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How to Automate Lead Generation and Boost Your Agency Growth
Jeff Joyce
Wednesday, 15th Jan 2025As marketers and agency leaders, we know that manually finding, tracking, and nurturing leads can feel like an endless game of cat and mouse. It’s time-consuming, it’s easy to miss high-quality prospects, and the process can get downright overwhelming as your business grows. That’s where automated lead generation comes into play.
Imagine having a system that works around the clock to bring in leads — helping you capture leads faster, filter out unqualified prospects, and tailor your outreach without lifting a finger.
This guide will break down everything you need to know about how to automate lead generation, step by step. We’ll explore the key strategies, tools, and benefits that make automation a no-brainer for businesses wanting to stay ahead of the competition.
By the end of this guide, you’ll see how BrandWell’s TrafficID takes automation to another level by identifying individual visitors (and not just companies) who show interest in what you’re offering.
Let’s dive in!
Table Of Contents:
- The Shift to Automated Lead Generation
- 5 Benefits of Automated Lead Generation
- How to Implement an Automated Lead Generation System
- How to Automate Key Lead Generation Techniques
- Best Lead Generation Automation Tools
- Elevate Your Lead Generation with TrafficID
The Shift to Automated Lead Generation
The way businesses find and convert leads has changed dramatically over the years. Gone are the days when sales teams relied solely on cold calls, trade shows, and in-person networking to fill their pipeline. Today, automation is at the heart of modern lead generation, and for good reason.
According to reports:
- 64% of marketers use an AI marketing assistant to generate more leads.
- 40% of businesses have planned or are planning to increase their AI investment for lead generation.
- 86% of marketers say that marketing automation has increased the quality of their leads.
- 80% of marketing automation users saw an increase in the number of leads they generated, and 77% had an increase in conversions.
Why automate lead generation? Because manual lead generation simply cannot keep up with the demands of a digital-first world.
Prospects expect quick responses, personalized communication, and seamless interactions, which are almost impossible to deliver consistently without automation.
What Exactly Is Automated Lead Generation?
Automated lead generation uses software to capture, track, and engage potential customers without the need for constant manual intervention. It’s about leveraging technology to streamline the entire lead generation process — from identifying potential leads to converting them into loyal customers.
For example, BrandWell’s anonymous website visitor identification tool TrafficID captures website traffic and identifies the people behind those visits. This provides you with a wealth of information to personalize your outreach.
TrafficID allows you to engage prospects when they’re most interested — without lifting a finger. It helps you cut through the noise and focus your efforts on the leads that are most likely to convert.
Watch my live demo here 👇
5 Benefits of Automated Lead Generation
As more companies turn to automation, the advantages are clear. Automating lead generation doesn’t just save time — it transforms the way businesses connect with prospects and drive revenue.
Let’s explore five key benefits that make automation a no-brainer for sales teams, marketing agencies, and lead generation companies.
1. Collect More Leads, Faster
Manual lead generation can be slow and labor-intensive. But with automation, you can cast a wider net and capture more leads without the added workload.
Automated tools can handle everything from tracking website visits to collecting email addresses, helping you grow your list around the clock.
For example, TrafficID allows you to identify anonymous visitors, transforming them into actionable leads you can follow up with instantly.
Here’s what a lead profile looks like on your TrafficID dashboard:
Imagine capturing thousands of potential leads visiting your site each week — without requiring anyone on your team to sift through the data. Automation makes it happen.
2. Save Time and Money
Time is money, and manual lead generation can be costly, especially as your business scales. Automation allows you to streamline repetitive tasks like sending follow-up emails, segmenting contact lists, and scoring leads, freeing your team to focus on tasks that require a human touch.
For example, using tools like chatbots and automated email campaigns, you can manage an influx of inquiries without burning out your sales team.
With TrafficID, you get the added advantage of immediately identifying high-potential leads, eliminating the guesswork, and saving precious time you’d otherwise spend qualifying prospects. Just sign up for your 7-day free trial, install the script on all the web pages you want to track, and watch those leads come in within minutes!
3. Accurate Data Analysis for Smarter Decisions
Automation goes beyond collecting leads — it gives you data-backed insights to drive better decisions. Automated lead generation tools provide analytics that helps you track behavior, measure engagement, and identify what’s working. This accuracy helps you tweak your campaigns for maximum effectiveness.
For instance, with TrafficID, you can see which pages visitors explored and how they engaged, giving you a clear picture of their interests.
This data-driven approach helps you refine your strategy in real time, so you’re not wasting effort on dead leads.
