How to Automate Lead Generation: 5 Ways And Tools

Lead generation is crucial for all businesses—you cannot survive without it! But let’s face it: It’s a time-consuming and frustrating process.

If there were a way to push a button and magically generate quality leads, everybody would pay top dollar for it.

But you’re lucky to have come here because we shared the same exact secret!

This blog will teach you how to automate your lead generation process using multiple channels for your business and ultimately generate more revenue.

So, let’s get to it!

Table of Contents: Automating Lead Generation

• What Is Lead Generation Automation?
• Top 5 Ways to Automate Lead Generation at Your Organization
• Tools That Can Help You Automate Your Lead Generation Process
• How to Measure the Success of Your Automating Efforts
• Automate Your Lead Generation to Become More Efficient
• FAQs

What Is Lead Generation Automation?

In the simplest terms, lead generation automation is making use of technology and tools to automate the entire process of lead generation.

So does that mean technology and tools have taken your job?

No, they are here to make you more productive and efficient.

Think of it as having a tireless assistant who works around the clock to identify potential prospects and convert them into leads.

Here are some of the benefits of introducing lead generation automation:

• Saves Time: You will be able to save a lot of hours by automating manual tasks. This will give you more time for you to focus on strategy and creative ideas!
• Reduces Errors: We all make mistakes, but automation tools are like a meticulous assistant who never slips up. So, no more missed follow-ups or incorrect data entries.
• Increases Efficiency: Automation takes over repetitive tasks, freeing you to focus on what really matters – closing deals and building relationships.
• Scale As and When Needed: As human intervention is not required much, you can scale your lead generation capability depending on your business needs and budget.

As you can see, automating your lead-generation efforts can be a huge win for you and your company.

Now, with the basics out of the way, let’s see how you can implement lead generation automation for your businesses using various channels.

Top 5 Ways to Automate Lead Generation at Your Organization

In this section, we will cover three basic ways to automate lead generation and, as a bonus, include two comprehensive workflows.

1. Automating Cold Email Lead Generation
2. Automating Lead Generation With LinkedIn
3. Automating Lead Generation Using Chatbots
4. Outbound Automated Lead Generation Workflow
5. Inbound-led-Outbound Automated Lead Generation Workflow

Let’s look at them in detail

1. Automating Cold Email Lead Generation

Cold emailing is still considered a cost-effective way to generate leads by many in the field.

When done right, it can strengthen your sales pipeline with high-quality leads ready to be converted into paying customers.

Here’s a short process for cold emailing:

1. You start by defining your Ideal Customer Profile and Buyer Persona.
2. You then build a list of prospects for cold emailing. You can do this in 2 ways:
   1. You can find relevant prospects yourself by using B2B data providers.
   2. You can also buy an email list directly from a third-party vendor.
3. After getting your list, verify the validity of the email addresses. Removing invalid email addresses from the list will help reduce bounce rates. 
4. You can create cold email templates (entire sequences) based on your USPs.
5. Once done, you can start sending your cold emails.

This is a “highly” manual route, and there are so many folks out there who believe they can do it this way.

It is possible, but you are prone to make a lot of mistakes–even silly ones like mixing up the prospect’s name.

Simple cold email mistakes like these can be easily avoided by using a cold email automation tool right from the start.

Another step in the process that you can automate is “Prospecting.”

Think about it for a second!

Imagine if you could prospect and send cold emails from the same platform. That will definitely save you a lot of time and money.

So, let’s look at one such tool that can automate your prospecting and cold email outreach in your company.

Automating Cold Email Lead Generation With Saleshandy

Saleshandy is a popular cold email automation and prospecting tool that you can use to find prospects relevant to your business and reach out to them with tailored messages.

You can use Saleshandy to easily automate entire sequences of cold emails. You can also create multiple campaigns to reach various segments of your target audience simultaneously.

Moreover, it has a vast B2B database with over 700 million professional profiles from 60 million+ companies worldwide.

You can use various filters, such as company name, revenue, employee count, etc., to find prospects relevant to you with laser accuracy.

Once you have filtered and found a list of prospects, you can directly add them to a cold email sequence and reach out to them.

On top of all this, you can personalize your emails easily, achieve high email deliverability with various features like email warmup, sequence score, and so on.

Here’s a step-by-step process on how to automate your lead generation efforts with Saleshandy.

1. Signup for Saleshandy
2. Connect your email accounts.
3. Set up your authentication records, custom tracking domain–all the technical stuff!
4. As a trial user, you can also test the warmup capabilities offered by our partner, Trulyinbox.
5. While your email accounts are getting warmed up, you can create your first campaign. This is where you’ll find many of Saleshandy’s features, such as Personalization features–Merge Tag and Spintax, content guide, email preview, etc., come in handy.

