When it comes to lead generation, cold calling has gone the way of the dinosaur, replaced with digital marketing. Here is a short list of reasons why:

– People prefer not to answer calls from strangers. There’s no incentive for them to pick up the phone if they don’t recognize your number.

– People have no reason to trust a stranger pitching them something to buy over the phone

– People don’t want to call a stranger back if a voicemail is left.

– People don’t believe a credible advisor would be cold calling.

When it comes to small business marketing campaigns, why is digital marketing vastly superior to cold calling?

Everyone is digital

You can reach out to any target market in the world through digital and social marketing. There aren’t any restrictions with regards to demographic, geographic, or language barriers. The amount of users over the age of 55 using social networks has grown by almost 80% within the last three years, making it the platform’s quickest growing demographic. As such, if you want to connect with a specific audience, you’re more inclined and able to do so online.

You can establish trust

With regards to cold calls, you want people to trust you, but they don’t have any reason to without knowing who you are. This method has always been troublesome, now more so than ever. If people can locate evidence of your skills on the Internet, they’ll be more inclined to follow up with you. Since people have become accustomed to getting what they want online, it’s more prudent to have them come to you. You can establish trust by posting helpful content on your website and sharing it through social networks.

It’s more economical

There is a misnomer out there that cold calling is more affordable than digital marketing since all it costs you is time. However, time is your most precious resource. Most companies fail to provide enough value within an allocated timeframe. Creating a positive ROI involves doing what is optimal and having the remainder streamlined. Often, for most businesses this could (and should) involve having your marketing team outsourced.

It expands your reach

Cold calling is limited to a 1-to-1 outreach. This substantially restricts how many people you can contact at once. Even the best cold callers are limited to several hundred calls daily at the most. Digital marketing provides you with an opportunity to expand your reach exponentially. When someone reads and shares your content, their whole network is exposed to it. If a small group of people share it, your reach will keep on growing. This is the foundation for viral marketing.

Prospects are attracted to proof

Your prospects will be more inclined to trust you if they can authenticate your credentials. Digital marketing allows you to offer social proof through case studies and testimonials. Such content types are very impactful in converting visitors into leads.

 

So, do you believe cold calling has gone the way of the dinosaur, or is there still room for it in today’s climate? Do you agree that digital marketing has replaced cold calling completely? We’d really love to hear your thoughts.