4. Higher Quality Leads
Quality over quantity is key in lead generation, and automation helps you find the best leads quickly. Automated systems can score and prioritize sales leads based on behavior and engagement, allowing your team to focus on the prospects most likely to buy. This means no more time wasted chasing cold leads or following up with uninterested prospects.
With TrafficID, you can follow your visitor’s journey across your website and gauge their level of interest — helping you identify the highest quality leads at the right time.
In the example below, you can see that this particular lead, a telecom executive, visited the same web page (AI story maker) at least four times in one day — clearly showing high interest.
5. Improved User Experience
Automation doesn’t just benefit your team; it enhances the experience for your customers too. By delivering personalized content, timely follow-ups, and seamless communication, automation creates a smoother journey for prospects.
For example, using personalized website pop-ups or retargeted ads based on past interactions, you can keep visitors engaged and guide them down the funnel.
TrafficID takes this a step further by identifying when a prospect returns to your website and personalizing outreach based on their previous visits, creating a more relevant and engaging experience.
Here’s an example of an email that was written based on TrafficID info:
How to Implement an Automated Lead Generation System
Automating your lead generation system can seem like a daunting task, but when broken down into clear steps, it’s easier than you might think. Here’s a detailed guide to help you get started.
Step 1: Identify Your Target Audience
Before you can automate, you need to know who you’re targeting. This step is crucial because it forms the foundation for every automated process you’ll set up.
Start by defining your ideal customer — consider factors like industry, company size, job roles, and challenges they face. Create detailed buyer personas that represent your ideal clients.
Once you’ve defined your audience, tools like TrafficID can help you identify website visitors who match your target demographics, so you know you’re reaching the right people from the start.
Step 2: Create an Opt-In Campaign
An opt-in campaign is essential for gathering leads in a way that’s both ethical and effective. Use engaging calls-to-action (CTAs) and lead magnets to encourage visitors to share their information. Here’s how to get started:
- Choose a Template: Most automation tools provide templates for opt-in forms. Pick one that aligns with your brand’s style and message.
- Design Your Campaign: Customize your template with compelling copy, eye-catching visuals, and a clear value proposition. Offer something valuable in exchange like a free ebook, exclusive industry insights, or a discount.
- Test and Optimize: Use A/B testing to see which versions of your form perform best. Experiment with button colors, wording, and placement to increase conversion rates.
With TrafficID, you can track opt-in forms on your website, seeing which campaigns generate the most interest and tweaking them based on real-time data.
Step 3: Start Generating and Sharing Content
Content is the fuel for your automated lead generation system. Focus on creating high-quality, relevant content that attracts your target audience. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, case studies, and more. Use an editorial calendar to keep content production consistent.
If you don’t have a dedicated content team, you can automate content creation too! BrandWell can help you write any type of content you need, ranging from in-depth SEO blog posts to short-form content like drips emails, social media content, and video scripts.
Once you have content, use automation tools to schedule and distribute it across various platforms like social media, email, and your website. Platforms like TrafficID can help you understand which pieces of content resonate most with your target audience (web pages with the most visits), allowing you to fine-tune your strategy.
Step 4: Collect and Segment Your Leads Automatically
As you capture leads through forms, gated content, or sign-ups, it’s essential to organize them. Automated lead generation tools can help you collect and segment leads based on characteristics like:
- Demographics: Company size, location, industry, etc.
- Behavioral Data: Pages they visited, content they downloaded, actions taken.
- Lead Score: Likelihood of converting based on engagement level.
With TrafficID, you can add filters to automatically organize your lead data, making segmentation easy and allowing you to tailor your communication based on specific interests and needs.
Step 5: Nurture Your Leads
Once you’ve captured and segmented your leads, it’s time to nurture them. Automated email campaigns are a powerful way to move prospects down the sales funnel. Here are the key tactics:
- Develop Drip Campaigns: Create a series of automated emails that guide leads based on their actions. For instance, if they download a whitepaper, follow up with an email offering a related webinar.
- Personalize Content: Use merge tags and segmentation data to personalize each email, referencing specific interests or past interactions.
- Monitor Engagement: Track open rates, click-through rates, and responses to gauge interest and adjust content accordingly.
TrafficID integrates with many CRM and email automation tools, enabling you to nurture leads seamlessly by syncing data and ensuring no follow-up opportunity is missed.
Step 6: Convert Leads into Paying Customers
The final step is turning nurtured leads into paying customers. Automation can help here too.
- Trigger Alerts for Sales Teams: Use automated alerts to notify your sales team when a lead takes a high-value action, like signing up for a demo or requesting a quote.
