Though not the primary role, much of what product marketers do has some sort of lead generation motive. And as I mentioned in previous articles, the product marketer needs to work hand-in-hand with the sales team to reach both their goals. Lead gen for product marketers is especially important in the enterprise and software industries. The content product marketing delivers is key for several lead gen programs, such as:

• Webinars
• White papers
• Feature lists
• Blogging
• Conference/events
• Podcasts
• Collateral
• Social media
• Case studies

Throughout the blog, we’ll discuss the product marketers’ role in each of the above mediums. Webinars and white papers tend to be the most trusted, and widely used, lead gen tools. Mostly because they are relatively easy to produce, consistently attract potential customers, and have the ability to target different segments of your target audience. For instance, if a company has a customer support tool, they can hold a webinar about the current problems with customer service, and tools and trends that will ease the issue. Companies currently having problems with their own customer support will want to download the white paper in order to learn useful information. In order to download the white paper the user will need to pass a registration form gateway, which will automatically turn the user into a lead for the sales team. When the sales team approaches this lead, they’ll already have an upper hand because they know the existing problem and have the solution at hand. The majority of these lead gen materials are created, or heavily influenced, by the product marketing team. Though they may never interact with the leads directly, they are primary responsible for collected and handing off the leads. What do you think? What lead gen tactics have worked for you? How do you find the most quality leads?