Why marketing is not lead generation
All too often Marketing is considered as just lead generation.
However Marketing and Lead Generation are completely different functions in a company having different goals.
Lead generation is now
Lead generation is feeding the funnel and directly related to day-to-day operations and sales. Lead generation requires the use of all kinds of marketing methods and marketing automation tools to get people interested in the current products or solutions.
Lead generation uses advertising, content marketing, trade shows, conferences, website presence and cold calling.
Lead generation is for the short term and is closely related to sales. As Sales is solely focused on revenue with ever higher budgets, the ever increasing quarterly targets will put pressure on generating more leads.
Marketing is about tomorrow
Marketing is about preparing your company for the changes in your target market. This is for the long run in order to be in line with the long term plans of the company. Marketing is beyond quarterly results and even beyond yearly revenue.
Marketing is about market research and market trends, but also building product and brand awareness. Marketing has to analyze trends, market data and forecast the future.
Still Marketing uses advertising, trade shows, conferences too for reaching its’ goals, but in a different way.
This is a long term investment.
The origins of the confusion
The origin of the confusion comes probably from:
- the fact both are related to the future but on a different time scale
- the same marketing tools both use, but with a different goal.
- the lead generation function that marketing has inherited due to their actions
If lead qualification is involved in the process it is not marketing but lead generation.
If it is about groups and market segments without being specific about one company then it is Marketing.
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