Commentary

It's The Online Lead Generation Glossary

In a media environment filled with stories of downturn this and slowdown that, the online lead generation industry has distinguished itself with explosive growth.

This growth has largely been driven by advertiser demand for performance- based advertising. The 2007 IAB PWC Internet advertising report noted that for the first time, advertiser spend on performance based advertising was greater than that spent on CPM advertising.

In the context of these market dynamics, it's no surprise to see so many new advertisers embracing cost per lead (CPL) advertising. CPL advertising is a brave and exciting new world -- but one with many facets that can be confusing, particularly for the new advertiser or publisher.

That's why for advertisers, agencies and publishers, it is important to have a guide that outlines industry definitions and best practices. Similar to the guidelines and best practices on the Internet Advertising Bureau Web site, the Online Lead Generation Glossary is an important step in this regard.

Think back to the early days of online banner advertising, and reflect on the first document you read that explained what an impression and a click was. The glossary performs the same function, but for CPL marketing. Among the concepts it addresses is the difference between a marketing lead and a sales lead:

Sales leads are generic leads generated on the basis of demographic criteria such as FICO score, income, age, HHI, etc. These leads are often resold to multiple advertisers. Sales leads are typically followed up through phone calls by a sales force. Sales leads are typically only used in the mortgage, insurance and finance industries.

Marketing leads are brand-specific leads generated for a unique advertiser's offer. In contrast to sales leads, marketing leads can only be sold to the advertiser whose offer a customer responded to. Because transparency is a necessary pre-requisite for generating marketing leads, marketing lead campaigns can be optimized by mapping leads to their sources,

Among other things, the glossary also specifies best practices for data transfer between publishers and advertisers. It also explains important terms that publishers and advertisers use to communicate -- such as auto-responders, scrub rates and daily caps.

You can view and download the glossary here. No registration needed. If you have any suggestions on how we can make the glossary even more comprehensive, we welcome your feedback.

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