Tag Archives: lead generation

Rebuilding your prospect database quickly, with compliant data, in the new GDPR world

For many organisations, the biggest impact of GDPR could well be as a result of their own preparation.

Many organisations have taken the difficult decision to remove large volumes of data from their databases due to concerns over how it was originally captured. This is putting pressure on budget-holders to find ways to rebuild in a compliant manner.

For years, lead generation has provided a fast, efficient route to new prospects and customers – but can you trust third-party data to be compliant?

Understandably, we believe you can.

We take our responsibility with consumer data seriously, which gave us a great starting point on which to prepare for the incoming regulation. But it didn’t stop us  addressing this with the importance it deserves and putting every aspect of our approach under the microscope.

We implemented changes where necessary, including updated policies, procedures and documentation. We also implemented new technology such as our Client Portal, which provides a complete audit trail of every consumer’s journey from beginning to end.

Confident in our approach but still keen to identify areas for improvement, we recently invited specialist ASE Global, consultants to the majority of the world’s automotive manufacturers, to assess our preparation.

Data protection and compliance officer for ASE, Kevin Symm, said: “The levels The Lead Agency has gone to and the things it has implemented – such as the client portal, policies, procedures and documentation – go as far as anything we’ve seen for how companies can minimise the potential for something to go wrong and then maximise how quickly any potential issues can be discovered and acted upon. It really is impressive.”

Despite the excellent report, we continue to look for ways to improve and remain committed to obtaining and processing consumer data in a way that is right by the consumer.

How we can connect you with new prospects

Our approach to customer acquisition can provide you with access to a unique and extensive market place consisting of trusted publisher networks and TLA’s own digital assets including bot technology. These help you to reach and connect with more of the right consumers – in-market, compliant and with a genuine interest in our clients’ products and services.

Through our bespoke Client Portal, you can see every step of that consumer’s journey – fully documented for your peace of mind. Every lead is then qualified thoroughly using both tech and our in-house contact centre team that are extensively trained and work to your exact requirements.

For the consumer, we simplify their buying journey and route to the products and services they’re in the market for. This means that we can repopulate your databases quickly and efficiently with prospective customers who are at various stages of the funnel.

In automotive, a vertical in which we have operated in for more than 16 years, we supply lead types such as ‘keep me informed’ interest on new car launches, test drive and brochure requests and quotes – all of which are compliant with GDPR and qualified to ensure they are in-market.

If you would like to discuss how we can help you rebuild your prospect lists in a compliant manner, contact us today.

GDPR in lead generation: meet compliance manager Kathy Fleming

In 2017, we appointed compliance manager Kathy Fleming to lead a comprehensive GDPR programme and ensure compliance with other key regulations. Here we discuss her role, the impact of GDPR in lead generation and her time at TLA.

What can you tell us about your role at TLA?

My role is to oversee all legislation compliance for the business. Naturally, my immediate focus has been on GDPR – making sure we had robust and responsible programme in place that involved the entire business. But I also look after our regulatory activity to ensure we meet the Financial Conduct Authority requirements; plus PECR and Ofcom regulations.

You’ve worked in both the public and private sector, working for companies such as Betfred, Your Housing Group and Barclaycard. How would you say data protection has changed over time and between these industries/sectors?

In the public sector, data protection has traditionally been far more stringent due to the fact that any money they spend comes from the public purse. Legislation has always been taken more seriously with greater levels of accountability. In the private sector, there was always the need to balance the commercial interests of the business against their regulatory commitment. However, GDPR has put far greater emphasis on private sector organisations in accepting that they have to be accountable for their actions.

There has rightly been a lot of focus on GDPR over the last few months. How would you summarise the changes?

In the past, each EU member state had their own legislation regarding data protection; GDPR has introduced consistency across all EU member states. One of the fundamental aspects is about strengthening the rights of individuals because the way in which we use data today is completely different to how we used data twenty years ago. The old legislation was no longer fit for purpose and needed to change.

What impact will Brexit have on the UK’s commitment to GDPR?

None whatsoever. The Information Commissioners Office (the regulator for data protection in this country) has stated that despite the UK’s decision to leave the EU, the implementation of GDPR will not be postponed or affected. GDPR is an important, comprehensive and thorough piece of legislation applicable across all EU Member states.

What are the significant ways in which GDPR will impact lead generation and marketing?

