The 2007 mortgage crisis impacted many aspects of the economy, from real estate to consumer confidence. As the lending industry regroups, it must examine how to find the right customers, as well as make better loans. Unfortunately, the industry has an uphill battle in the customer relationship realm. But one way that lenders can not only rebuild customer trust, but also get the wheels of profitability turning again, is by employing targeted lead generation.

Tough economic times and slashed budgets have accelerated advertisers' interest in accountability. And online lead generation has been accountability's poster child. So as with so many technology-driven ad applications, advertisers have rushed into lead gen, often getting disappointing returns -- just like early days of banners, email and search. When we discuss a CPL campaign with a potential advertiser, we set up a dialogue to help determine whether that advertiser should be doing lead gen at all -- and if so, which potential customers they should be targeting. Here are some of the questions advertisers should ask themselves and their …

There's no question that the explosion of new media has disrupted media buying and left many consumer brand marketers scratching their heads as to how to best reach consumers. Many articles and white papers have been written, with many more to come, about the increasing complexity of the marketing mix brand managers must navigate in order to execute successful campaigns.

We all know that mobile advertising is the current buzz topic around the water cooler, but what is it really -- and how can it improve lead generation efforts? These are the questions I would be asking if I were an advertiser. How can I widen the pool of quality leads for my products and services? How can I get beyond the traditional co-registration networks? I've heard it time and time again; advertisers want quality versus quantity. If that is really the driving need, then advertisers should look no further than mobile advertising.

This time last year, Performance Insider had just launched to thunderous applause and I had the honor of writing the second ever column. The topic was my predictions for the lead generation industry in 2007. I'd like to take a quick step back now to review how I did and then lay out a few wagers for 2008.

This past year there's been much controversy in the online lead generation category regarding so-called "incentive sites." As a person who has worked in online lead generation since its formative days nearly a decade ago, I'd like to take the opportunity to clear up some of the confusion and misperception

So the Federal Trade Commission finally bagged its self-proclaimed elephant. After a long trek through the incentivized lead generation underbrush, the feds got ValueClick Inc. to fork over $2.9 million stemming from some of ValueClick's business activities. This came almost simultaneously with the news that eBay is leaving ValueClick's Commission Junction affiliate network in favor of eBay's new in-house affiliate marketing program. If getting all bad news behind you once and for all is part of its corporate strategy, then ValueClick must be in for better days ahead.

I'm a male, gainfully employed, in my mid-30s, married with two children. Look at the messages in my email inbox, however, and you would have to believe that someone in my demographic is in need of a home treatment for wrinkles, a high-paying position as a rebate processor, a service to help me meet local singles, and the ultimate way to have smooth and beautiful feet.

My bet is that 99% of you immediately answered "no" when you read this question. Many may have even preceded their negative response with a stronger word! Then, there is the one percent of you that answered "What would I get in return?" I'm sure no one just replied, "Sure."

Co-registration has been touted by many industry gurus as a great way to build email lists as well as a lead generation strategy. For those of you not familiar with co-registration, it is where your opt-in offer appears alongside or after the opt-in form of another Web site. The idea behind this is that since it's sometimes difficult and time consuming to get people to come to your Web site to opt-in, it is easier to syndicate your opt-in offer to other Web sites. I concur that co-registration advertising is a solid strategy, as I have firsthand knowledge of many …