How to Use People Search Tools for Effective Lead Generation
Leads are potential future customers for your company. That is why their constant generation is crucial for every business.
Lead generation utilizes different methods to engage the target audience, including people search tools. They come in various forms, but primarily, they provide detailed information about potential leads such as full name, mailing address, phone numbers, and email addresses.In this article, you’ll learn the peculiarities of these search utilities, their types, benefits, best practices, and how to use them. So, let’s get started!
What Are People Search Tools?
To generate leads, you need to find actual individuals. That is what people search tools mainly offer. They have large volumes of data collected via various means, including social media profiles, public records, and private databases.
By accessing such information, companies can approach potential customers in a more personalized manner. That elevates the quality of a lead. Utilizing CRM development services can enhance this process by efficiently organizing and analyzing customer data. Additionally, CRM development services enable businesses to automate lead management, ensuring a more streamlined and effective approach to customer relationship management.
Types of People Search Tools
There are several different types that are suitable for lead generation. Here is a summation of the various types that can be used for finding individuals and their contact information.
Free People Search Engines
The most cost-effective option is to use free-of-charge utilities to generate leads. They can provide basic information on individuals aggregated from publicly available data:
- Phone number;
- Address;
- Property records;
- Voter registration.
They focus on non-commercial and casual purposes and you certainly “get what you pay for” in that the data is not very accurate or current. Whitepages, TruePeopleSearch, and ZabaSearch are great examples of free people search tools.
Paid People Search Tools
If you are ready to invest in data quality while seeking extra information about your leads, paid utilities are there to help. They provide data with higher accuracy due to access to larger and more comprehensive private databases. The search process also becomes simpler due to advanced features and filters, such as background information, criminal history, and professional activity. For lead generation, you should check out:
- Searchbug: offers comprehensive data solutions for locating, verifying, and enriching contact information, enabling businesses to build extensive customer profiles.
- BeenVerified: provides extensive reports, including social media profiles;
- Intelius: conducts background checks on employment and education histories;
- Spokeo: creates a detailed person profile via info aggregation from different sources.
Niche People Search Websites
If you are looking for a specific audience, you should consider using search platforms to find a niche audience. They provide hard-to-find data about individuals to match specialized purposes like lead generation.
A great example of such a utility type is LinkedIn. It is a primarily B2B platform where you can connect with professionals and companies from various industries. The website is also quite effective at lead acquisition. Around 86% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to find and engage with potential clients.Other social media networks, like Facebook and Instagram, can be useful too. However, search engines on these platforms are less flexible for finding and generating leads.
Key Features of People Search Tools
Search Features & Parameters
The main aspect of such utilities is their information and filters. They allow you to narrow down the results to match the selected parameters. Depending on the quality of the tool, you can use more or fewer filters to find specific individuals:
- Name;
- Location;
- Age;
- Contact information (such email address or phone number).
Data Aggregation
The best people search tools, such as those offered by Searchbug, aggregate data from numerous sources to provide extensive reports. As a result, you receive a holistic profile of a person. As many such systems update their info in real-time, it guarantees high accuracy and relevancy of the data. Moreover, you don’t have to use multiple utilities, as all the information can be found in one service.
Contact Information
The crucial aspect when you are looking for a person is contact information, as it is “actionable” data. Once gathered, you can then reach out to them via email, phone, or direct mail.
Frequently, certain pieces of information can be missing from the profile of a potential customer. For example, you may only have a name and an email address from a newsletter sign up. Such broken leads can be fixed with people search tools to obtain the missing contact details.
Background Information
For a person’s full profile, you may need background information. It can include:
- Legal histories;
- Employment history;
- Education records;
- Marriage and divorce records;
- Property ownership;
- Financial Records.
Such data can be valuable for generating leads and transforming them into actual customers with personalized offers that cater to specific scenarios or demographics.
Advanced Search Capabilities
Advanced search capabilities often include reverse address, email, and phone lookup options. They allow lead generators to obtain additional information based upon specific input data, which then allows for the completion of a full profile of a person.
5 Steps on Using People Search Tools
1#: Identify Your Audience
At the very beginning of using people search tools for lead generation, you need to decide on your target audience. When you know what you are looking for, the entire process becomes clearer. Thus, start by identifying the demographic characteristics of your target audience:
- Age;
- Gender;
- Occupation;
- Location.
