General
Effective Lead Generation Strategies You Should Try
“We need more leads”
If you’re in sales and marketing, you’ve probably heard these words or said them to your team.
Rightly so, since growing the business depends on your ability to attract high-quality leads and gradually turn them into paying customers.
For this to happen, you’ll need lead generation strategies that increase brand awareness, generate interest in your products/services, and encourage potential customers to engage.
Strategies that create new opportunities for you to capitalize on and close.
To that end, we have laid out five tactics that may help boost your lead generation efforts.
1. Invest in Lead Generation Software
Sales and marketing teams spend a lot of time collecting and analyzing contact information manually. The process is tedious, time-consuming, and may yield inaccurate results.
Lead generation software makes work easier by automating the process, allowing your team to focus on other aspects of selling.
The software captures a visitor’s information at points of contact, whether that is a visit to your landing page or a document download, etc. You’ll learn how potential customers are interacting with your business and customize their journey accordingly.
Here are some features to look out for:
- Ease of use: look for software that’s designed for marketing teams not web developers or programmers. The team should be able to use the software without referring to or dabbling in code.
- Integrations: your preferred software should sync seamlessly with your existing Martech stack. This will make for effective inter-tool communication and reporting.
- Scalability: software that can grow with you is software worth investing in. The system should have the capacity to handle expanding operations and related needs.
- Analytics: the ability to analyze collected data and generate reports will help you streamline marketing efforts, improve operational efficiency, and improve customer interactions. Go for software that can help you do this.
2. Host Joint Venture Webinars
At some point, you realize that you’ve pitched your products/services to existing audiences and now need to find new audiences to generate sales.
Joint venture webinars are an excellent way to reach new audiences with your message. You partner with brands in complementary niches to pitch to a fresh audience.
Here are ways to make joint venture webinars more impactful:
- Choose the right partner. The best partnerships are those that involve companies that offer complementary products/services, have complementary customers, and audiences that are interested in the partnered event.
- Promote the webinar. Work with your partner to create a promotional kit that ensures your narrative and takeaways are the same – think email copy, images, videos, etc. Choose distribution channels that work for both companies.
- Prepare, prepare, prepare. Conduct dry runs to help the presenters get comfortable with each other, the webinar software, and equipment. The dry runs will help you pick up any technical difficulties that can be dealt with before the big day.
- Follow up. Capitalize on the interest you’ve generated to follow up right after the event and convert those audiences to qualified leads.
3. Create Gated Content
It takes tremendous time and effort to research, compile and package valuable information for audiences.
Putting it behind a gate means those who are genuinely interested in what you’re saying won’t mind trading their contact info for it.
Not only does gating content increase your likelihood of capturing good leads, but also gives you better insights into what prospects are looking for.
Best practices include:
- Create an optimized landing page for the specific gated content. Let the message focus solely on the material you’re sharing to ensure your visitor doesn’t get distracted and leave without completing the action.
- There is more to gated content other than PDFs. Many marketers associate gated content with PDF documents, but these aren’t the only options or formats available. You can create video series, webinars, exclusive access, exclusive communities, templates, and checklists.
- Quality over quantity. A short,information-packed e-book does more for your business and reputation than a hundred-page one full of fluff. Observe proper editing principles and deliver high-quality work.
- Make navigation easy. Use the clickable table of contents, ensure any links embedded on the document work, and use images to make the information more palatable.
4. Make Cold Calls
Research by RAIN GROUP shows that many senior levels buyers prefer to be contacted on the phone. By senior level, we’re talking c-suite and VP buyers—just the group you want to target.
Cold calling provides a platform for tapping into new markets and gaining key information concerning your target market’s needs, challenges, and expectations.
So how about brainstorming your value proposition then getting on the phone to lock in that deal?
Here are some considerations:
- Know what prospects want. Tough? Not really. Buyers are looking for ways to solve their current problems. By sharing detailed information about the features and services your solutions provide, you can influence their decisions.
- Pre-qualify prospects. Now that you know what prospects want, it’s time to pre-qualify them. Develop strong buyer personas to help you understand your target market and identify brands with the potential to turn into customers.
