How the one-sided focus on online leads is overwhelming marketing

Lead generation and nothing else?

Marketing was once the most skilful implementation of the AIDA rule, because anyone who activated their potential customers with marketing means based on the four criteria attention, interest, desire & action (attract attention, arouse interest, arouse desire, trigger action) could do one record a successful purchase. But in times of absolute focus on acquiring customer contacts (leads), the much more comprehensive marketing tools and goals threaten to wither away.

SEO, CPC & Co. ensure uniformity

There are various reasons why goals such as increasing brand awareness or strengthening customer loyalty have fallen behind. The main culprits include the big players on the Internet, whose marketing interests focus on paid SEO measures and lead generation. Google & Co. earn a lot of money with the click rates generated in this way. Using tools such as Google AdWords, they give their users an ideal opportunity to measure the efficiency of their measures easily and precisely.

The simplicity of the model tempts people to invest too much capital and commitment in targeted advertising formats. Since every action can be examined in detail, campaigns are often started indiscriminately or too early; combined with the knowledge of being able to bury them again quickly if there is little success. However, a long-term marketing strategy and the perseverance to make the measures work over a longer period of time look different.

Agencies accelerate development

Digital agencies are playing a significant role in this development. Precise measurability is leading many to focus almost exclusively on presenting their clients with SEO-related campaigns aimed at increasing click-through rates or lead generation – at the expense of other traditional marketing goals such as customer loyalty or brand strengthening. Out of fear and a lack of expertise, many managers within companies no longer question these strategies. The result: everyone is betting on the same horse, which complicates the battle for good SEO rankings and makes companies' marketing efforts interchangeable.

Of course, accurately measuring costs and benefits has many advantages. While TV commercials or newspaper advertisements involve immense wastage and success can only be determined using complex consumer panels and customer surveys, with Google & Co. just a few clicks are enough to determine the contact price. However, by exaggerating the importance of CPC and PPC, it is completely ignored that important marketing KPIs such as brand awareness, popularity or customer loyalty cannot still be precisely measured using these digital methods. For the controlling-driven approach, it is of course easier to focus entirely on lead generation and thus make success immediately measurable.

Social media is amplifying the trend

Companies like Facebook and Instagram are reinforcing this trend, continually reducing the organic reach of social media posts. What may merely be annoying for private users quickly escalates into a serious crisis for companies when their status updates get lost in the ever-increasing stream of messages and are barely noticed even by their own followers. Thus, the social media giant essentially forces them to pay for advertising in order to reach their target audience. Anyone who fails to generate additional leads with their sponsored posts quickly finds themselves in a difficult position to explain themselves – even if the post in question may have originally had a completely different purpose than generating new leads.

Ways out of the lead dead end

Due to the one-sided orientation, the possibilities of modern marketing are no longer even remotely used. But the path that is often taken offers opportunities, because anyone who uses online channels with other marketing tools in addition to the rigid focus on leads, CPC, etc. will stand out from the mass of their competitors. All it takes is a coherent strategy and the courage to go your own way.

It is also important to find the right intermediary who shows companies the way to sustainably successful marketing in the digital age. This is where the experts at Trends , working closely with their customers to develop future strategies that ensure the long-term success of the company. The methods used do not necessarily have to be new. Campaigns in the area of ​​social conversation and personalized social media make a valuable contribution to achieving marketing goals such as awareness or brand strengthening. The leads generated through the actions are basically on top of that.

Of course, new tools are being added in line with rapid technological development. Forms of presentation using augmented and virtual reality give companies the opportunity to present their services to potential customers much more clearly and to convince them of the product than a landing page optimized purely for lead generation ever could. In the future, AI will also offer innovative companies extensive opportunities to use their marketing resources smartly and efficiently. Factors such as brand awareness or customer satisfaction serve as long-term metrics to determine success. In contrast to mere click rates, they lead to a much greater activation of customers and thus make a lasting contribution to the company's success.