6. Once you have created your sequence, you can go to Lead Finder to find your prospects.
7. After applying filters according to the ICP and buyer persona, you can bulk-select the prospects and click “Get Contact Info.” This will reveal all your prospect’s valid email addresses.
8. Later, you can save them as prospects or add them directly to your created sequence.
9. Saleshandy will automatically pull information from each prospect to make the cold emails personalized to them.
10. After your email accounts are warmed up, you can activate your campaigns, and Saleshandy will automatically start reaching out to your prospects.
11. When you start getting replies from prospects, Saleahandy’s AI Outcome feature automatically marks prospects as “Interested” or “Not Interested.” This will help you focus your efforts on relevant prospects and close deals efficiently.
12. Saleahandy’s Unified Inbox feature plays a key role in centralizing all your prospects’ responses from various sending accounts. This way, you will not miss out on any possible deal-winning opportunity.
13. Saleshandy also supports native integration with multiple CRMs, such as HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive, and Salesforce. So, whenever a prospect is marked as interested or has booked a meeting, the information is automatically updated in your CRM.

14. Additionally, Saleshandy provides integration through Zapier, Webhooks, and API support.

As you can see, whether you’re a solopreneur, freelancer, startup, enterprise-size business, or an agency doing lead generation–Saleshandy has a lot to offer.

You can easily experience all this by signing up for a free trial and testing the tool yourself.

Next, we’ll look at how you can do the same for LinkedIn.

2. Automating Lead Generation With LinkedIn

Similar to cold emailing, generating leads through LinkedIn is also very popular.

You can build brand awareness, form relationships, improve trust and credibility, and position yourself as a go-to expert in your field.

That’s how powerful LinkedIn can be when used in the right way!

So, how does LinkedIn Outreach work?

Here’s a step-by-step process:

1. You start by finding prospective customers using the various filters available on LinkedIn. You can also use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to help you get more targeted with your search.
2. You then reach out to them by sending a connecting request along with a personal note to strike up a conversation and nurture a relationship.
3. You can also reach out to your 2nd degree contacts, as there is a higher chance they will accept your connection request if you have mutual connections.
4. You should understand them inside and out. Learn what they do, what challenges they face, whether they are using any solution, etc.
5. Based on insights, you can propose what your organization can bring to the table.

The process might look short, but it consumes a lot of time and effort, like any other manual way of generating leads.

So, is there a way to automate this? Yes, there is.

You can use LinkedIn automation tools to automate the entire process of reaching out to potential clients.

For example, you can connect your LinkedIn account with tools like HeyReach, Meet Alfred, Dripify, etc., and create campaigns with personalized messages.

You can then import leads easily by connecting your LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Alternatively, you can filter your target audience in the LinkedIn Search and paste the URL.

Prospects who have shown interest can also be directly updated in your CRM through native integrations.

Next, let’s look at how we can generate leads using Chatbots.

3. Automating Lead Generation Using Chatbots

To be honest, this is quite an underrated strategy.

Chatbots can be a game changer when set up and used in the right way.

Using chatbots, you can proactively start a conversation with your website visitors (your next customers).

Through this conversation, you can collect valuable information such as contact information, solutions they are looking for, details about their organization, and so much more.

You can also set up discount offers for your customers to repeatedly visit the pricing page, pushing them to sign up for a demo or a free trial.

All the collected information can be sent to your CRM through integrations, where the prospects can be scored against your ICP criteria.

Based on their score, they can be pushed to the sales team as SQLs or to the marketing team as MQLs.

One of the best B2B chatbot lead-generation automation tools is Intercom.

Depending on the qualified prospects, you can set up the qualification process in Intercom and then assign them to a particular sales team.

Automating lead generation using chatbots is as simple as that.

4. Bonus: Outbound Automated Lead Generation Workflow

The workflow you’ll see here is similar to what you learned about automating lead generation using cold email.

But here, you additionally have a feedback loop that will keep refining your prospect search until you can always find only the best-fit companies.

Sounds interesting, right? Let’s look at how it works.

1. Prospecting and Enrichment

First like any other lead generation process, you start with finding the right accounts (companies) based on your ICP. You can use a business database for this purpose.

After this you can enrich your data with key decision makers, their contact information, LinkedIn URL, prospect accounts, target audience, etc.

All this information will help you create a hyper-personalized sequence for your outreach.

Some prospecting and enrichment tools like Clay and Persana.ai also allow you to create personalized one-line introductions.

