Related Posts
Podcasts
So, you know you need to generate leads for your business—but where do you start? The number of options can feel like a never-ending maze. Paid ads, social media, cold emails, content marketing… the list goes on. And if you’ve tried a few methods already, but aren’t seeing the results you were hoping for, it’s easy to feel stuck. You’re probably thinking: “Am I even doing this right? Is this the strategy that’ll actually work for me?”
Let’s face it—figuring out a lead generation strategy can be frustrating.
It’s not just about choosing one method over another; it’s about understanding how these strategies fit into a larger plan. Without that, it’s like trying to build a house without a blueprint. You might get something that resembles a house eventually, but it’ll take longer than it needs to and might not stand the test of time.
Here’s the thing: You don’t need to be overwhelmed by the options. There are a few core lead generation strategies that can fit any business, regardless of your size or industry.
Once you have these strategies in place and know how they all work together, you’ll have a clear path forward.
In this article, you’re going to learn about four lead generation methods that have been proven to deliver results. These aren’t just theories—these are the foundational strategies that successful businesses use to build a solid, sustainable flow of leads.
By the end, you’ll know exactly which strategy to focus on, how to get started, and—most importantly—how to make it all work for you.
The Four Core Types of Lead Generation
A simple but powerful way to break down lead generation is by categorising strategies based on two main factors: who you’re reaching (people who know you vs. people who don’t) and how many people you’re reaching (one-on-one vs. one-to-many).
There are four key types of lead generation tactics:
- Warm Outreach
- Cold Outreach
- Post Free Content
- Run Paid Ads
By using this framework, you can quickly understand which strategies will work best for your business.
1. Warm Outreach (1-to-1, People Who Know You)
Warm outreach involves reaching out to people who are already familiar with your brand.
These are leads who have interacted with your business in some way, whether they’ve subscribed to your newsletter, attended your webinar, or liked one of your social media posts.
Because they’re already somewhat engaged, this type of outreach is more personalised and can be much more effective in converting them into customers.
Som examples include:
- Personal follow-up emails: Reaching out to someone who downloaded your free resource or attended your event. You can ask if they found the content helpful or offer additional resources.
- Direct messages on social media: Engaging with someone who has shown interest in your posts or commented on your content. A quick message asking how you can help them further can go a long way.
Warm outreach works well because you’re not starting from scratch—you already have a relationship with these leads, so the conversation feels more natural and less salesy.
2. Cold Outreach (1-to-1, People Who Don’t Know You)
Cold outreach is about reaching out to people who have never interacted with your business.
These leads are entirely new to your brand, so your goal is to introduce yourself, grab their attention, and build rapport. While it may take more effort to establish trust with cold leads, this approach can pay off when done effectively.
Read: How to implement the 9-word email in your sales strategy
Some examples include:
- Cold emails: Reaching out to potential clients in your target audience, explaining who you are, what you do, and how you can help solve a specific problem they may be facing.
- Cold calls: Picking up the phone to directly connect with a lead who has never heard of you. You’ll want to introduce yourself and offer a solution that fits their needs.
- LinkedIn outreach: Connecting with individuals in your industry and sending a personalised message offering value or information that could help their business.
Cold outreach requires a thoughtful approach to avoid coming across as pushy or spammy. Focus on making your outreach personal, relevant, and helpful to begin building trust with these new prospects.
3. Post Free Content (1-to-Many, People Who Know You)
Posting free content is a way to attract and engage people who already know about your business but haven’t yet taken the leap to become customers.
By providing valuable content—whether it’s through blogs, videos, or social media posts—you build trust with your audience and position yourself as a helpful resource. Over time, this can nurture leads and move them closer to making a purchase.
Examples:
- Blog posts: Writing articles that provide helpful information or solutions to problems your target audience faces. A blog post is a great way to educate leads and establish authority in your field.
- YouTube videos: Creating video content that showcases how to use your product, shares industry insights, or teaches your audience something useful.
- Social media posts: Sharing tips, industry news, or behind-the-scenes glimpses of your business on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
By posting free content consistently, you keep your audience engaged and create a steady flow of leads over time. It’s an inbound strategy that works for you even when you’re not actively selling.
Read: How we Generate 55 pieces of Content per Week
4. Run Paid Ads (1-to-Many, People Who Don’t Know You)
Running paid ads is a way to reach a broad audience that doesn’t yet know about your business. Unlike cold outreach, which targets individuals, paid ads allow you to cast a wider net and bring in a high volume of leads at once.
You can use paid ads on platforms like Facebook, Google, or LinkedIn to target specific demographics and interests, driving traffic to your website or landing page.
How do you know which advertising platform is best to advertise on?
| Platform | Pros | Cons | Best For |
| Google Ads | -Target users when they search for specific terms on Google. -You only pay when a user clicks on your ad. | Increasing CPC (cost per click), requires optimisation to stay profitable. | Brands that want to target users when they’re actively searching for a specific term or online product. |
| Meta Ads (Facebook & Instagram) | Target a broader range of users who may not be looking for your product or service but who may be a good fit. | Less effective tracking due to privacy changes. | Businesses that want to reach a broader audience and who have a strong creative/s. |
| TikTok Ads | -Over 1 billion active users with a strong presence among Gen Z and millennials -Virality may be more achievable across TikTok Ads. -TikTok often has lower CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) and CPC (cost per click) compared to other platforms. | -Requires strong, creative video content -Not best for older audiences | E-commerce, DTC brands, lifestyle and entertainment niches with a younger demographic. |
| LinkedIn Ads | -Precise job and industry-based targeting. -High-quality leads -Target employees of specific companies. | -Expensive CPC, best suited for longer sales cycles. | B2B companies, SaaS, professional services. |
| YouTube Ads | -Strong for brand awareness -Powerful targeting with Google data | Requires video production, more expensive than TikTok. | Brand storytelling, e-commerce, courses, and education. |
| Amazon Ads | -Targets users with high purchase intent -Already proven buying process via Amazon’s website | -Limited to Amazon sellers -Increasing ad costs. | E-commerce brands selling on Amazon. |
| Emerging Platforms (Reddit, Pinterest, AI-Powered Ad Networks) | -Lower competition -Unique audiences -Growing ad inventory | Limited scale compared to major platforms. | Brands looking for untapped audiences and lower ad costs. |
Paid ads can provide immediate visibility and scale, but they require constant testing and optimisation to ensure you’re getting the best return on investment.
