Inbound lead generation is a method of attracting customers to your brand. It’s when a company puts out targeted content to appeal to its ideal customer. This content aims to push the prospect into action – starting a two-way relationship that eventually results in a sale.

As a B2B lead generation technique, it has grown in popularity in the last decade as B2B customers prefer to do their own research into products and services before they engage with salespeople, and they get to choose how and when they interact with the selling company.

It’s the opposite of outbound lead generation, where the company initiates contact with a prospect they believe should buy their product.

An inbound lead is any B2B prospect who responds to a piece of content that is part of an inbound lead generation strategy. For example, a response could be:
- Downloading an eBook
- Filling in a survey
- Calling the sales team after reading an article
Not all inbound leads are equal. B2B companies will score leads based on how they respond and how likely they are to become customers.

There are two types of inbound leads:
A marketing qualified lead (MQL) who has engaged with a piece of your content but they are still undecided and not yet ready to engage with your sales team directly.

A sales qualified lead (SQL) who has explicitly stated that they’re interested in purchasing your product and is ready to engage with your sales team.