You should make use of features like these to make your process more efficient and less time-consuming.

2. Segmenting

With all the necessary data in hand, it’s time to segment your leads. Group them based on criteria like industry, company size, or specific needs.

This segmentation allows you to tailor your outreach efforts, ensuring each message resonates with the recipient’s unique context and increases the likelihood of engagement.

3. Outreach

After segmenting, you can import the prospects to an outreach tool of your choosing.

Although this workflow can work for various outreach channels, it’s best suited for cold emailing.

You can use any cold email automation tool like Saleshandy, Lemlist, or Smartlead.ai. 

Once the prospects are added to the campaigns, you can start the outreach process, and cold emails and follow-up emails will be sent automatically.

4. Pushing Interested Leads to CRM

As and when prospects reply, the cold email software automatically categorizes them as “Interested” or “Not Interested.”

This can also be done manually.

You can integrate your CRM with your cold email automation tool to automatically push interested leads to the CRM.

For example, Saleshandy has native integrations with CRM tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho, and Pipedrive.

You can also integrate through Zapier, Webhook, or use Saleshandy’s API for this purpose.

Now, the next part is where it gets interesting.

5. Refining  Prospects With Feedback Loop:

During your outreach, you may find some companies that initially seemed like a good fit but aren’t.

You can return a Webhook from your outreach tool to your prospecting and enrichment tool to exclude similar companies from future campaigns.

Alternatively, you can set up another Webhook to identify more companies that closely match your ICP, refining your search criteria as you gather more data.

In the next workflow we will look at how we can identify your website visitors and include them in your lead generation process.

5. Bonus: Inbound-led-Outbound Automated Lead Generation Workflow

This workflow slightly differs from the previous one you learned.

Here, we will use prospects from inbound traffic—such as website visits and form fills, along with potential customers identified through prospecting.

This hybrid approach helps you engage passive visitors and active prospects, ensuring no potential lead slips.

Let’s walk through the steps to see how to make this work for your business.

1. Identifying Inbound Leads

You start by using any visitor identification tool like RB2B, 6Sense, Demandbase, etc, to find accounts or prospects visiting your website.

These prospects are already curious about what you offer, so they’re prime candidates for reaching out with your offer.

2. Prospecting & Enrichment

Next, it’s time to dig a little deeper!

You enrich the inbound prospects by collecting detailed information, such as the decision-makers names and contact details, including LinkedIn profiles.

This step is about building a well-rounded picture of each prospect, which will be invaluable for personalizing your communication later.

You can also use ChatGPT or Persana.ai to create personalized introductions for each prospect.

3. Segmenting

Once you have a complete set of enriched data, you sort these leads into different segments. You might group them by industry, company size, or specific needs.

This segmentation helps you create targeted outreach campaigns, ensuring that your messages hit the right notes with the right people.

4. Outbound Outreach

With your segmented leads ready, you start reaching out.

This could be through personalized emails, LinkedIn messages, or another channel.

Your goal here should be to show your prospects that you are aware of their challenges and can help them solve them.

Think of it as trying to start a conversation more than trying to make a sale at this point.

5. CRM Integration and Management of Interested Leads

As responses come in, it’s crucial to categorize these leads based on their interest level. This information can then be synced to your CRM system through integrations.

By having your CRM update automatically, you can see, in real-time, how your prospects are progressing through your sales pipeline.

6. Feedback Loop for Continuous Improvement

At times, you’ll find that some of the prospects you reach out to aren’t quite what you were looking for.

That’s where the feedback loop comes in to sort things out.

You can set up systems, like webhooks, to refine your criteria in your prospecting and enrichment tools.

This way, you filter out companies that need to be a better fit and focus on those that align closely with your ICP.

Tools That Can Help You Automate Your Lead Generation Process

By now you would have realized that integrations play a crucial role when it comes to automating your lead generation process.

With the right toolkit, you will be able to automate your process completely.

Here are some of the tools that you can use to automate your process.

1. Clay

Clay is a powerful waterfall enrichment tool designed to help you find your ideal prospects effortlessly.

By tapping into over 75 different sources, Clay enriches your prospect data with detailed insights like job titles, company information, and contact details.

This type of comprehensive data enhancement makes sure that your outreach is targeted and personalized.

2. Persana.ai

Persana.ai is a recently popular AI prospecting platform that you can use to find prospects relevant to your ICP. You can also use Persana.ai to get information from over 75+ sources.

You can then ask Persana’s AI agent to create personalized outreach sequences using the information collected for each prospect.