- Prepare for the call. Come up with a script that comprises a strong opener, a middle, and a conclusion. Test different opening statements to find the one that draws in prospects. Your middle should contain key features of your products/services, questions for the prospect, FAQs, and objections. In the conclusion is where you ask for your goal.
- Follow up. Cold calling experts say it takes on average five follow-up calls to get leads to convert. While it’s easy to give up after one or two follow-ups, don’t do it. Persistence is key in this business.
5. Leverage Email Marketing
With over 300 billion emails exchanged daily, email marketing is an effective communication channel between brands and their customers.
B2B sellers use this channel to build relationships, send out promotions, and stay in touch with customers—past, current, and potential.
Having said that, the email marketing technique will only be successful if you have the right contacts and adopt the right approach. This approach includes:
- Updating your email list. An updated and clean list ensures you reach your target audiences with messages that interest them in your offerings.
- Keeping email content concise. Life is fast-paced, readers are busy, and hardly have the time to read through lengthy emails. Shorter emails with visuals or images that can be read on the go are preferable.
- Scrap the “no-reply” email address. It makes your company look dubious, and your email just might end up in the trash. It also limits the subscriber’s ability to reach you, which may cost you countless leads.
- Link emails to specific landing pages. When a reader clicks through to your site, send them to a landing page that correlates with the email and shares more information. It saves them from navigating your site looking for information and possibly losing interest and leaving.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have apprehended the Director General of the phantom Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Mr Adeniyi Adeyemi.
His arrest happened a few hours after Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a warrant for his arrest.
The police had announced plans to arraign Mr Adeyemi before the court on Tuesday over allegations bordering on forgery, impersonation, and related offences.
The security agency, in a fresh charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/562/2025, listed Mr Adeyemi, “Femi Surname Unknown,” and “Anu Surname Unknown” as the first to third defendants, respectively, over alleged forgery and impersonation.
The prosecution has lined up several witnesses, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, alongside officials from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, police officers, civil servants, and individuals allegedly linked to the operations of the purported agency. It was reported that a hotel operator, a clergyman, and persons said to have worked with Mr Adeyemi at the alleged agency are also expected to testify.
Investigators alleged that Mr Adeyemi operated the purported agency from the Federal Secretariat Complex in Abuja before his arrest.
The police case follows a public debate over the existence of the alleged PFIPC after Mr Adeyemi challenged the Presidency’s denial that the body ever existed.
Mr Adeyemi accused Mr Gbajabiamila of making conflicting statements regarding both the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council (PEAC).
During a recent press briefing, Mr Adeyemi called for an independent probe into the two bodies and alleged that Mr Gbajabiamila demanded financial payments linked to his purported appointment.
He claimed that N400 million was paid through intermediaries, with an additional N200 million allegedly requested—claims that have not been substantiated.
Mr Adeyemi also argued that references to both the PFIPC and the Presidential Economic Advisory Council appeared in the 2026 Appropriation Act, questioning the government’s position that the organisations never officially existed.
The planned prosecution comes as the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) continues a broader investigation ordered by President Tinubu.
The Senate had earlier declined to immediately investigate the inclusion of the alleged PFIPC in the 2026 Appropriation Act, opting instead to await the outcome of the anti-graft agency’s probe.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has sealed two fuel stations in Ogun State engaging in under-dispensing of petroleum products and non-compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021.
Leading the enforcement team around the Akute-Ajuwon axis of the state, the Head of Distribution Systems Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, Mr Olufemi Adebowale, said the move became imperative in view of repeated breaches of regulatory requirements by the affected stations and the need to protect the rights of consumers from sharp practices.
According to him, the development is part of its ongoing efforts to enforce compliance with industry regulations, protect consumers from sharp practices, and ensure that petroleum marketers dispense the correct quantity of products across the state.
He explained that records available to the authority showed that the fuel stations have consistently violated regulatory compliance by under-dispensing petroleum products, illegally breaking official seals placed on the facility, and resuming operations without authorisation.
According to him, such actions amount to a violation of the Petroleum Industry Act 2023 and undermine efforts to protect consumers from exploitation.
“The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority is carrying out a lawful enforcement on this facility. Our records have consistently shown that this company has been violating regulatory compliance.”
“It is high time we made it clear that they cannot continue to under-dispense products, deliberately remove our seals, and believe that nothing will happen; that is why we are here to enforce the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act 2023 he said.