This list can include more points that are relevant to your needs.
Next, consider the psychographic features of lifestyle, values, and interests. Behavioral traits such as purchasing patterns, online activity, and engagement with certain product types are valuable, too. All these details provide a deeper understanding of what motivates your target audience.
Furthermore, knowing certain lifestyles or demographics of your audience unlocks the potential of additional tools to refine your targeting strategy even further. For example, the USPS Address Lookup and Verification tool can be a powerful asset. Imagine you’ve identified middle- to high-income households as your ideal customer. A quick Google search can help you pinpoint cities or postal codes with a concentration of those income brackets. Then, by leveraging the USPS tool within those parameters, you can generate verified and targeted mailing lists with a higher likelihood of reaching your ideal customers. This approach allows you to move beyond broad demographics and personalize your outreach for maximum impact.
By knowing all these parameters, it will be easier for you to utilize people search tools. You’ll be able to enter those details to generate high-quality leads.
2#: Select Corresponding Tools
After knowing what to look for comes the selection of appropriate tools. They must be able to cover all the details of the target audience. It is easy to get overwhelmed with all of the various services that provide versatile data. Remember to stay focused and hone in on tools that allow you to zero-in on your demographic target.
Additionally, make sure to use reliable services. For that, take time to investigate reviews on search platforms. They can reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each tool. Consider using trials to test the capabilities of tools. They should not only provide the requested info but also be user-friendly and easy to understand. This will make the entire process less time-consuming.
Side note: In the world of data collection, integrating a password manager tool is considered best-practice and can enhance the security of your data collection and storage processes, ensuring sensitive information remains protected. Additionally, a password manager simplifies access to various tools and databases, streamlining your lead-generation efforts.
3#: Gather Information
The next step is gathering information. From the very beginning, it is crucial to organize this process properly.
Use specific keywords and phrases to narrow the results of your findings. This ensures obtaining relevant data with higher accuracy. Consider providing specific descriptions of details, which reduces the potential misinterpretation of information when developing communication strategies.
Next, develop uniform databases and systems, such as a CRM or even a spreadsheet, that will contain your findings. Make sure to systematize the data gathering process so you’ll be able to access it and interpret it in a uniform manner. Additionally, you can categorize leads according to the probability of conversion.
4#: Validate and Verify Leads
Leads become useful only when they are validated and verified. That is why this is a critical step that ensures the credibility and accuracy of your findings.
Start with a cross-checking approach. Use services that allow you to validate and verify the data you’ve gathered. Email addresses and phone numbers are essential to verify. For example, accurate email addresses and validated phone numbers allow you to communicate with your leads effectively, which prevents wasting time and effort on low-quality and unverified information.
5#: Contact and Engage
The last step in obtaining leads with the help of people search tools is to initiate contact. Since you now have detailed profiles of every individual, you can personalize your strategy and try multiple channels for contact. Create a follow-up plan that nurtures leads via the sales funnel.
As for the messages, keep them clear, compelling, and calling to action. Such tailored, persistent engagement helps to develop trust relationships, increasing chances for successful lead conversion.
People Search Tool Benefits for Lead Generation
- Accuracy: Precise and comprehensive information on a person, including contact details. This allows for high-quality lead data that reduces chances for wasted efforts and improves conversion efforts;
- Time efficiency: Finding missing pieces of information saves time in lead generation. This allows businesses to allocate more resources to engaging with potential clients;
- Cost-effectiveness: Many services are quite affordable for finding information about individuals compared to traditional lead generation methods. With minimal time investment, you can obtain expensive data at lower costs, and this method is available for businesses of all sizes;
- Targeted leads: These services are extremely helpful when looking for specific leads that fall into a specific demographic category. Precise targeting elevates marketing efforts and effectiveness.
- Enhanced engagement: Businesses can implement more personalized outreach strategies with the information obtained. Tailored communication has a higher potential for success and enhances lead conversion.
Final Thoughts
Implementation of people search tools is crucial towards the success of your lead generation strategies. They provide valuable information and turn your partial data sets into high-quality leads. The utilization of such services will improve conversion rates, ensuring growth and success in a competitive market.