3. HeyReach

HeyReach is a LinkedIn automation tool that helps you scale your outreach by automating connection requests, messages, and more across multiple accounts.

It’s the perfect tool for you, if you’re  looking to manage high volumes of outreach in an efficient way.

4. RB2B

RB2B is a software that identifies professionals visiting your website. It can also find their email addresses and LinkedIn URLs, helping you to connect with these potential leads.

This is the right tool if you’re looking for ways to find prospects who have already shown interest in your products or services.

Note: RB2B can help you find only US visitors.

5. Zapier

Zapier is a very popular workflow automation software that can help you automate your work across 7000+ app integrations.

It can be handy when you need to transfer data between two or more applications that do not support native integrations.

You can easily automate repetitive tasks and streamline many processes without requiring any coding skills.

This makes it an invaluable tool for improving efficiency and productivity in both personal and professional workflows.

In the next section, you’ll learn how to measure the success of your lead generation automation efforts.

How to Measure the Success of Your Automating Efforts

Now that you know the various ways to set up your lead generation automation, you might wonder, “How do I know if this is working?”

Here are some metrics you should keep tabs on to see how your efforts are paying off.

1. Lead Quality and Fit
2. Conversion Rates
3. Cost Efficiency
4. Lead Velocity

Lead Quality and Fit

First, check if the leads match your ICP. High-quality leads should closely align with your target audience.

So, when automating your lead-generating process, make sure you set the right criteria to reach out to only your target audience.

You can make use of your CRM like Zoho, HubSpot, or Salesforce to help you check if the generated leads fit your ICP.

Conversion Rates

It’s crucial to monitor how many leads are moving from one stage to the next in your sales funnel.

Are your prospects replying to your outreach messages, and how many are booking a meeting or signing up for a free trial?

Tracking these rates will tell you if your messaging is hitting the mark. A steady increase in conversions means you’re on the right path.

Cost Efficiency

Don’t forget to consider the cost aspect. Calculate your Cost Per Lead (CPL) to see how efficiently you generate leads.

If you are able to get a lower CPL while maintaining lead quality.

That’s a clear win!

Plus, look at the overall Return on Investment (ROI) to understand the financial impact of your automation efforts.

Lead Velocity

Lastly, how quickly are leads moving through your pipeline?

Faster lead velocity means your automation tools effectively nurture leads and push them toward a decision.

This speed is crucial for keeping your pipeline healthy and active.

Regularly checking these metrics gives you a clear picture of what’s working and what needs tweaking.

It’s all about refining your strategy to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck—and, of course, driving those leads to conversion!

Automate Your Lead Generation to Become More Efficient

You’ve learned five methods to automate your lead-generation efforts in this blog.

One simplest yet highly effective method is automating your lead generation process through cold emails.

This approach helps you reach a broad audience with personalized messages, efficiently nurture leads, and drive conversions.

You can use an automation tool like Saleshandy to streamline your prospecting and cold email outreach.

You can sign up for a free trial and see how easily you can automate your lead-generation process.

FAQs

1. How can I ensure the quality of leads when using automation tools?

Setting the correct parameters and fine-tuning the lead generation process is crucial when you want to ensure the quality of your leads while using automation tools. 

Follow these points to make sure the leads generated using the automation tools are highly qualified:

• Define your ICP and buyer personas
• Set the right filters and criteria to find relevant prospects.
• Regularly monitor and analyze the campaign performance at different intervals.
• Optimize and refine the process to get better results.

2. Which is the best automation tool for lead generation?

Some of the best tools in the market that can help automate your lead-generation efforts are:

• Saleshandy for prospecting and cold emailing
• HeyReach for LinkedIn outreach
• Intercom for generating leads using chatbots
• Clay and Persana.ai for prospecting and enriching
• RB2B for website visitor identification
• Zapier for workflow automation.

3. What is automated lead management?

When the leads are captured, tracked, and nurtured through a sales funnel with the help of automated lead generation software, the entire process is known as “lead management.” It refers to the complete process of acquiring the lead right from its contact to conversion. 

4. What is lead capture automation?

Lead capture automation uses technology to gather and record lead information without manual intervention. This can include forms on your website, chatbots, landing pages, and social media interactions. Once captured, these leads are automatically entered into your CRM or marketing platform, where they can be segmented, scored, and nurtured. 

5. Can I use AI to generate leads?

Of course! There is no denying it!

AI has revolutionized different industries across the globe. For lead generation practices and processes, AI-powered tools can analyze vast amounts of data to identify patterns and predict which prospects are most likely to convert. They can also personalize outreach at scale, tailoring messages based on individual behavior and preferences.