Data Capture: The Secret To Turbocharging Your Lead Generation
May 31 - 2022
GDPR and Email Marketing Data 5 min read

Understanding the relationship between email marketing, data capture, and lead generation is essential in order to boost conversion rates, hit KPIs and send those sales soaring.
Like any good relationship, it all starts with laying the groundwork and building strong foundations. Data is the foundation your email marketing and lead generation is built on.
Think of it like an extension you’d build on your property; if your foundations are weak the whole structure is going to suffer and the end result won’t be anywhere close to what you were expecting.
But - if you put the time, thought and effort into building strong foundations - you’ll reap the benefits further down the road.
Why is data capture so important?
Email marketing is impossible without data; sending an email marketing campaign is tricky if there isn’t an email address to send it too.
So we know we need to collect an email address (at least) for email marketing-driven lead generation to work.
But an email address alone won’t make lead generation a success; more data is needed. It’s why thinking carefully and strategically about what data to collect and how it’s going to be used is key.
Data capture is a transaction.
If you’re asking a potential lead to part with their data, they are going to expect something in return. This transaction takes on a higher value when you ask your leads to part with more data. Essentially, the more they give, the more they expect in return.
So, for a lead magnet like an ebook or a whitepaper, someone would most likely be willing to part with their name, email address, phone number and the name of the company they work for.
They’d be unlikely to invest a lot of their time in answering further questions (like how you could help them or what their biggest challenges are) in return for the payoff of an ebook. However, if your lead magnet was a free hour-long consultation, the likelihood of them giving you more information is much higher.
All this is worth keeping in mind before creating data capture forms for lead generation. Get data capture right and your lead generation will lift off.
Here’s why:
1. It unlocks email marketing personalisation
Personalisation in email marketing isn’t anything new. For years, it’s been simple to personalise everything from subject lines through to the content of your email marketing campaigns based on the data you hold for your subscribers.
It works too. Email campaigns with a personalised subject line are 26% more likely to be opened (Source: Campaign Monitor), 74% of marketers say targeted personalisation increases customer engagement (Source: eConsultancy), and there’s an average increase of 20% in sales when using personalised experiences (Source: Monetate).
Personalised emails are more likely to be opened, engaged with, and have a better chance of driving sales.
Take the example of an estate agent, knowing if the potential lead is a buyer or a seller, a tenant or a landlord, is crucial for tailoring and personalising the email marketing campaigns they receive.
By capturing this kind of data, email marketing personalisation can be taken to the next level leading to highly targeted and relevant campaigns which stand a much higher chance of converting.
2. It helps you qualify your leads and reduce the amount of time wasters
Quality beats quantity every single time. Would you rather have 1,000 leads and 10 conversions or a 100 leads and 50 conversions? Don’t get seduced by vanity metrics like the number of leads you’re attracting. Focus instead on how many of these are converting to become customers.
It’s here data capture forms can put in a lot of the heavy lifting. By pre-qualifying leads, it will automatically improve the quality of them and, at the same time, reduce the amount of time wasters.
Let’s look at the example we mentioned above…
A free hour-long consultation is a big investment of time that should only be given to leads that stand a high chance of converting. By pre-qualifying them, the wheat gets separated from the chaff and everybody wins.
3. It’s perfect for building relationships
For a relationship to be successful, it’s important to get off on the right foot. And the best way of doing this is to understand the person you’re entering into a relationship with. By understanding them, it’s much easier to add value.
Following on with the estate agent example, if the lead is looking to sell their home, then an automated follow-up email full of tips and tricks on how to get their home ship shape for a fast sale will work wonders. As would an email outlining everything they need to do and be aware of when selling their property.
Diving straight in with a sales pitch isn’t always the best course of action to follow. Instead, add value through content included in lead generation emails. Useful, entertaining and educational content will build great relationships, improve engagement and boost conversions.
In Summary
The healthier your email marketing data is, the more successful your email marketing campaigns and lead generation will be.
We help you with…
- Data capture
- List growth
- Staying compliant with data privacy regulations
- Segmenting your database across engagement, behaviour and life-stage
- Securing forms from the spambots
Get your data in better shape to help make your email marketing campaigns and lead generation more cost effective and more successful.
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