- Score Leads for Priority: Automated systems can assign scores based on lead behavior, allowing your team to focus on the hottest prospects.
- Automate Demos and Appointments: Use scheduling tools to let leads book appointments directly from your website or email, reducing friction in the sales process.
With TrafficID, you can identify when a prospect is ready to convert by tracking their activity and engagement level, making it easier to deliver a perfectly timed offer or sales pitch.
How to Automate Key Lead Generation Techniques
Now that you have a basic understanding of setting up an automated lead generation system, it’s time to explore how to automate some of your key lead generation techniques.
1. Automate Cold Email Campaigns
Although it does get a bad rep sometimes, cold emailing remains a staple in B2B lead generation. According to the Content Marketing Institute, 71% of B2B marketers use email as a top content distribution channel.
But manually sending out hundreds (or thousands) of emails isn’t practical. This is where automation can help.
- Use Automated Email Sequences: Automate your cold email outreach by creating a series of follow-up emails that are triggered based on recipient behavior. For example, if a prospect doesn’t open your first email, send a reminder; if they do open it, send a follow-up with more information.
- Personalize at Scale: Automation tools can insert personalized information — like the recipient’s name, company, or industry — into each email, making mass outreach feel one-on-one.
- Track Engagement: Use automation platforms to track opens, clicks, and responses, giving you valuable data to fine-tune your cold email strategy.
Case Study: Learn how GrowthScore generated 500 leads in just 72 hours by distributing its ebook entitled “40+ New-Age Companies Share How They Use NPS to Grow” through automation.
According to Salesforce, automated emails get 119% higher click rates, and emails with relevant content drive 18x more revenue.
Despite the benefits of technology, automated emails still require personalization.
The cold email template below had a 57% open rate and a 21% response rate. Aaron Ross, CEO of Predictable Revenue, got 16 new customers by simply personalizing it.
2. Create Personalized Website Experiences
Personalized website experiences are highly valuable. Philips saw a 40.1% conversion increase with personalized mobile recommendations, while Dynamic Yield increased demo requests by 111%.
Automation can help personalize the experience for each visitor, increasing engagement and conversion rates:
- Dynamic Content: Use automation tools to display personalized content based on visitor data. For example, you could show different homepage content to first-time visitors versus returning visitors.
- Personalized Offers: If a visitor has shown interest in a specific product or service, automation can trigger pop-ups or banners with special offers tailored to their interests.
- Behavioral Triggers: Set up automated triggers that prompt actions based on user behavior, like a pop-up for a free consultation if a visitor spends significant time on a service page.
With TrafficID’s insights, you can automate content based on detailed visitor behavior, making your site feel more relevant and engaging to each user.
3. Use a Chatbot for Instant Engagement
In a 2022 study by Tidio, 62% of respondents said they would rather talk to a chatbot than wait for a customer service representative. 69% also said they were satisfied with the quality of their last chatbot conversation.
But, chatbots can be used for much more than customer service. For example, realtor Stephen Galvan used the MobileMonkey real estate chatbot to generate leads and got these results:
- 97% reduction in lead acquisition cost
- Up to 400% increase in lead volume
- +50X return on investment
Chatbots are a powerful automation tool for lead generation. They can engage visitors in real-time, answer questions, and capture lead information 24/7:
- Automated Lead Capture: Use chatbots to ask qualifying questions and collect contact information as soon as someone engages. This data can then be automatically added to your CRM or segmented for follow-up.
- Nurture Leads on the Spot: A chatbot can offer tailored resources, schedule appointments, or direct visitors to specific web pages based on their responses.
- Provide Instant Answers: Reduce friction in the buying process by using a chatbot to handle common inquiries, speeding up the lead qualification process.
4. Use Your Website Data for Smarter Lead Generation
Automation isn’t just about outreach — it’s also about leveraging data to make smarter decisions. Here’s how automation tools can transform the way you use website data:
- Track Visitor Behavior: Use automation to collect data on how visitors interact with your site. This includes visited pages, downloaded content, time spent, and more. This behavior data helps you understand what interests your leads the most.
- Create Targeted Retargeting Campaigns: Set up automated retargeting ads based on visitor behavior. If someone visits your pricing page but doesn’t convert, automation can trigger a targeted ad to bring them back with a compelling offer.
- Lead Scoring: Automatically assign scores to leads based on their behavior, allowing your sales team to prioritize high-potential prospects. For instance, visiting certain pages or downloading a specific whitepaper could increase a lead’s score.
Best Lead Generation Automation Tools
With countless tools available to automate lead generation, finding the right fit can be a game-changer for your strategy. Below is a list of some of the top lead generation automation tools, each with its unique strengths.
