If you measure a marketing activity’s value by how much companies are willing to invest in it, lead generation is clearly near the top of the heap.

71% of marketers are planning to increase their lead generation budgets this year, and 46% of those believe that this area deserves an additional 20% or more budget than what is currently earmarked for it now.

There are two main types of lead generation – digital and traditional – and it pays to be familiar with both.

Check out what they are, some pros and cons for each side, and some considerations to take into account when choosing which to use.

A quality lead is a marketer’s dream: these leads are easy to convert into paying customers and have the needs and budget to provide you with ongoing revenue for a long time. With enough of them, you have the basis for a thriving business for years to come.

Unfortunately, leads like that don’t grow on trees. 46% of B2B sales representatives say that poor lead quantity and quality is their biggest problem in their day-to-day operations. This suggests that not only do you need high-quality leads, but you need a lot of them. This might sound like a daunting prospect, but it doesn’t have to be that hard. The process of generating a sufficient level of high-quality leads over time is as simple as following the right steps, and we’ve laid them out for you right here.

Because follow-ups take place outside of the well-understood context of networking events, some people find them difficult to navigate and therefore abandon the idea altogether. Unfortunately, that choice is sure to have detrimental effects on business revenue. Up to 80% of leads are not followed up on after B2B networking events; that’s a whole lot of lost potential.

Perfecting the art of the follow-up is one of the most useful things any professional can learn regardless of what field they are in. Anyone can chat with people at an event, but someone who takes the time to seek those same people out later and sow the seeds of a proper relationship are the ones who will ultimately see the most success. That’s why it’s important to know the best follow-up processes to employ and why.

Networking is usually thought of as a solo activity, but this isn’t always the case. 68% of companies use networking events of some kind to draw in the bulk of their sales leads. Strategies like this mean that networking has to be a team effort. If you’re getting ready to lead your team into a new networking event, it’s up to you to prepare them. This four-step plan is a great place to start.

Attending a great networking event is only step one of a successful attempt to create new contacts. Once the event is over, what next? Although about 75% of people network in some way, not all of them understand that an event is only meant to provide initial introductions to people of interest. It’s up to you to take it the rest of the way or watch those budding new business relationships wither.

We all know that networking is an important part of being part of the working world; however, it may not always be easy to give this activity the attention it deserves. 41% of professionals say that they would like to network more, but they simply do not have the time to do so. If you’re anything like them, you need to make sure that the time that you do spend at events counts for something. Believe it or not, the right actions and attitudes can have a big impact on networking outcomes.

Networking events may occasionally seem like an outdated concept now that it’s possible to speak to anyone from anywhere at the touch of a button, but the stats on this matter speak for themselves. 40% of new prospects that you meet face-to-face can be expected to convert into new customers at some point; there's no better way to start off a business relationship.

Going to networking events is clearly worth doing, but it’s also worth thinking about what you might do to boost the effectiveness of the time, energy and resources you’re investing to do so. Getting the right tools at your side is critical to making this happen, and there’s one in particular that you might miss: Lead capturing mobile app.

Networking events are a great way to extend your contact base and reach for greater success; 78% of start-ups cite networking as being critical to establishing their early customer base. However, these events have developed a bit of a dour reputation over the years. If picturing one makes you think of a joyless congregation of grey suits, you’re not alone, but you’ve still got the wrong idea. Networking events can be both effective and fun – in fact, these two goals often go hand in hand. With these tips, the next one you host could be the best your guests attend all year.

Artificial intelligence, AI, isn’t just a science fiction concept anymore. This innovation has become the new trend in information technology and it is about to bring massive change to just about every industry. It is projected to account for $36.8 billion in revenue by the end of the year 2025.

Data is a shockingly underused resource in the modern business world. Despite the fact that most businesses collect it in some fashion, a mere 39% of them are actually making use of their contact data in a productive way. Part of the reason for this may be that this data is not of sufficient quality to be helpful. This is, of course, a tremendous waste. This resource holds incredible potential, and while it does require some active intervention to render it useful, getting your data quality in line up-front sure to pay off.