Lead Generation is the top priority for marketing directors in 2009. More importantly, marketers are being charged with defending their budgets and demonstrating real ROI for their marketing programs. Use this How-To Guide to learn how other world-class companies are developing lead generation infrastructures that automate key processes, measure results, and provide a steady flow of qualified leads their sales organizations.

Having a well qualified list of contacts is one of the most important factors in determining the success or failure of an email marketing campaign. Read the following summary to understand how you can build a rock-hard list.

What is Permission Based Marketing?

Email marketing permission is defined as giving “formal consent” to receive email marketing messages. Permission can not be assumed and must be granted by a willing party.

In the second installment of the video series, "How to Prioritize Leads," by Software Advice,  partner and founder of BlueBird Strategies, Mac McConnell focuses on the criteria that most companies utilize to score leads.  McConnell highlights his top three categories for scoring: demographics, behavior and qualification.

To learn more about McConnell's criteria for scoring leads, watch the short video below:

Using Marketing Automation to Streamline Lead Generation

Software Advice recently documented a video series on "How to Prioritize Leads"  led by partner and founder of BlueBird Strategies, Mac McConnell.  In Part 1 of this 3 part series, McConnell highlights how lead scoring streamlines the sales funnel and how to avoid the pitfalls traditionally associated with lead generation.

To view McConnell's insightful segment, watch the short video below:

Jon Miller interviews Debbie Qaqish, CRO of The Pedowitz Group on Marketo TV.

Watch as they discuss the impact of marketing automation tools and technology on generating revenue.

Salesforce.com is the cloud computing darling of customer relationship management (CRM) software. They have significant control of mind share in that space, and their legacy in customer service and sales force automation software is strong. However, CRM is a trifecta. It is made up of sales, service and – wait for it – marketing! So, where does Salesforce.com stand as a marketing automation solution?

LinkedIn has become the most popular social networking channel for professionals. Here are a few reasons why:

1. It gives you the ability to share your work experience
2. It's easy to make new contacts
3. You can request references from previous employers & colleagues

For these reasons and many others, LinkedIn may be the optimal solution to complement your current lead generation practices.

How to Successfully Obtain Sales Qualified Leads

In the third installment of "How to Prioritize Leads" by Software Advice, Partner and Founder of BlueBird Strategies, Mac McConnell, focuses on how to build a lead scoring model.  McConnell also answers important questions in lead generation that could potentially make or break your efforts.

To learn how McConnell builds a lead scoring model, watch the short video below:

B2B, B2C, and non-profits all use events as a primary source of marketing for their products/services.  According to HubSpot's new eBook Fascinating Event Marketing Stats, 79% of companies consider events important to their business.  In order to stay on top of your event marketing efforts, knowing the most current statistics in your sector may give you the edge when it comes to planning your next event.

By Jerry Rackley

This week I took a break from my usual routine and attended part of the Hubspot Inbound Conference at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston. Demand Metric sponsored the Hubscotch event, which I’ll discuss later in this post.