Those of you reading this newsletter already know that online lead generation is one of the fastest growing advertising vehicles today. You already know that capturing quality leads is the quickest way to a sale, and you probably know that selling leads is a better way to make money than selling ad space on your site. Permission to reach out to a customer is much more valuable to any business owner than simply driving traffic to his site. Google and Yahoo know this, too. Their recent acquisitions and tests in cost-per-action advertising show that they are thinking along these same …

You can't turn on the TV news or read the business section these days without reading about globalization. But it seems much of this trend has somehow gone unnoticed in the online lead generation space. In fact, time and time again, one of the main qualifiers companies use to determine appropriate prospects may be irrelevant -- that is, country of residence. As long as they want what I am selling, and have money to pay for it, they're great prospects.

The main theme of the recent AAAA CEO Conference was clear: "Digitize or die." For an Internet-only guy in a room full of traditional agency folks, this was a thunderous validation for all who have stayed the course. With so much to choose from and consumers now controlling what they want and when they want it, how do we continue to build upon the foundation that has grown faster than any other media to date? What will the future look like as we move into the second era of Web marketing?

I am surprised time and time again when I search in Google and see that there are many large brands and advertisers who allow -- and, more important, pay -- their affiliates to leverage their brand name through paid search tactics. They are unknowingly allowing this to happen, or are doing this because it is a no-risk media proposition to drive new customers on a performance model by their affiliates. It may seem like a good idea in theory if you only pay for new customers and the affiliate absorbs the media risk; but I think the cons can far …

In this newsletter and other publications, we've all noted the remarkable growth of online lead generation in the last few years. In 2006 alone, the category recorded more than a 70% increase in ad spending, making it the fastest growing online ad vehicle by far. Faster than search, faster than display.

Building your list and adding prospects to your sales funnel with article submissions is among the hottest sales-lead-generation trends on the Web today. However, the article submission process is one of the most tedious tasks possible. That's why many authors, experts and businesses choose to outsource these efforts.

When Google wasn't looking, forward-thinking online marketers found that actions speak louder than clicks. Looking for new ways to improve advertising ROI, most of the savvy professionals who read the Performance Insider have been moving increasing portions of their ad spend from clicks to actions -- paying only when an ad leads to a meaningful result. So it comes as no surprise that Google has come around to your way of thinking about the next era of performance-based marketing.

Lead generation is fast becoming the darling of the Internet space. What other industry can boast annual growth in excess of 70%? In the last two years alone, we've witnessed just about every possible approach and methodology to generating leads both online and offline.

How do you achieve a healthy balance of targeted reach across transparent and blind networks? First of all, tailor your ads differently for the audiences you know vs. the audiences you don't. Think of it as a date....

It's NCAA tournament time - when thoughts of Cinderella stories, Sweet Sixteens, Elite Eights and Final Fours do their big dance through our heads. From hundreds of candidates, the NCAA tournament committee has found what it believes to be the 65 most deserving. Wouldn't it be nice if your lead program could be like the tournament -- evaluating scores of prospects around the country to come up with the most likely customers? Or better yet -- the 16 or 8 or 4 best?