Lead Generation
Attracting potential customers and creating an identifiable path for follow-up.
Lead generation turns potential customer interest into an identifiable contact or inquiry. SaaS examples include demo requests, trial registrations, consultation forms, and useful gated resources. It provides a starting point for qualification or nurturing, rather than proof that a sale is imminent.
Example: A payroll SaaS offers a practical compliance checklist and an optional consultation. Fifty people request the checklist, and five ask about implementing payroll software. The team distinguishes educational interest from purchase-oriented inquiries and follows up in a way appropriate to each.
Watch out: Contact volume can look impressive while producing little business value. Define consent, eligibility, deduplication, and customer fit before comparing campaigns. Buying a list or forcing a form before a basic explanation can add names without helping anyone choose the product. Evaluate how new leads progress to qualified opportunities and customers, and inspect the reasons for disqualification. Lead generation captures identifiable interest; demand generation develops interest across a broader audience.
Further reading: Ahrefs: lead generation.