interest and to provide an opportunity to halt/ continue marketing. A clear opt-out should be visible.

Data Integrity

- Publishers/Vendors should deliver consumer data that meets the advertiser’s criteria for a quality lead, as determined by the advertiser’s marketing objectives. The advertiser should inform the publisher of unacceptable lead quality within a reasonable time predetermined by the publisher/advertiser agreement. The recommended timeframe is five-(5) to seven-(7) business days.

- Publishers/Vendors should make available the registered consumer’s IP address and time stamp to show proof of registration upon request by the advertiser.

- Publishers/Vendors may pre-populate the information fields that a consumer has already provided.

A website is a great marketing tool where potential customers can learn about your business at their own convenience. Your website is always open for business and potential customers are just one click away from becoming a qualified lead. There's no wonder why online lead generation marketing has become the main purpose of most business websites. To make online lead generation one of your goals, your website needs to be closely examined.

Podcasting is still a relatively new medium when examined from a lead generation marketing perspective. A podcast is basically the method of distributing an audio or video file over the Internet using RSS formats for playback on mobile devices or personal computers. It differs from streamcasting however, as the RSS technology allows the podcast to be automatically downloaded to the subscriber.

Podcasting has lead generation abilities in a couple of ways.

First off, in order to receive these podcasts, a user must register with a website. Therefore, the website is able to collect various marketing information such as names and email addresses. Now the provider has established communication with the user and can probe for more specific marketing information. This information can then be used to target these individuals with marketing messages about other podcasts that they feel might be of interest to them. The podcast provider has now generated a lead.

To take lead generation even further, by subscribing to particular podcasts a user is essentially creating a profile of their interests. This can be used to target specific individuals with specific marketing messages about specific products that coincide with their interests.

Lead generation marketing has many possibilities with this new form of media. Leads can be generated for the podcast provider for other relevant podcasts or they can be distributed to affiliates whose products are line with the interests of the users. Either way, it has potential to be an excellent lead generation marketing tool.

As podcasts become more popular and widely used, marketing managers will do everything in their power to maximize its effectiveness as being a lead generation marketing tool.

Seems as though every type of business has a website these days. And for good reason, considering the Internet actually induces 70% more spending offline than online, according to a study conducted by The Dieringer Research Group. Therefore, your lead generation marketing efforts not only drive online sales, but offline as well. As a matter of fact, businesses are gearing their websites more towards performing lead generation activities than e-commerce functions.

Lead generation is not a gimme though. In fact, there is quite a lot of work and strategy involved in generating quality leads for your products and services. The following are two types of website visitors that should be examined when attempting to maximize the number of quality leads your website attracts.

Suspect Customers

• These are people who are at the early stages of the buying cycle and are looking for more information about a product or service. They are in more of an investigative mode and are looking for answers to more broader questions such as: What exactly do I need? How much will I have to spend? By answering these questions you are educating the suspect customer about what you can offer them. This information produces several benefits in lead generation marketing. The suspect customer can bookmark your site and revisit later in the search process. Also, It can spark interest quickly and instantly convert the suspect customer into a qualified lead. Or it can quickly weed out the unqualified leads, saving time and effort.

Prospect Customers

• These people know what they want and are mostly comparison shopping. They want to know which product is the best and why. By using such things as testimonials, comparison charts, brochures, and product demos, you can further educate the prospect customer as to why they should buy from you and not the competition. Getting contact information equals getting a qualified lead. They know what they want and are interested in getting it from you.

Now that the suspect and prospective customers have converted into leads, the work doesn't stop there. Effectively communicate with them will be the telling tale of converting them from leads into paying customers both online and offline. Keep your business fresh in their minds so when they do decide to make a purchase, they think of you first.

Lead generation marketing is a continuous effort.

Search engine optimization seems to be all the buzz these days when looking to capitalize on online lead generation marketing. Each business with a presence on the Internet wants to come out on top of its competitors and generate quality leads. The first step in doing so is coming out on top in search results.

When the typical user is looking for a good or service, they will type certain keywords into the search engine that they feel will direct them to the most appropriate sites. In order for search engines to recognize your website, it is imperative that your content not only contain these keywords, but have them strategically placed throughout it.

So yes, the right keywords in your content will drive up your rankings on search engines. But that doesn't necessarily translate into lead generation. You want to get them there, AND you want them to convert. This means generating a lead by getting them to sign up for a newsletter, complete a survey, or take advantage of a free offer in exchange for marketing information.

If your content is filled with keywords to the point of it looking spammy, it does not add any value to the visitors experience and the backspace button will be hit, moving the user onto the next search result in hopes of finding the information they desire. You have let the potential lead slip through your fingers and into the hands of the competition. Having interesting, relevant content mixed with subtle marketing messages and strategic placement of keywords creates a level of trust between you and the user and a reputable image is created. Now the user will be more inclined to submit their marketing information and a lead can be generated.

Another thing to keep an eye on is grammar and spelling errors. If you have great content, but it is riddled with major grammatical and spelling errors, it will look very unprofessional. This will leave a negative impression in the mind of the user and will almost guarantee them to move on and abandon your lead generation efforts.

Your content also goes a long way in creating and sustaining brand image. A consumer that has read an article about your products and services and then clicked through to the website is a highly qualified visitor and interested in your value proposition. They are now the perfect candidate for making your lead generation marketing efforts a success.

Your content can be either a number one attractor or detractor when it comes to online lead generation marketing.

The world of online gaming has evolved dramatically over the past several years. Marketing managers have come to realize that this can be an effective tool in both branding and lead generation marketing.

Here's how it works as a lead generation marketing tool.

A business develops a game that is centered around the brand and places it on their website. Everything about the game is related to the branding of the products it is promoting. These games are highly interactive and do not require too much thinking to play. They are fun, simple, and enjoyable to the user. It's a great way to build a relationship between you and your potential lead. They are also very target market specific.

Lead generation comes easily using this marketing tool. Most games require the player to register marketing information such as their name and email address before playing. Another lead generation strategy used is to request contact information afterward in order to send the results of the game to your email address. Either way, marketing information is collected and qualified leads are generated.

Lead generation marketing through online games, a new spin on an old marketing technique.