“When it comes to under-dispensing, they are cheating members of the public by not selling the correct quantity of fuel. Also, once a station is sealed, it has no authorisation to operate. But this station deliberately removed our seal and continued operations, which is against the law.”
Mr Adebowale disclosed that the authority has been monitoring the station’s activities since 2025, describing the violations as persistent despite several enforcement actions.
He revealed that the affected station had been sealed no fewer than six times within the period, but continued to remove the authority’s seals and ignore invitations extended by the regulator.
“From our records, this has been happening since last year. The station has also refused to honour our invitations. It has been sealed not less than six times, yet it keeps removing our seals and resuming operations.”
On the sanctions awaiting the operators, Adebowale said the authority had served the stations with enforcement notices, while the facilities would remain shut until all stipulated conditions are met.
He added that the NMDPRA management would also consider suspending the operating licence of the affected stations, while also sending a strong warning to any fuel station intending to go against the rules of PIA.
“That is against the rules. They do not have any right to operate until we authorise them to do so. This is a clear deviation from regulatory compliance. According to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), when this happens, we must carry out enforcement, and that is why we are here today.
Beyond conducting this exercise, we are also using this opportunity to address the public through the media. As long as operators are doing the right thing, they have nothing to fear. However, for those going against compliance levels—whether through under-dispensing or direct violation of our seal—all necessary enforcement, penalties, and sanctions will be strictly applied against such offenders.”
“A letter has been served, the station has been completely shut down, and they must meet all the conditions, including payment of the applicable penalties. We are also looking at suspending the operating licence, subject to management’s approval,” he said, warning that any further attempt to tamper with the seals or resume operations illegally would attract criminal prosecution.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) says it has moved to reduce port gridlock by releasing trucks into Apapa and Tin Can ports in scheduled batches based on terminal demand, while enforcing strict rules against indiscriminate parking on port access roads.
The General Manager, Lagos Port Complex, Mr Debo Lawal, said the NPA management, led by Managing Director, Mr Abubakar Dantsoho, was committed to ending indiscriminate truck parking around the ports and aligning operations with global best practices.
He said the authority was working with Truck Transit Parks Limited (TTP) to regulate truck movement into terminals through a phased release system.
According to him, trucks will now be released in scheduled batches based on terminal demand, instead of allowing all approved trucks to enter the port corridor simultaneously.
“If a terminal requires 100 trucks, they will not all be released at once. They will come in batches to reduce pressure on the port access roads,” he said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.
Mr Lawal said a joint task force had been clearing Apapa and Tin Can port access roads since June 26, 2026, operating until about 8 pm daily to prevent indiscriminate parking.
He added that another clearance exercise would soon be conducted to sustain the gains and prevent a return to the persistent gridlock that previously characterised the port corridors.
The port manager, however, urged truck operators to support the initiative by exiting the port environment immediately after loading or offloading cargo.
He noted that some truck drivers still parked along access roads after completing port operations, despite repeated engagements by the authority.
“We engage truckers and their leadership every day, but enforcement will continue alongside sensitisation to ensure compliance,” he said.
On infrastructure, Mr Lawal said the federal government, through the NPA, had begun payment of the five per cent counterpart funding required for the 726 million dollar port rehabilitation project.
He disclosed that preliminary activities, including borehole drilling and site investigations, had been completed, while contractors were expected to mobilise to the site before the end of July.
According to him, a technical stakeholders’ meeting was held on July 7, while a broader stakeholders’ review was scheduled for July 13 to assess progress and address implementation gaps.
Mr Lawal said the rehabilitation project, alongside ongoing reforms, was aimed at reducing cargo clearance time, eliminating documentation bottlenecks and improving operational efficiency at the nation’s seaports.
He added that the National Single Window project was about 80 per cent completed, with a dedicated office already established near the port to improve inter-agency coordination.
According to him, the digital platform will integrate banks, the Nigeria Customs Service, shipping companies and other government agencies to improve efficiency, plug revenue leakages and enhance revenue collection.
Mr Lawal expressed confidence that improved digitisation, reduced human interference and more efficient truck management would strengthen Nigeria’s trade competitiveness and enhance operations at the Apapa and Tin Can ports.
