Infographic – Lead Conversion: Offline vs. Online Leads

In lead generation, there are two sides of the coin: offline and online.

On one hand, you have offline leads which are generated from things like industry events and face-to-face meetings. With today’s increased emphasis on digital, offline leads are becoming scarcer and, as a result, more expensive to acquire. The reduced clutter does tend make them easier to convert, however.

On the other hand, there are online leads. These leads come from online content downloads, contact forms, blog subscriptions, and any other form of digital outreach. Compared to offline leads, online leads are much more common and affordable to acquire, but also harder to convert.

This competition is more than superficial. Offline and online lead generation approaches battle for budget and organizational buy-in. That’s why it’s important to understand the right application for each.

This week’s infographic, which comes to us from Salesforce, breaks down various traits of offline and online leads. It covers everything from costs to conversion rates to tips for success in lead follow-up.

Some important points in this infographic include

• The average cost of an offline lead is $300-$500, while the average cost of online is $25-$30
• 40% of offline prospects are converted to customers, while 18.5% of online leads converted
• Immediate and persistent response resulted in a 340% lift in conversions
• Prospects who were contacted within the first 24 hours of being generated were 60x more likely to convert

[Click to Enlarge]

Let us know what you think:

• Do you generate online leads, offline leads, or a mix of both?
  
• Have you had more success with online or offline leads?
  
• When would you choose to prioritize online over offline (or vice versa)?