Any organisation that processes personal data must establish a lawful basis for processing this information. Here at The Lead Agency, we mainly rely upon consent. Under the old legislation, companies were able to rely upon a pre-ticked box which would assume that customers had consented; however, under GDPR this form of consent is not valid. Consent is only valid if it is a proactive indication of a customer’s wishes (i.e. a clear and proactive tick of a box to indicate positive consent or the click of a submit button to confirm that the individual is happy for their personal data to be processed). This is bad news for lead generators that have traditionally focused on low quality and high volumes. But good news for those that focus on high quality, qualified leads.

Is it possible to be a responsible lead generation company?

Absolutely. Lead generation companies tend to have had bad press, but our CEO Anton Hanley wants us to stand out from the rest. We are a quality lead generation company. We create a relationship with consumers that have shown a genuine interest in our clients’ products or services and engage them to ensure they are in-market before giving them the opportunity to connect with our clients. This responsible attitude is one of the main reasons why our transition to GDPR compliance has been smooth and why I believe GDPR is a good thing for the business. We can fully demonstrate our accountability, which can only help us to build trust with our clients.

TLA’s approach to GDPR has received strong praise from automotive specialist ASE Global. What do you believe has been the key to our successful preparation?

Firstly, can I say how delighted we were with ASE’s report and comments. To hear that of the hundreds of companies ASE had assessed or worked with, TLA had by far the most good practice in place was very rewarding after the hard work and commitment of the team. And that was the key – having a commitment from our CEO from the very beginning and a team willing to learn about the new legislation, understand it and then bring ideas for how we could improve our processes. We have used GDPR to become a better organisation.

Which brings us nicely to our final question. How have you found working for TLA so far?

Genuinely great. It is a fast-paced and exciting business with supportive colleagues. Everyone is willing to give up some of their time to help each other. Not to hand-hold but to always be there for support and guidance. Anton’s enthusiasm and drive to make the business as successful as possible radiates throughout the organisation and encourages everyone to be the best we can be.

Visit our News & Views hub to read more about our preparation for GDPR.

Manufacturers reveal confidence in TLA’s GDPR-compliant leads

With GDPR now in place, can car manufacturers continue to trust the third-party data they receive from lead generation companies?

In short, the answer is a ‘yes’ from The Lead Agency. This trust building hasn’t happened overnight. We’ve served the UK automotive industry since 2002 and currently work with the majority of the country’s manufacturers on their lead generation campaigns.

We took a proactive approach to GDPR, starting our preparation early and working closely with our clients over the last year. We have left no stone unturned to ensure our customer acquisition service provides both quality leads and peace of mind to our clients.

“The Lead Agency team are a trusted partner to our business,” said Jess Douce, marketing manager for Jaguar Land Rover’s UK new car sales team, looking after retail, fleet and business, AUV and aftersales. “They’re not only great to work with but they believe in doing things the right way.”

“They provide the highest-quality GDPR-compliant client portal that I have used, which help us to send more leads to our retailers,” she added.

“Remarkable” approach to GDPR

Last week we received a glowing endorsement from ASE Global for our “remarkable” preparation for GDPR, with the automotive specialist commenting that “the work undertaken by The Lead Agency goes far beyond what the new legislation requires.”

We’re proud of that feedback and it’s even more pleasing to hear our clients echo the sentiment.

“The Lead Agency team are a long serving partner of Hyundai,” said the manufacturer’s senior manager for CRM and insight Danielle Hollis. “They provide good quality GDPR compliant enquiries at scale, which means we sell more cars which helps us achieve our targets.”

In the coming weeks, we’ll reveal our thoughts on the future of lead generation in a post-GDPR world and our advice for making it a viable part of your marketing strategy.

In the meantime, you can read more about our GDPR preparation and advice for other organisations in our recent article in Car Dealer Magazine.

ASE Global endorses The Lead Agency for its approach to GDPR in automotive lead generation

ASE Global, the automotive accountancy and business services company, has provided a strong and positive endorsement to The Lead Agency for its commitment to GDPR compliance.

The auditors described our approach as “remarkable” following a GDPR Readiness Assessment that reviewed our core compliance documents and relevant activity – including our data mapping, privacy statement and technology.

Kevin Symm, data protection and compliance officer for ASE, said: “We have been working with hundreds of businesses in the automotive space, ranging from household names with 10,000s of staff down to small companies.

“We’ve seen the full range of practices – good and bad – that those businesses have in place but in no one business have we seen as many good practices as at The Lead Agency,” he added.

