What’s the Best Lead Generation Strategy? Experts Share Their Top Picks

 

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. What Is Lead Generation

3. Why It Matters: The Cost of Poor Lead Quality

4. Winning Lead Generation Strategies: Expert Picks

   • Inbound Marketing

   • Outbound Prospecting

   • Paid Advertising

   • Referral and Partnership Programmes

   • Product-Led Growth

5. Most Recommended Tools for Lead Gen

6. People Also Ask (PAA)

7. Final Thoughts: What's Best for Your Business

What Is Lead Generation

Lead generation is the process of capturing interest in your product or service to build a sales pipeline. It’s the first step in converting strangers into loyal customers.

Marketing teams use it to attract potential buyers (leads) through campaigns across digital channels including email, social, search engines, and websites.

Modern tools like HubSpot, Salesforce, ZoomInfo, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator have revolutionised how marketers identify and nurture high-intent buyers through advanced data and automation.

Why It Matters: The Cost of Poor Lead Quality

Wasting resources on low-quality leads doesn't just hurt your sales—it leaks money, time, and brand value.

• According to Salesforce, 68% of businesses struggle to generate high-quality leads

• DemandGen reports that only 27% of leads are actually sales-ready

This underscores the importance of adopting the right strategies and tools that focus on efficiency, segmentation, and personalisation.

Winning Lead Generation Strategies: Expert Picks

Experts across industries weigh in on what really works when it comes to filling your funnel. Here are five proven approaches to consider

Inbound Marketing (Content-Driven Growth)

Inbound marketing pulls customers towards your brand through helpful, relevant content. Think blog posts, videos, guides, and lead magnets that offer value.

🔧 Tools to support inbound:
HubSpot Marketing Hub, WordStream, Google Ads, Unbounce / Instapage for landing pages, OptinMonster for conversion optimisation

🎯 Experts Say: Inbound leads cost 61% less than outbound leads — HubSpot

📌 Tip: Create evergreen content that ranks organically using SEO tools and SEM campaigns. Use lead magnets like free ebooks and case studies gated behind forms.

Outbound Prospecting (Personalised Outreach)

Outbound strategies involve directly reaching out to prospects via email, phone, or LinkedIn.

🛠️ Best tools for outbound lead generation:
Hunter.io, Clearbit, Apollo.io, Lusha, Seamless.AI, Skrapp.io, Wiza, Outreach, Salesloft, Reply.io, Lemlist, Mailchimp, Autoklose, LinkedIn Sales Navigator + Zapier for automation

💡 Quote from Jason Bay (Outbound expert at Blissful Prospecting):
Outbound isn’t dead—it’s lazy outbound that doesn’t work. Smart personalisation scales better than ever.

📌 Tip: Use tools like Voila Norbert or Snov.io for data enrichment and ensure your email sequences are built for engagement—short, value-driven, and targeted.

Paid Advertising (Scale with Precision)

If you want immediate results, paid media can deliver—provided your targeting and tracking are spot-on.

Top-performing platforms:
Google Ads, Facebook Ads Manager, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads Manager

Complementary Tools:
CallRail or CallTrackingMetrics for call tracking, Drift or Intercom for ad-based chat follow-ups

💬 Insight: LinkedIn Ads generate 2x higher conversion rates for B2B audiences — LinkedIn Marketing Solutions

📌 Tip: Don’t just ‘boost posts’. Use lead capture-specific campaigns with tools like Leadpages or Instapage to optimise landing page quality.

Referral and Partnership Programmes

This strategy thrives on social proof. If done well, it creates exponential, trust-driven growth.

🍀 Useful platforms:
Keap (Infusionsoft), ActiveCampaign, ClickFunnels for funnel automation, BombBomb for personalised video referrals

🎯 Expert Insight from Neil Patel:
Referral leads convert 30% better and have a 16% higher lifetime value.

📌 Tip: Incentivise loyal customers or partners with promo codes or rewards. Automate referral tracking through affiliate plugins or CRM add-ons.

Product-Led Growth (Let the Product Sell Itself)

PLG centres on offering prospects a low-barrier product trial or freemium experience before a purchase.

Best for SaaS and apps, this allows users to experience immediate value—think of tools like Canva or Dropbox.

🚀 Tools to power PLG lead flows:
Intercom chats to onboard users, Hotjar sessions to track behaviour, Pipedrive, Keap or Zoho CRM for nurturing

🧠 Tip: Pair PLG with data enrichment tools like BuiltWith or Clearbit to qualify users once they sign up.

Most Recommended Tools for Lead Gen (Expert Stack)

Here are the top-rated platforms experts use for every stage of the lead generation funnel:

Purpose	Top Tools
CRM	Salesforce, HubSpot, Freshworks CRM, Zoho, Pipedrive, SharpSpring
Prospecting	Lusha, Seamless.AI, Hunter.io, Cognism, Apollo.io, LeadIQ
Outreach and Engagement	Groove.co, Mailchimp, Lemlist, Constant Contact, Vidyard, Chili Piper
Landing Pages	Instapage, Unbounce, Leadpages, ClickFunnels
Data and Enrichment	Clearbit, BuiltWith, UpLead, Albacross, Vainu
Ads and Tracking	Google Ads, Facebook Ads, CallTrackingMetrics, WordStream, Sendinblue
Automation and Nurturing	ActiveCampaign, Klaviyo, GetResponse, Drift, Zapier
Reviews and Research	Capterra, G2

People Also Ask (FAQ)

What are the most effective B2B lead generation tactics

Personalised outbound email sequences using tools like Reply.io, coupled with targeted LinkedIn outreach and high-value gated content, tend to generate strong B2B results.

Should I use email or social media for lead generation

Both work well in tandem. Email remains a higher-converting medium. However, platforms like LinkedIn (especially using LinkedIn Sales Navigator) can be excellent for building trust before the initial outreach.

How can I automate lead generation

Tools like Zapier can connect your website forms to CRMs like Salesforce or HubSpot. You can also automate introductory emails using platforms like Snov.io or ActiveCampaign.

Final Thoughts: What’s Best for Your Business

When it comes to choosing the “best” lead generation strategy, there’s no magic bullet. It largely depends on:

• Your target audience

• Sales cycle length

• Industry type

• Budget and team resources

📌 Here’s how to decide:

• B2B SaaS with long sales cycles? Consider outbound + PLG.

• Ecommerce or product-focused brands? Lean into paid ads and email flows.

• High-touch service offers? Use inbound content, referrals, and conversational tools like Drift.

Chances are, a hybrid approach—using 2–3 synergistic strategies—yields the best results.

Start by testing which approach delivers the highest return on effort (ROE), not just ROI. By continually refining your methods and tapping into the right tools, your lead generation engine will become your business's most valuable asset.