Lead Quality and Long Term Success

The quality of a lead has been debated for years andbeen continuously refreshed and re-adjusted--there is
will continue to be debated for the foreseeable future.a "Where's The Beef?" or a "Pizza!, Pizza!" -branding
Why?phrases that were extremely popular, but have fallen
Because there is no standard definition for a qualityby the wayside because they were not updated.
lead. Advertisers and marketers typically try to defineAnother component that keeps lead quality from
lead quality by asking questions like: Is a quality leaddeteriorating over time is "incentivizing" the consumer.
defined by conversion based on time? Is it based onIncentivizing the consumer doesn't necessarily mean
Return on Investment (ROI)? These questions willleveraging money--in fact, a recent report that the IAB
continue to go unanswered because differentreleased shows that the best incentives are free
businesses have different benchmarks wheninformation, or newsletters:
considering lead quality.Lead quality does not have to diminish over time, but it
Another prominent question is: Does lead qualitytakes the right message at the right time to keep that
diminish over time because of over-exposure?from happening. Advertisers that fail to change
Again, there is no definitive answer, but I believe leadmarketing messages, or over-expose consumers to
quality diminishes over time for 2 reasons: becausead content can expect lead quality to fall dramatically
most advertisers don't "refresh" or "re-adjust" the ad;over time.
and because consumers become desensitized to theIf you are in the online lead generation business I have
ad content due to over-exposure.two pieces of advice for you: First, provide your users
How can this problem be addressed?with content-rich incentives; and second TEST! Test
I believe lead quality can be improved by changing theyour message, test your creative. Keep everything
advertising message consistently. If the message isfrom going stale, and your lead quality will not diminish.
changed 4 times a year, it will stay fresh. Very few adStay the course without change and say hello to your
campaigns can run forever without change. For everyneighbor: Little Caesar.
"Just Do It "and "Priceless"-- campaigns that have