ASE has been providing audit and accountancy services in the automotive industry for more than 40 years, working in more than 50 countries, with brands such as Audi, BMW, Volkswagen and Ford. Its GDPR team, which was established following the announcement of the new regulation, has provided GDPR assistance to in excess of 700 retailers and a number of national and international manufacturers in the last 12 months.

‘Impressive’

In its official assessment of The Lead Agency’s approach, ASE said: “There is a clear ‘top-down’ commitment to compliance which drives all associated activities. Internal focus has been on compliance. However, this has been conducted with an eye on the customer, to keep them informed and up to date in as transparent a manner as possible.”

We have gone to great lengths to prepare fully for the new legislation; from what ASE described as “comprehensively undertaken” data mapping to an “excellent” privacy statement. In addition, we have built our proprietary Client Portal, which provides a complete audit trail of every consumer’s journey from beginning to end.

Commenting on our preparation, Kevin said: “The levels The Lead Agency has gone to and the things it has implemented – such as the client portal, policies, procedures and documentation – go as far as anything we’ve seen for how companies can minimise the potential for something to go wrong and then maximise how quickly any potential issues can be discovered and acted upon. It really is impressive.”

‘Commitment’

“What’s particularly impressive,” said Kevin, “is that the work undertaken by The Lead Agency goes far beyond what the new legislation requires. The company is in a very good place.”

“The right attitude is evident from the top-down at The Lead Agency. It’s clear that there is a real and determined commitment to GDPR and how it can be used to make the business better.”

The report concludes: “Internally, The Lead Agency’s policies are sound, staff are appropriately trained and there is commitment to ensure compliance does not suffer over time. Externally, customers can provide their personal data to the business confident that the processing it is subject to will be compliant.”

For more information on The Lead Agency’s automotive lead generation services, contact the team today.

The Lead Agency’s Anton Hanley interviewed in LCR Business Post

Following our involvement in the International Business Festival’s launch campaign as a Next Level Business, our founder Anton Hanley has been interviewed by Liverpool City Region’s Business Post.

Anton discusses the early days of The Lead Agency right through to the current day as well as his hopes for the festival, which takes place in Liverpool next month.

You read Anton’s interview by picking up a copy of the latest LCR Business Post in and around the city or by downloading the full interview.

Advanced Lead Generation – 8 customer-centric tactics to dramatically increase lead quality and performance

Are you frustrated by the inefficiency and low quality of third-party leads?

Trawling through the haystack of high volume raw leads to find the proverbial needle of an in-market consumer can be an exhausting challenge any sales team faced with a challenging short-term target.

But in a crowded-market place, with competitors vying for attention across multiple digital screens, connecting with real potential customers as they research their next purchase is vital for incremental sales growth.

Lead Generation can – and does – provide a cost-effective and efficient route to new customers. Just not in using the traditional high-volume, low-quality approach.

‘Volume and quality are not mutually exclusive’

At the crux of every lead generation campaign, the primary goal is to connect with the consumer. But too often the need for volume drives organisations further and further away from the consumer’s needs, wants and expectations.

But volume and quality are not mutually exclusive. Advanced lead generation goes beyond traditional lead gen at every stage of the process to reach more consumers, engage more meaningfully and qualify thoroughly to generate high quality, qualified in-market consumer leads at scale.

It does so by focusing on the customer from the outset and maintaining that focus throughout every stage of the acquisition process.

We have identified eight steps you can take right now that will dramatically improve lead quality and campaign performance.

