Over the years, marketing as a concept has developed a lot.
Gone are the days when businesses used conventional marketing techniques such as pamphlet distribution and newspaper advertisements to reach their custom target audience.
With changing times and the evolution of technology and advertising platforms, brands have explored digital channels. This is where they get opportunities to develop varied marketing strategies for different customer segments.
They can directly reach out to the prospects in real time and convert them into potential customers in a cost-effective way.
One way to do this is via lead generation.
Any person who shows an interest in products/services of a particular brand or business is a lead, and attracting those leads is lead management.
So, let’s read what lead generation is to gauge which lead generation software is the best for small business owners.
Lead Generation: A Brief
Businesses like retailers, restaurants, or service providers who communicate with customers directly and rely on custom revenue for growth and survival must focus on lead generation.
This doesn’t mean they must scrape data and conduct cold calling and sales.
Posting on social media, placing flashy banners, playing music, etc., can also gauge traffic or potential customers.
What I mean to say is that you don’t always have to run to your customers. Sometimes, you can do certain things to attract the customers to you.
These are the two types of lead generation: inbound and outbound. Inbound lead generation is when customers see a social media post and like your restaurant or cafe, so they visit you. Outbound is when you contact the leads to try to make a sale.
While lead generation will help you get leads and convert them into customers, it will surely boost your sales and grow your customer base.
How do tools help?
There are many lead generation tools to carry out this activity and enable marketers to deliver quality results.
So, it’s advisable to use any lead generation tool that satisfies the particular requirements of the brands and helps them grow.
But how do you search for a tool in the first place?
While searching for an ideal tool,l you ensure that your tool has the following features to provide your hassle-free service: es CRM integration, huge database storage capacity, user-friendly interface, Lead qualification, analytical tools, lead scoring, Compatibility to be used on all devices, responsive customer support, etc.
Different tools have different usages, features, and pricing.
You need to pick the one which caters to all your needs. Analyze the software on the grounds of your requirements, the functionality, and the pricing, of course.
If the free version of the plan is sufficient for your needs, it is good, but if your requirements are more, you can upgrade the plan.
What Is Lead Generation & How Does It Work?
Lead generation is a process that’s far more pleasant than the intrusive nature of cold calling.
It involves engaging people who have shown interest in a company’s product or service through their actions, like filling out a form or signing up for a trial.
For example, if you take an online survey about car care, the car company might email you helpful information.
It’s a more respectful and personalized way to approach potential customers.
Leads come in different types and qualifications.
Some are interested but not ready to make a purchase (Marketing Qualified Leads – MQLs), while others are ready to buy (Sales Qualified Leads – SQLs). Some leads have shown interest in using a product (Product Qualified Leads – PQLs), while others express an intention to upgrade (Service Qualified Leads), which can be categorized as sales-qualified leads.
This gives us our three major types of leads.
Lead generation uses strategies like blog posts, coupons, events, and online content to warm up potential customers to a brand.
It’s all about making the transition from strangers to customers as smooth as possible.
Here’s how it works: A person discovers a business through channels like a website or social media. They’re encouraged to take action through something like a button or message that leads them to a page with valuable information in exchange for their details. Once they share their information by filling out a form, they become a lead.
The key is making sure what’s offered matches what the visitor needs.
To generate leads, you can use different channels like content, email, ads, blog posts, social media, product trials, referrals, events, partnerships, and community building.
But it all starts with a well-designed page where visitors become leads.
Inbound lead generation fits nicely with the idea of naturally moving interested people into happy customers.
So, instead of being the annoying cold caller, think about the power of attracting and nurturing leads through inbound lead generation.
Best Free Lead Generation Software
Now that we have understand what exactly is lead generation and the way that lead generation works, let us have a look at the Best free lead generation software for use:-
1. BITRIX24
Bitrix24 is a leading CRM software that offers a vast assortment of features & customizable options that businesses can use as per their needs. If you are running a business and are in search of CRM software and social networking tools, then Bitrix24 is where your search ends.
It’s a must-have tool that any small enterprise would require to manage & communicate within their company and with the audience.
Some things you can do with Bitrix24 are creating leads, generating invoices, closing deals, recording info, assigning tasks, sharing information within teams, etc. The best part is you can use at least 90% of their tools for free.
There are several ways to promote a brand via Bitrix24. Email marketing, text messaging, calling, social ads, re-targeting, etc. are me, a few.
You get to generate & capture the leads through landing pages & sales forms with the help of a lead management tool.
Ratings – 4/5
Pricing – Free plan, Paid plan starts at $29.40/month
2. HUBSPOT MARKETING HUB
HubSpot is a huge platform with varied tools to help businesses generate more leads.
Forms, landing pages, email marketing, SEO tools, social media marketing, etc., are some of the marketing tools that will not only save you valuable time but will also get all the content you need to provide an ultimate user experience to the website visitors and henceforth converts them into customers.
There are even analytical tools to keep a close eye on the lead generation activity and continuously measure and improve the efforts.
Since the CRM platform is closely integrated, the marketing hub enables the marketers to keep the entire database in one place and track the sales to prove the ROI and validate investments.
Ratings – 4.5/5
Pricing – Free plan, Paid plan starts at $50.00/month
3. ARITIC PINPOINT
Arictic Pinpoint is a marketing automation software that helps large corporates and enterprises to build brands, lead generation, develop personalized relationships with leads, automate marketing campaigns, keep track of visitors convert t, them into leads, retarget ads, etc.
Both B2B & B2C companies can use multiple marketing channels like mobile, web, email, etc., to leverage,ge digital mediums for growth. You can even segment the database based on demographics, website behavior, patterns, etc., to associate relevant trigger points to them.
Users of Arctic Pinpoint, with its help, can engage with potential buyers, map their behaviors & accordingly create actions to keep track of the same.
