Lead generation vs. lead nurturing: Learn 5 differences in 1 min!

Key Takeaways:

Want to learn in-depth? Keep on reading!

What is lead generation?

Lead generation focuses on capturing new and potential customers. It basically means generating more leads by putting marketing efforts on various channels.

To start with, you can understand that lead generation has many things.

Attracting the leads to engaging with them it’s a long process. Therefore, a well-planned lead generation needs various automation tools for seamless execution.

Below are some crucial pointers and their little overview to perform lead generation in the best way.

1. Understand the process of lead generation

Lead generation is carried out by integrated marketing efforts that target improving engagement with the relevant audience. And bring them to your business development process.

These target audiences can comprise various buyers like influencers, decision-makers, new customers, existing customers, and so on. Each of them carries a different weightage in purchasing decisions.

2. Assign lead generation to the right team

A marketing team usually carries out lead generation. This is majorly done by using inbound and outbound marketing. Both of these tactics have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Inbound marketing channels include content marketing, social media, blogs, eBooks, and relevant videos.

On the other hand, outbound marketing includes activities like cold-calling, direct marketing (face-to-face), television, radio, and print advertising.

3. Find the best lead generation software

Before we move further, let me give you a short overview of the best lead generation software –

Salesmate is a CRM & Unified Customer Platform to generate leads, engage prospects, boost sales, and personalize experiences for each customer.

It’s one of the most preferred lead generation CRM software, packed with powerful features to help you capture more leads.

Here are Salesmate’s key features for improving lead generation:

• Web Forms
• Chatbots
• Live Chat
• Meeting Scheduler
• Email Marketing
• Text Marketing
• Website Tracking
• Built-in Calling

It offers some of the best Marketing Automations and Customization features to help you effectively carry out your lead generation process.

Marketing automation is key in the lead generation process, as 80% of marketers believe that marketing automation helps generate more leads.

Want to try out how Salesmate can help you scale your lead generation process? Opt for the 15-day free trial!

What is lead nurturing?

Lead nurturing is mainly implemented to improve your relationship with potential leads. Here, you focus more on progressive communication to turn your leads into loyal and paying customers.

Lead nurturing, just like lead generation, has certain similar aspects. In lead nurturing, you must ensure that you use appropriate tools to serve your leads efficiently.

Let’s learn some important aspects of lead nurturing:

1. Understand the process of lead nurturing

Lead nurturing activity largely depends upon where the lead stands in the buyer journey.

If he/she is in the awareness phase, then you need to share a relevant email with relevant next-step blogs and articles. This will help strengthen the relationship between you and your buyer.

If buyers are in the consideration stage, they evaluate solutions for their problems.

For example, if they need Marketing Automation and your business provides this solution, then you need to communicate the same. And show key considerations and capabilities of your solution.

Then comes the decision stage, where the buyer will evaluate and select one of the options available to him/her.

2. Assign lead nurturing to the right team

Lead nurturing comprises well-timed digital outreach and email marketing. The marketing team usually carries this out.

Hence, leads should receive the organization’s newsletter and display ads promoting your offerings as they surf the internet. 

3. Nurture leads at every stage

Irrespective of where your prospect stands on the customer journey, you need to stay consistent and nurture your leads at every step.

That means that from the awareness to purchase, in fact, post-purchase, you need to keep nurturing them.

In fact, nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than leads that aren’t nurtured properly.

4. Pick the right lead nurturing software for your business

There are various tools available for nurturing leads. Here’s a list of the best lead nurturing software in 2024.

1. Salesmate 
2. Nutshell 
3. Hubspot 
4. Keap 
5. Pipedrive 
6. EngageBay 
7. LeadSquared 
8. Zendesk 
9. Copper 
10. Insightly 
11. Freshsales 
12. Pipeline CRM 

We’ve created a detailed blog describing each of the above-mentioned tools. Click here to read and choose the one for your business.

Every CRM available in the market caters to a different set of audiences. You can use a CRM for your startup, real estate agency, or Insurance agency to

Have higher acquisition and retention rates!

Try Salesmate, the best lead nurturing software.

Start your free trial

Lead generation & lead nurturing: What’s the connection?

Lead generation and lead nurturing, as mentioned above, are two different parts of the same buyer journey.

Lead generation aims at hunting and filling the bucket with new customers to generate leads. Also, it can be considered an MQL.

Whereas lead nurturing strategy aims to build and maintain customer relationships at every stage of the customer journey.

Therefore, lead generation and lead nurturing programs can be seen as subsequent stages of the customer journey.

Where lead generation is done in the initial stage using multiple marketing channels.

And then, these leads are nurtured through healthy communication to eventually turn them into your paying customers. 

In this process of generating and nurturing qualified leads, there are various components involved, like strategizing the stages, lead generation and nurturing software, and multiple marketing channels mentioned above. 

Hence, to conclude, you observe that the terms function differently but are interrelated. Lead nurturing takes place post-lead generation. 

Both are important aspects of the customer’s journey and can never be skipped. 

After studying the difference between lead generation vs. lead nurturing, here’s a table to help you learn the key differences between the two.

The above table successfully gives some detailed insights into key differences between lead generation and lead nurturing. 

Lead generation and lead nurturing are both equally important for a successful sales funnel. 

When executed wisely, they increase your customer base, eventually increasing your revenue. 

Frequently Asked Questions  

This section will help you learn about lead nurturing and its related terms. 

Conclusion

So, what’s the difference? Lead generation is the process of finding potential customers and enticing them to learn more about your product or service. Once they’re interested, you move them down the funnel with lead nurturing until they’re ready to buy. It sounds like a lot of work, but it can be worth it when done correctly.