Data cleaning and lead qualification

Online data capture leads should always be cleaned and qualified, even if captured on the clients' own website. This is because many fake and false datasets can be submitted. At the simplest level, data cleaning should remove all duplicate leads and also remove "fake" leads (eg: mickeymouse@disneyland.com) before they are entered into the conversion process or client database. De-duplication should be conducted according to a strict "time stamp" process, such that the first valid dataset to be secured is considered the lead, and any subsequent copies are deemed the duplicate. Removing fake data requires a more sophisticated approach, including a final "validation" stage in which human operators run checks over the data to apply a final human intelligence filter. Critical to the data cleaning and qualification process is the adherence to the data protection laws, because data should not be handled in an unsecure environment at any time during this process.

Irrespective of how a lead is generated, once a lead is created, there are a few important processes that must be adhered to:

Real-time

Real-time leads are those that are generated and delivered to the lead buyer in real-time which means that the advertiser will receive the information of the consumer that has requested to be contacted within seconds of them submitting their information online. Lead providers selling real-time leads should have real-time data validation. These systems run filters to remove known fake details such as swear words and nonsense character strings (eg: mr asdf dfgdfg), de-duplicating data as it arrives from different suppliers, before delivering the data directly to the client database via encrypted file transfer or secure transfer protocols. Advanced versions of these systems can complete a range of checks across the data to guard against fraudulent activity, and some even guarantee a validity rate of 99% on data that has been qualified in real-time. There are significant commercial advantages to real-time lead generation as the advertiser can contact the consumers when their interest is greatest which will increase conversions and ROI.

Non Real-time

Advertisers may also choose to purchase leads that are non real-time. Often this means that although the leads are generated in real-time - in that the consumer is responding to some form of online marketing and requesting to be contacted - the leads may be delivered to the advertiser in a batch at a later date (for example at the end of a business day).The lead type and processes in place to follow up the lead will determine which method is better for the advertiser. For example, not every advertiser will have a system to automatically receive leads, meaning that there is no way to follow up the leads quickly or to de-duplicate newly collected leads in real-time making real-time lead generation less valuable to them. An advertiser using a number of different lead sources may also want to receive non real-time leads in order to take advantage of extra data validation and de-duplication etc.

Quality

Lead Quality should be determined by campaign objectives and pre-defined performance metrics. For example, if leads are being delivered to an outbound call centre then contact rates are crucial and the accuracy of telephone numbers will largely determine success of a campaign. As a minimum, lead providers should have robust data validation tools to screen out invalid leads.

Data management and analytics

The processes used to manage leads will affect the overall conversion rates and return on investment from lead generation campaigns. Effective data management will enable lead buyers to follow up on leads efficiently and allow them to extract a lifetime value from their lead generation campaigns. As with any form of online marketing, lead generation campaigns should be optimised to continually improve campaign performance and ROI. Lead providers should provide analytical tools to help advertisers monitor and track key metrics to help shape any future campaign activity and deliver on-going return on investment.

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