  1. Purpose – Dig down into the root of what problem you’re trying to solve. This is where you will see the biggest success – aligning your expectations with consumer needs will harness quality from campaign inception.
  2. Track all interactions – Understanding all consumer touchpoints will allow better optimisation of activity further down the line. Without the visibility of where a consumer is in their decision cycle, it’s almost impossible to drive quality.
  3. Acquisition – Qualify consumers from the outset. Testing multiple digital channels, optimising accordingly and focusing on what drives quality at the first touch point will yield strong results further down the line. Deep and purposeful questioning, which adds value to the interaction, will ensure only quality leads are fed into the top of the funnel.
  4. Optimisation – Evaluate all user journeys within the decision cycle and understand at an intricate level what is/isn’t driving quality consumers. From this you can take appropriate actions to capitalise on the opportunity or alternatively fix the issues. Whether this be reprogramming or tailoring the language used for questions asked over the phone to looking at the what imagery drives engagement in the digital channels, it’s imperative to have an ongoing optimisation framework.
  5. Qualification – Re-engaging with the consumer through the appropriate communication channel, whether this be on the Phone, through Email, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Live Chat service (etc.) can have a significant impact on lead quality. Understanding that live consumer interaction is the key to driving quality! This is the one opportunity to get real-time feedback on specific consumer demands but also shape expectations from the brand. It truly is the integral piece of connecting brands and consumers.
  6. Nurture – An acquired lead is always valuable, regardless of where the consumer is in their decision cycle. The real magic is how to move a consumer along their journey from consideration to purchase. Often the tendency is to focus on consumers at the final point in the decision cycle. It’s important to remember that lead times between consideration and purchase can vary based on the actual size of the purchase. Consumers are different, operate and think differently and take different lengths of time to reach their decisions. It’s important to be there at every stage in their cycle, this will engender trust and help produce lead quality when the consumer is ready to pull the trigger.
  7. Re-evaluation – It’s important to drive understanding of the activity, gain feedback and iterate on what could be working better. Can new solutions be developed to help alleviate an issue exposed within the user journey? Tackle any problems head on and lead quality will be ensured.
  8. Evaluate customer lifetime value – A lead should not be thought of as just a lead. This is a person, who may/may not be ready to make their purchase at the point of when the lead is passed over. Working with the brand to ensure that the lead goes into the appropriate user journey on the brand side is equally paramount to ensuring quality. Understanding whether the consumer needs to go into a nurture programme or is ready to pull the trigger immediately will have long-term quality benefits.

Written by Paul Court, Head of Performance Marketing at The Lead Agency.

To discover how advanced lead generation can support your goals, contact us today.

PMA nomination follows campaign success for BMW

We have been nominated for a prestigious accolade at the Performance Marketing Awards 2018 (PMAs).

Our work for BMW and its media partner MEC Global has been shortlisted for Best Lead Generation Campaign – a hotly-contested category that recognises the most innovative and impactful activity in customer acquisition.

The nominations were revealed this afternoon in association with event sponsor Impact Radius and can be viewed in full via the PMA website.

We’ll have to wait until 24 April to discover whether our campaign has earned the top prize when the performance marketing industry gathers at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel for the ceremony.

Microsoft’s global agency director, Adrian Cutler, called judging this year’s entries an “incredible experience”.

“Cutting edge thinking really came through on the entries, they were not afraid to push the boundaries of what is possible with creative flair, a key focus on challenging the norm shone out,” said Cutler.

TLA extends range of lead types beyond ‘new car retail’

Over the last 16 years, The Lead Agency has predominantly served the automotive industry with new car retail leads.

But recent changes within the industry, economy and the government initiatives have seen a steady rise in clients requesting a broader range of lead types. As the market has changed, we have found users looking for new ways to interact with manufacturers around a vehicle purchase; TLA are using lead types to adapt to the contemporary consumer.

New lead types offer us, and our manufacturing and agency partners, the broadest coverage across user interest and allows the user a tailored service around their car-buying needs.

While new car leads remain as important as ever, we’ve invested time, effort and money to expand our channels so that we cater for the needs of our client base. These lead types will allow us to produce higher quality, direct leads that help clients hit their most valued KPIs. The following lead types are now offered to support dealers with vehicle sales across all their channels.

Approved Used Vehicle

As financing a new vehicle becomes a more expensive prospect many users are turning to second-hand options, but they are still looking for the reliability and reassurance of a new vehicle.

Our sites and contact method allow us to promote the benefits of buying a used vehicle through the manufacturer’s scheme. This lead type allows us to engage users on a wider range of options and will help retailers get used vehicles off their forecourts.

Fleet & Business

We attract customers who are in-market to buy an individual company/business vehicle or a fleet of company vehicles. The Lead Agency has long-prided itself on its ability to connect with small and medium enterprises that fly under the radar of the larger fleet schemes in the UK.

Purchasing a new vehicle through a business is an attractive prospect and we can give users the information they need from our clients to make the right decision.

Commercial Vehicles

Customers engage with us in view of finding the perfect new commercial van. Each potential purchaser is unique, and have their own requirements for a working vehicle.

This can be a large amount of data to process through usual channels, but our contact centre allows us to listen to user’s needs and match them with the best commercial vehicle and deal. 