1. TrafficID by BrandWell
When it comes to identifying and capturing high-quality leads, TrafficID stands in a league of its own. Developed by content marketing platform BrandWell, TrafficID is a cutting-edge tool that specializes in website visitor tracking and data-driven lead identification. Here’s why it’s the best today:
- Advanced Visitor Tracking: TrafficID identifies anonymous website visitors, turning unknown traffic into high-quality leads. It provides detailed insights into visitor behavior, interests, and engagement, giving you a clear picture of who’s exploring your site.
- Segmentation Made Simple: The tool automatically segments leads based on behavior and engagement, ensuring you target the right audience with the right message.
- Integrates Seamlessly: TrafficID works flawlessly with your existing CRM, email marketing tools, and advertising platforms, making it the perfect addition to your current tech stack.
- Automated Lead Scoring: With TrafficID’s automated lead scoring, you can prioritize prospects based on their potential value, allowing your team to focus on the most promising opportunities.
For B2B sales teams and marketing agencies looking to capture and nurture leads with pinpoint accuracy, TrafficID is a must-have in your toolkit.
Read our story about how we generated 1,691 leads in two weeks with TrafficID 👇
2. Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a comprehensive social media management platform that’s ideal for automating social lead generation.
- Social Listening: Sprout Social’s social listening features help you identify leads on social media platforms based on keywords and trends.
- Automated Scheduling: It allows you to automate social media posts, ensuring your brand stays top-of-mind without constant manual updates.
- Engagement Insights: The platform offers detailed analytics and insights, helping you understand which content drives engagement and which prospects are worth pursuing.
3. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is a well-known email marketing automation tool that’s perfect for generating and nurturing leads.
- Automated Email Campaigns: Create email sequences that are triggered by user behavior, such as signing up for a newsletter or downloading a resource.
- Segmentation Capabilities: Segment your audience based on various criteria — like demographics or past interactions — for targeted outreach.
- Landing Page Creation: Mailchimp also offers landing page design tools to help you capture leads directly from your site.
4. WPForms
For websites built on WordPress, WPForms is a top choice for automated lead generation through customizable forms.
- Drag-and-Drop Builder: WPForms’ user-friendly builder makes it easy to create opt-in forms, surveys, and lead capture forms.
- Form Automation: It integrates with CRM platforms, enabling automated lead segmentation and follow-up emails based on form responses.
- Conditional Logic: Use conditional logic to tailor questions based on previous answers, creating a personalized experience for each lead.
5. AeroLeads
AeroLeads is a reliable tool for finding potential leads using LinkedIn and other platforms:
- Lead Search: AeroLeads allows you to search for contacts based on company, job title, location, and more, helping you build a targeted list.
- Data Extraction: The tool automatically gathers email addresses, phone numbers, and other contact details to populate your CRM.
- CRM Integration: AeroLeads integrates with major CRM tools, streamlining the process of lead management.
Elevate Your Lead Generation with TrafficID
Automating your lead generation process isn’t just a trend — it’s a strategic move that can transform how your business captures and converts leads.
In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, relying on manual processes is no longer enough. By automating key elements of lead generation, you save time, reduce costs, and significantly improve the quality of your leads.
From automated email campaigns and personalized website experiences to advanced social media management, a wealth of tools can help you streamline your efforts. However, when it comes to capturing the right leads at the right time, not all solutions are created equal. That’s where TrafficID by BrandWell shines.
TrafficID goes beyond traditional analytics tools, identifying anonymous website visitors and revealing crucial data about their interests and behavior. It doesn’t just collect information — it provides insights that drive smart marketing decisions.
TrafficID empowers B2B sales teams, marketing agencies, and lead generation companies to:
- Target the right prospects with precision, thanks to advanced visitor tracking.
- Streamline the sales process by automatically scoring and segmenting leads.
- Boost conversions by delivering personalized, data-driven outreach.
If you’re ready to move past guesswork and manual lead tracking, TrafficID is your solution. It offers a seamless integration with your existing tech stack, automates routine tasks, and provides detailed analytics that help you continuously optimize your strategy.
“All these years you’re writing these long-tail blogs, you get two or three people to click on them but maybe they don’t take the next step, now you actually see them – who’s reading your post – and then you can reach out to them in another way and try to draw them in on some part of the funnel … like that’s freakin’ insane! I love it!” — Melissa Kunde, founder of KÜCO Media
Ready to generate more high-quality leads faster? Sign up for a 7-day free trial of TrafficID today and see firsthand how it can drive your business to new heights.
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