Ratings – 4.5/5
Pricing – Free plan, Paid plan starts at $19.00/month
4. FLOWLU
Flowlu is a multitasker software tool that is a must-have for any business. Flowlu allows businesses to get a clear overview of existing happenings in the company.
It carries many tools in its basket, ranging from task management, project management, agile project management, and invoicing to collaboration tools and many more.
Flowlu has a cloud-based CRM to manage leads/contacts and keep track of new sales opportunities. It even ensures smooth communications among the tea members of the company by eliminating the time lag and providing various tools for the same.
Generating invoices or payment follow-ups with clients is just a click away.
You can carry both activities from within the projects and can manage those projects anytime, anywhere, and on any device via iOS or Android apps.
Ratings – 4.8/5
Pricing – Free plan, Paid plan starts at $29.00/month
5. ENGAGE BAY
Engage Bay – A one-stop solution that caters to too many business requirements; few are lead generation, email marketing, marketing automation, CRM, and social media management.
With Engage Bay, you can create custom web forms and landing pages to convert web visitors to leads. By tracing their communications, you can get a complete view of every website visitor and gain meaningful insights into their activities.
You can email and customize marketing campaigns to meet the company’s branding aim. I’ve added an image below to show you exactly what their campaigns look like.
Analyzing the sales figures and generating reports is yet another feature of Engage Bay, with which you get to know the performance of marketing content and how it can be improved to foster better results.
Ratings – 4.6/5
Pricing – Free plan, Paid plan starts at $8.99/month
6. LinkedIn Sales Navigator
If your business revolves around B2B sales, LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a game-changer.
This powerful tool is designed to help businesses find, connect, and engage with the right prospects on LinkedIn.
In fact, we at ProfitBooks use this for ourselves! Sales Navigator has helped us network with decision-makers directly in the same Accounting Software niche as us.
It offers advanced search filters, personalized lead recommendations, and real-time insights to help you target high-quality leads effectively.
Whether you’re an individual salesperson or part of a larger team, LinkedIn Sales Navigator enhances your outreach and makes prospecting more efficient.
With LinkedIn Sales Navigator, you can leverage LinkedIn’s massive professional network to generate leads through:
- Advanced search capabilities to filter prospects based on industry, job title, company size, and more.
- InMail messaging to reach potential clients even if you’re not connected.
- CRM integration to sync lead data with your existing sales workflow.
- Lead recommendations powered by LinkedIn’s AI, helping you discover new potential customers effortlessly.
- It also provides real-time updates on lead activities, helping you track when prospects change jobs, post updates, or engage with relevant content—so you can reach out at the right time.
Ratings – 4.3/5
Pricing – Free trial available, Paid plan starts at $99/month
2. HELLOBAR
One of the most popular lead-generation tools is HelloBar.
Anytime you visit any website, you might have come across pop-ups, static bars, or full-page takeovers. HelloBar is used to display these Calls to Action on your website.
It’s a tool used to display attractive information to the visitors of your site and convert them into customers. It’s a highly versatile tool as you can use it with many sites, whether it’s WordPress, HTML, or any other CMS.
One of the most convenient tools that can be customized as per your needs & requirements is to collect a vast database and direct users to your conversion funnel.
One can not only increase the conversion rate but can also enhance the user experience in terms of their website’s performance. HelloBar can also conduct surveys, get subscribers, promote ebooks or social media pages, etc.
Ratings – 4/5
Pricing – Free plan, Paid plan starts at $29.00/month
8. HUNTER
Hunter.io is an all-in-one cold outreach platform that helps businesses find professional email addresses, verify them for accuracy, and connect with the right prospects.
Using its powerful B2B database and data enrichment API, Hunter allows users to discover emails from domains, companies, or the web with ease.
Hunter is a great fit for businesses of all sizes looking to make cold email outreach easier. It helps you find verified contact data, automate follow-ups, and integrate seamlessly with your CRM.
With a simple interface and a support team that’s quick to help, Hunter makes it easy for sales, marketing, and SEO professionals to reach the right people and scale their outreach.
Ratings – 4.6/5
Pricing – Free plan, Paid plan starts at $49.00/month
9. LEAD FUZE
For carrying out various marketing activities or reaching out to customers digitally, the basic thing required is valid and professional contact information. That’s what Lead Fuze does for them.
It carries out searches in the entire market segment amongst specific individuals and accounts and aggregates the world’s professional data to deliver fresh leads to companies.
Marketers, B2B businesses, and recruiters use Lead Fuze to build an ideal list of leads.
Ratings – 4.7/5
Pricing – Paid plan starts at $132.30/month
10. REVAMP CRM
If any business is in search of ideal CRM software that meets the basic objectives of sales, marketing, and e-commerce, then Revamp CRM is the perfect solution for their search.
It’s built to manage your contact list, track activities like deals & orders, segmenting and emailing your contact list, etc.
You can connect the Revamp CRM with your favorite apps and integrations to ensure the smooth functioning of the activities within your business. You can segment the contact list to perform bulk actions like running an email campaign or workflow.
Sales reports, task tracking, and automatic follow-up are some of the many additional features that can be explored with Revamp CRM software.
Ratings – 4/5
Pricing – Free plan, Paid plan starts at $19.00/ month
Conclusion
All the tools have their features and applications that can be used to meet the needs of respective businesses.
To add to these tools, you can also make use of another software that enables businesses to manage their financial operations: ProfitBooks.
ProfitBooks saves a lot of time by automating the accounting work, Keeping your financial statements organized and updated, tracking daily expenses, looking after inventory management, generating financial reports, etc.
Easy-to-use software that covers all accounting processes to make your life hassle-free.
For more information, log on to www.profitbooks.net
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