Lead generation: What role does the double opt-in approach play?

Definition: What is lead generation?

The term lead generation originates from marketing. Basically, it refers to all measures aimed at obtaining the personal data of potentially interested parties. In return, the visitors can then access further content or offers.

By definition, lead generation is therefore designed to draw the attention of as many interested parties as possible to the company. Well thought-out and strategic lead management also aims to acquire as many new customers as possible. In the business sector, good timing and sufficient legal compliance are of great importance.

What is a lead?

In B2B lead generation, a lead corresponds to a new business contact. This contact is interested in the company itself or certain products and services. In order to view this content, the business contact provides his contact data via double opt-in.

For more effective online marketing, however, a professional web agency distinguishes between different types of leads.

MQL and SQL: Types of Leads

• MQL: Marketing Qualified Leads are of particular interest for B2B lead generation, as they often result in customers. In most cases, lead generation from MQLs is part of a well-functioning inbound marketing strategy.
• SQL: Sales Qualified Leads are leads qualified by the sales team. In lead generation, the term leads usually refers to SQLs. Unlike MQLs, these groups come later in the conversion funnel. This means this prospect group is already determined to buy at the time of lead generation.

Good to know: Since SQLs are already determined to buy, they engage more closely with the products or services. An excellent web design, an optimized customer journey, and value-added content supported the decision.

How does lead generation work?

For a successful lead generation, two goals must be achieved:

1. Attracting a large number of users to the website and
2. Convince them to share their contact information.

This requires a good search engine optimization and an appealing web development. While excellent SEO ensures a good ranking in search results, the programming of the website influences the user experience. Combined with effective display marketing, it is easy to bring interested parties to your website.

Subsequently, one tries to acquire the visitors as leads via an online form. Usually, this endeavor succeeds with the provision of interesting content. This can be an e-book, a case study, an initial consultation or a webinar, for example.

Lead generation via double opt-in

Since lead generation is designed to store personal data, legal compliance is crucial. The double opt-in process is a simple way to meet these requirements.

What is the Double-Opt-In process (DOI)?

Lead generation is about storing sensitive and personal data. However, this process is subject to strict legal principles. The double opt-in process helps to meet these requirements in a legally compliant manner.

In its basic features, it is an e-mail or SMS that the user receives after transferring personal data. It contains a link that must be confirmed upon receipt. Only after clicking on the link it is possible to enter the data. This is therefore a form of explicit consent that prevents third parties from registering third-party contact data.

Advantages and disadvantages of double opt-in

The double opt-in process offers several advantages and disadvantages in the context of lead generation.

Advantages

• The process is legally compliant and therefore offers sufficient legal security.
• The Double-Opt-In procedure is extremely reliable, as errors in the registration process are noticed promptly.
• Normally, the data entered is correct.
• The implementation can be done quickly with professional software.

Disadvantages

• Confirmation emails often end up in the spam folder or arrive too late.
• The DOI process is time-consuming, which can annoy prospects.
• Links in automated emails can be a security risk and are therefore not always opened.

Areas of application and alternatives

The double opt-in process is required wherever sensitive or personal data is stored. This includes, for example, e-mail newsletters, registration on platforms or registration for events.

However, there are also alternatives that come into question in the context of lead generation. The best known of these are the so-called social logins. Users register via their Google, PayPal or Facebook account.

Generate qualified leads easily: Here’s how

Hiring an agency to handle lead generation is a great way to get new leads quickly. However, the work of a reputable online marketing agency does not end with successful lead generation. After all, these leads should ideally develop into existing customers. The following approach has proven successful in this regard:

1. Act legally compliant: In order to avoid legal pitfalls and gain the trust of visitors, it is enormously important to adhere to all legal requirements.
2. Provide relevant content: High-quality content that delivers real value to visitors is the name of the game when creating a website. But also for an efficient newsletter marketing the quality of the content is of enormous importance. A professional SEO agency helps companies produce high-quality content and optimize it where necessary.
3. Automate process: Both lead generation itself and the process of qualification can be tedious and time-consuming. That’s why many companies choose to cooperate with a specialized WordPress agency. It not only takes care of placing Google Ads or the appropriate influencer marketing. Instead, such an agency also helps with the selection of suitable software solutions to automate this task as much as possible.
4. Define Lead: To be successful in lead generation, the leads should be clearly defined. This also includes a sufficiently large budget as well as some decision-making authority.
5. Qualify leads: Most people initially just want to get information. This can be achieved with excellent content and targeted e-mail marketing. Only then does it make sense to make product offers or sales pitches to the users.
6. Evaluate leads: Regularly evaluating the results is crucial for further expanding your own strategy. Well thought-out lead scoring is recommended here.

Win4Win: Simple lead generation with competitions

Win4Win is the largest competition platform in Switzerland. Companies can register here and publish sweepstakes, for example. Since attractive contests usually attract a large number of visitors, Win4Win is ideally suited for lead generation. This is because visitors who take part in these offers become leads almost automatically. This makes it easier to identify prospects and then target them via e-mail marketing. This makes Win4Win a platform that offers high added value to both sides.

Conclusion

The double opt-in process is a simple and legally secure method of using personal data for lead generation. Explicit consent by the user makes it possible to use the personal data and information specifically for marketing purposes. A professional lead generation agency like ONELINE helps companies generate high-quality leads.