Insights · Paid traffic · Lead generation
What is lead generation? A plain-English guide for UK businesses
By Ray A, Head of Marketing and Strategy
Published · 3 minute read
The short answer
Lead generation is the process of attracting people who might need your service and turning them into enquiries you can follow up: a form, a call, a booking or a message. For a service business it usually combines being found (Google Ads, SEO, social), converting visitors (a good website), capturing and qualifying enquiries (tracking and CRM) and following up until they are ready (email and retargeting).
"Lead generation" gets used to mean everything from cold calling to buying lists of names. For a service business, it is simpler and more useful to think of it as one question: how do the right people find you, enquire, and become clients, predictably, every month?
What is a lead?
A lead is someone who has shown interest and given you a way to contact them: a form, a phone call, a booking or a message. A qualified lead is one who also fits the kind of client you want, for example in the right area, with the right need and budget.
How does lead generation work?
- Get foundGoogle Ads, SEO, local SEO, AI search and social ads put you in front of people who need what you do.
- ConvertA clear website or landing page turns visitors into enquiries.
- Capture and qualifyTracking and a CRM record every enquiry, reply instantly and put the best first.
- Follow upEmail and retargeting stay in touch with people who are not ready yet.
Inbound vs outbound
| Inbound | Outbound | |
|---|---|---|
| Who starts the conversation | The buyer | You |
| Examples | Google Ads, SEO, social ads, content | Cold email, cold calling |
| How warm the lead is | Interested, often researching | Cold |
| Best for | Most service businesses | Small, named B2B target lists |
Shared vs exclusive leads
Some lead providers sell the same enquiry to several businesses at once. The prospect gets several calls, and you compete on speed and price. Exclusive leads come from your own campaigns and go to you alone. A North West financial adviser we work with replaced shared leads with his own campaigns and won 18 new clients with an average of £210,000 in assets in six months.
What does a lead cost?
It depends on the sector. In our campaigns, typical cost per lead runs from about £15 to £45 for dental practices and £15 to £50 for trades, to £40 to £120 for solicitors and £60 to £150 for financial advisers. The figure that matters most is cost per client.
About the author
Ray A, Head of Marketing and Strategy. Ray leads marketing across Lead Gems. He sets the strategy behind every client account, from the offer to the channels, and oversees every campaign so it wins clients, not clicks.
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