Retail Leads (new car)

We are still very focused on new car retail leads and are dedicated to supporting this channel and the dealers by driving the highest converting leads in the market. We are investing in new technologies to help drive, qualify and assist in converting these leads. The interest in these areas will only continue to grow as our offering diversifies across multiple channels.

All the lead types outlined above get the same level of lead confirmation, nurturing and qualification treatment via our in-house contact centre and delivered as requests for brochures, test drives or quotes.

If you would like to discuss any of the above or would like a forecast on any of the leads types, contact the team today.

Digital marketing awards nomination for BMW campaign

Our campaign on behalf of BMW has been nominated at the Northern Digital Awards.

We’ve been nominated for Best Digital Marketing Campaign – B2C after achieving record results and ROI. The campaign connected BMW’s sales team with in-market consumers throughout the UK.

Ryan Davies of MEC Global, BMW’s media agency partner, said: “The Lead Agency’s approach has consistently delivered strong conversion rates and ROI. The latest activity’s return exceeded campaign expectations and enabled us to convert hundreds of new BMW customers. The company’s continued support has made the process of meeting targets more achievable.”

The Northern Digital Awards is a joint initiative created by Don’t Panic Events and Prolific North. It aims to celebrate the best in digital marketing across the north.

This year’s awards have attracted entries from a broad range of companies, including Missguided, Shop Direct, Kellogg’s and Cisco.

To discuss your own customer acquisition needs, drop us a message today.

Preparing for GDPR: Practical steps companies can take

With May 2018’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in sight, The Lead Agency’s compliance manager Kathy Fleming discusses how companies can prepare.

Accountability

Under GDPR, companies will need to be able to demonstrate their compliance (referred to as ‘accountability’).

The first step is to review its current processes, procedures and policies so they can be benchmarked against the requirements of GDPR. This will help companies to identify where small improvements are needed as well as bigger gaps that require more time and attention.

Third-parties and data

Make sure third-party companies who process data on your behalf are compliant. Ensure all written contracts include your instructions and expectations for them to provide a fully compliant service.

The accountability still sits with your company but ensuring your partners meet your requirements will provide peace of mind.

How long to keep personal data

If you’re storing personal data, create a retention schedule and makes sure that you don’t keep the data longer than you need to. Just because storage space is cheap doesn’t mean to say that you can keep it forever.

Make a record of the data processing activities that your business is responsible for. Examples include the purposes of processing, a description of the categories of the individuals, categories of personal data, recipients of personal data, retention schedules and the security measures that are in place.

These steps will help you to demonstrate your compliance and accountability.

Customer consent

GDPR will have stricter standards for consent than current data protection legislation. Among the requirements will be making it as easy for people to withdraw consent as it is to provide it.

If you manage an online service that lets people log-in to a personal account, consider including the option to withdraw consent within their account preferences.

Conditions for processing

Make sure you’re clear about the legitimate and justifiable reason for using an individual’s personal data. The reason will dictate some the rights that can be exercised by the individuals.

Data Portability, for example, is a new right that allows individuals (in certain circumstances) to receive and port their personal data that they have provided to the company in ‘commonly used, machine readable’ format. It gives the individual the ability to obtain and reuse their data for their own purposes and across different services.

Right to be forgotten

If a customer exercises their ‘Right to be Forgotten’, do the systems you use allow you to ‘erase’ data? If not, but the data is no longer of any use and there is no legitimate reason to keep it, you’ll have to find a way of anonymising it.

Privacy notices

Check that Privacy Notices are clear, concise, transparent and unambiguous. Companies will be expected to provide a lot more information to customers, so the best way to approach this is by taking a layered approach.

Rather than overwhelming people with information , companies can provide the key privacy information immediately and at short notice but have more detailed information available for those that want it.

Security measures

Think about basic security measures to keep data safe. Many are easy to implement. Simple solutions could include buying a good standard shredder to dispose of confidential waste or using screen locks after a certain amount of inactivity to ensure information can’t be accessed when people aren’t sat at their computers.

Nature of the business

There are many other aspects of GDPR that companies will need to consider depending on the nature of their business and extent of the service they provide. These include things such as territorial scope, processing involving children’s data, definitions of ‘personal data’ and ‘sensitive personal data’ (special categories), breach notification, profiling, appointment of a DPO etc.

If lead generation is among your considerations, speak to our team today to discuss your approach.