How to Implement Lead Generation Strategies Effectively
The success of your lead generation efforts is less about the specific tactics and more about the strategy behind them.
Before you even think about cold emails, paid ads, or blog posts, you need to understand who your leads are, where they are in their journey, and how you can help them at each stage.
That’s why the first two things you’ll need to focus on are answering customer questions and refining your Customer Journey Map.
1. Focus on Helping Your Customers and Answering Their Questions
When it comes to lead generation, your efforts should always be guided by a simple but powerful question: “Will this help answer their questions?”
Whether you’re posting content, sending emails, or engaging with leads directly, the ultimate goal is to help your customers by providing them with the information they need at every stage of their journey.
Remember, lead generation isn’t just about trying to sell your product or service; it’s about positioning yourself as a trusted resource that adds value.
Ask yourself:
- Is the content or communication I’m providing valuable?
- Does this piece of outreach answer a problem or question they have?
- Am I providing a solution that makes their lives easier or their business more successful?
By continuously thinking about your customers’ needs and focusing on providing solutions, you ensure that your lead generation efforts will resonate with them, fostering trust and increasing the likelihood of conversion.
2. Create a Customer Journey Map (CJM)
Now that you’re focused on helping your leads, the next crucial step is to create a Customer Journey Map (CJM).
A Customer Journey Map is a visual representation of the complete experience a lead has with your brand, from their first interaction all the way through to becoming a customer—and even beyond that.
Creating a CJM helps you understand where and how your leads interact with your business at each stage of their journey. By mapping out their experience, you can identify:
- The questions they’re asking at each stage (awareness, consideration, decision, post-purchase)
- What kind of content or outreach they need to move from one stage to the next
- Pain points that could be preventing them from progressing and how to address those obstacles
A good CJM provides clarity for your lead generation efforts and helps you tailor your approach based on where the customer is in their journey.
For example:
- In the awareness stage, you might provide helpful blog posts or social media content that answers common questions.
- In the consideration stage, you might offer product demos or case studies that address how your solution works and what sets it apart.
- In the decision stage, a clear, value-driven follow-up email or personalised outreach could help push the lead over the finish line.
By mapping out the entire journey, you ensure that every step of your lead generation process is intentional and that your content or communication is answering the questions that matter most to your leads.
When you help your customers by consistently answering their questions, you build trust and credibility. The Customer Journey Map is the framework that guides your understanding of what your customers need at each stage, ensuring that your lead generation strategies are as effective and efficient as possible.
With these two elements in place, your approach will feel more seamless, relevant, and customer-centric—ultimately increasing your chances of conversion.
What About The Tactics?
That said, the tactics—whether it’s cold outreach, paid ads, or content marketing—are still crucial in driving leads and growing your business.
Once you’ve set the foundation with your CJM and have a clear understanding of your customer’s needs and journey, you can implement these tactics in a way that makes them much more effective. For example:
- Cold outreach works better when you understand the stage the lead is in. Are they just becoming aware of your brand? Or are they in the consideration phase? With this knowledge, you can craft an outreach message that resonates with their current needs.
- Paid ads are much more effective when they are targeted to the right audience at the right time in their journey. By mapping your customer journey, you can ensure your ads are shown to leads who are in the awareness or consideration stage, and tailor the messaging accordingly.
- Posting content becomes far more impactful when you have a clear sense of the types of questions your leads are asking at each stage. By creating helpful, stage-appropriate content, you nurture leads and guide them through the funnel.
These tactics are most effective when you’ve done the work upfront to understand your leads’ needs, map out their journey, and provide value at the right moments.
Without this foundational work, the tactics can feel disjointed or irrelevant, which makes it harder to convert leads into customers.
So, What’s Next?
In the world of lead generation, specific tactics like cold outreach, paid ads, and content marketing are important, but they aren’t the starting point.
Before diving into any tactics, the most crucial step is to lay the right foundation—and that starts with understanding your customers’ journey and providing helpful, value-driven content.
By creating a Customer Journey Map (CJM), you can better understand where your leads are in their journey, what questions they have, and how you can best support them at each stage. This foundational work ensures that when you do implement lead generation tactics, whether it’s outreach or paid ads, you’re doing so with purpose and relevance, making those efforts far more effective.
Lead generation isn’t about just “chasing leads”—it’s about helping your leads by answering their questions and guiding them through a seamless, supportive journey. Only then can you deploy specific strategies with confidence, knowing they’ll align with your customers’ needs and ultimately lead to greater success.
So, focus on your customers’ journey, create meaningful content, and once you’ve got that in place, you’ll be ready to tackle the more specific lead generation tactics—knowing exactly how to make them work for you.
Next, read our article on exactly how you can generate leads from your paid media efforts.
