How Successful Lead Generation Campaigns Work

One of the benefits of legal marketing is generating new leads. A "lead" is a person who might be interested in your offer. This person has the potential to become a client or an employee for you. Leads are people who correspond to your target group. They have characteristics and interests that you have identified as relevant for your potential clientele.

So with a lead generation campaign, we want to get to know these individuals. At the same time, we try to understand how to communicate further with each person to increase the chances of closing a deal.

Already in advance: Such campaigns are not only something for large commercial law firms. Even small structures can achieve a lot with a clever set-up and a campaign mindset!

Terminology of lead generation

By way of introduction, a few basic terms. If you already know them, then jump down to the next chapter!

Content Marketing Strategy

What problems are your target groups dealing with? Which formats do they consult? What are the topics that play a role in your lead generation campaign? In the content marketing strategy, you decide such questions. The strategy gives you the framework and helps you to prepare the right content for lead generation.

Tip: Think in terms of topics. Not in formats! So, "We're answering questions from our target audiences about the latest adjustments in stock law." And not, "We're sending out a newsletter next week and doing four LinkedIn posts."

With this strategy, you also have a plan for the subsequent maintenance of the generated contacts. After all, you can't buy anything from a lead! So: What other content do you use for the leads you have won? Your content strategy helps you to gain the trust of your leads. If you succeed, the purchase is no longer far away - happy times!

Campaign Content Calendar

Discipline in the implementation of the content strategy is important. Therefore, it is recommended that you get yourself a calendar. The essential steps are noted here and their execution is checked. It is clear who does what and when.

Landing page

This is where you gain new leads! A landing page is a page dedicated to a specific topic. The page contains interesting information, features strong Google optimization (SEO), contains a "lead-offer" and a "call-to-action".

The lead offer is about what you offer users in return for their data. This offer must be so attractive that the users, for example, leave their data directly in a form in return for what is offered. The type of offer also determines the call-to-action (=a concrete request to the user to take action). For example, if you offer a free webinar, you provide a form for registration. If you have created a whitepaper, you offer it for download via a form that requests the data relevant to you.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

CRM systems help you to collect, organize, analyze and retrieve information about interested users during lead generation.

Why are campaigns so effective?

We speak of a campaign when activities in marketing are specifically planned for specific purposes or on specific topics as a separate project. A campaign is complete when you have thought through the whole process and all the essential aspects. Today, marketing means thinking in terms of themes and target audiences. In the legal industry, firms have thought too rigidly in formats and channels for too long. Deciding "We're going to do LinkedIn." soon leads to the question, "What do we do on LinkedIn now?"

Your core topics and the interests of the target groups are important. If you bring these together in a meaningful way, a campaign can be created that is played out sensibly across the various formats and channels.

Your target groups gain confidence in your competence in these topics. This is how new leads are created!

Campaigns can be limited in time or run indefinitely. It can make sense to implement certain campaigns on a recurring basis (e.g. once a year at a certain time). This is particularly valuable where the campaign relates to specific social developments or periodic events.
Other campaigns are independent of external developments. The core topics or best sellers of your company can be used again and again as a permanent source of leads.

For all campaigns, the important thing is that you can relate to your business and offer content that is relevant in the appropriate context. We recommend: Think more in terms of campaigns! With a well thought-out and structured campaign, you will achieve much more than with just spontaneous, opportunistic marketing activities.

Get started with your lead generation campaign

At this point, you've got the basics down. You're ready to plan your next campaign. We recommend the following steps:

1. Determine the campaign goals
2. Select the targets
3. Evaluate the media
4. Develop the offer
5. Shape the communication process

Goals of lead generation

These can be of different nature. Of course you want to make contacts. However, it pays to be precise when determining your goals: How many leads do you want to generate? Do you have a specific sales target that you want to generate from your campaign? What actions are relevant for you to measure the success of your campaign?

Only if you have defined goals, you will know at the end if the campaign was successful. It allows you to draw conclusions for possible improvements. Measure, learn, improve.

Selection of targets

Is it an existing target group? Or is your campaign targeting new people? In either case, it's important that you understand the exact needs and problems of your targets. From this, you can deduce how you can help them and what content you need to rely on to communicate effectively.

The media / formats

There are many formats for content delivery. Which of these mediums best appeal to your target audiences? Do you write an eBook, an article, or a blog post? Or is a lecture, webinar, or podcast more appropriate? Or do your targets want regular updates as newsletters?

In most cases, a combination of media will be appropriate.

Development offer

This is about how you offer your content and motivate your targets to complete a call-to-action. Your leads respond to your offer and leave their contact information.

For example, do you generate a landing page specifically for your campaign topic? There you might place a call to register for a webinar or offer users a free download of a white paper. Such offers are strong lead magnets.

The communication strategy

This starts with acquisition: How do users become aware of your campaign and the associated offers? Of course, the digital communication channels (website, social media, email) are open to you. In addition, you should make sure that your campaign also generates traffic via Google. There are many leads hidden there for you!

An important part is the follow-up process. How do you communicate with the generated leads? When do the registered persons receive which information? Perhaps following the call-to-action, there is first an automated email message with further information. Depending on the behaviour of the leads, you can determine when it makes sense for direct contact to take place and who should take over this.

Under the heading of communication strategy, you also determine the maintenance of your leads' contact details (e.g. in your CRM).

So you've got the basics together for your next lead generation campaign. It's time to get started!

How HeadStarterz can help with lead generation

We are THE marketing agency for the legal industry. Giving companies, people, content and products more visibility in the legal market is one of our core competencies. We are experts in strategic consulting, visual communication and digital marketing measures. We analyse and implement.

About the author: Tobias Steinemann

Tobias advises companies in the areas of strategy, marketing and digitalization. He regularly gives lectures and workshops in these areas. He teaches "Digital Legal Marketing" in the CAS course "Legal Tech" at the Hochschule für Wirtschaft Zürich (HWZ).

Tobias holds an MBA from HEC Paris with specialization in marketing. He is also a qualified lawyer (2012) with an LL.M. (Stellenbosch, South Africa).

Contact: tobias@headstarterz.com or LinkedIn