Updated November 29, 2021
As our original article highlights, using a reverse DNS lookup tool is an excellent way to generate new leads, optimize prospect pitches, and improve your website. That’s because these tools give you a ton of useful data about who visits your website and how they interact with it.
We laid out the case for why reverse DNS tools are worth using. They help companies accumulate data, which can be leveraged to improve your processes. Using one could be exactly what your business needs to reach new heights.
Keep reading to get a step-by-step look at how your company can start using a reverse DNS tool to enjoy all of the benefits we covered in our original article.
Digital content marketing has grown into a significant business. The amount spent on this sector has steadily climbed in recent years and promises to continue rising. The latest projections show that content marketing spending will eclipse $300 billion very soon. This signifies a shift in the way that companies are marketing their products and finding new clients. If you haven’t already, it’s time to hop on the digital marketing train or risk getting left behind.
One of the best ways to get started is to optimize your website for B2B lead generation. Using a reverse DNS lookup tool is the perfect way to begin. Doing so could significantly improve the value of your website as a marketing tool.
But understanding what a reverse DNS is, why you might want to look one up, and how to go about doing so can be challenging.
That’s why we’ve created the following guide. It includes everything you need to know about using a reverse DNS lookup tool to generate more leads. We’ll also tell you how this tool can help you convert more of the leads it develops. Keep reading to learn more.
What Is A Reverse DNS?
First thing’s first, let’s define some key terms. DNS stands for Domain Name System. Think of it as a kind of address list for devices connected to the internet. Every computer has its address in this list, which is called its IP address.
If you have someone’s IP address or their DNS, there are a variety of use-cases. But the main thing to focus on is that a reverse DNS lookup is the process of using someone’s IP address to return their hostname.
What Does A Reverse DNS Lookup Tool Do?
A reverse DNS lookup tool is what makes it possible to track someone’s IP address back to their hostname. This is sometimes used in place of a standard IP trace because it’s much easier to identify and work with a domain name than to work with a string of numbers.
The tool itself is straightforward. Using one is as easy as plugging an IP address into a field and clicking “submit.” When you do, you’ll automatically receive that user’s hostname, which you can use to learn about users and their behavior.
What Are Reverse DNS Lookup Tools Used For?
These tools are often used on email servers. Servers use reverse DNS (or rDNS) to block incoming spam messages. If an IP address doesn’t have a DNS in place, then the server can automatically block the message as spam.
rDNS is also commonly used for analytics purposes. It generates data that can easily be read and understood by humans. That makes rDNS preferable to IP address lookups in many cases since IP addresses are just long strings of numbers that mean little without further information.
Can You Use A Reverse DNS Lookup Tool For B2B Lead Generation?
Absolutely. One of the main use cases for reverse DNS lookup tools is for lead generation. The data provided by this process can be a valuable way of identifying new prospects – prospects your company could be able to convert into paying customers.
The process works a bit like this: When someone visits your website, their IP address is captured and leaves a record of who they are and how they interacted with your site. For example, companies can use someone’s IP address to see which pages they visited and how long they stayed on each one.
A reverse DNS lookup tool will turn that IP address into a hostname that can be easily tied to a specific company. So this tool essentially translates data that’s tough to understand by itself into a more meaningful and actionable form.
Can My Existing Web Analytics Tool Perform A Reverse DNS Lookup?
Most modern businesses already have a web analytics tool that’s capable of performing reverse DNS lookups. But many of these provide minimal value because the data they generate can be difficult to sift through.
The problem is that the reports generated by most reverse DNS lookup tools are filled with irrelevant data pulled from broadband and mobile phone visitors. This data means little to your sales efforts, yet it can be extremely challenging to zero in on the rDNS data that matters to your company.
A solution to this problem is to start using a web analytics tool specifically targeted to make reverse DNS lookups more effective. Leadlander is a great example of this.
Our tool automatically generates rDNS reports that are worth your attention. We sift through the unhelpful information for you so that you’re left with a sheet full of potential leads for your sales staff. It enables you to benefit from the power of rDNS without having to create special filtering tools on your own.
How to use a reverse DNS tool (step-by-step instructions)
For this step-by-step guide, we’ll assume that you’ve already chosen your reverse DNS tool. If you haven’t, take a closer look at some of the benefits that LeadLander offers and consider signing up for a free trial.
1. Begin by accumulating data
The first step to using a reverse DNS tool is always data accumulation. The more data you get, the more you will be able to work with it in unique ways to propel your company towards its goals.
But you don’t have to wait until you have an entire database to use the data you get from a reverse DNS tool. You can start using it to target individuals and B2B clients that visit your website.
2. Come up with your approach
The next step is to figure out how you will approach the targets you identify through your reverse DNS tool. Targeted emails can be very effective here, especially if you’re working with a large data set. But if your audience is smaller, you may try calling the prospects.
No matter how you reach out, you’ll want to be sure to mention that you know the lead visited your website. Doing so will help get the conversation flowing much better than a standard cold call or email.
3. Reach out to your audience
Now you’re ready to put your plan into action. Reach out to your audience with the method you selected. Try to do so quickly because you’ll want to contact them when your business is still fresh in their mind.
4. Evaluate and adapt
Your initial approach may not be the optimal one. That’s why it’s essential to evaluate the results you get from your reverse DNS tool strategy and adapt it over time if necessary.
Many reverse DNS tools will have a built-in analysis functionality to facilitate this. But you may also want to plug the data you generate into another type of business performance software to help yourself identify meaningful trends.
The key is to be adaptable in your approach. It can be beneficial to try a few different strategies, compare the results from each, then stick with the best option.
Optimizing your reverse DNS lookups
When done well, reverse DNS lookups can be a huge asset to your broader marketing efforts. Follow these tips to make sure you’re getting as much out of practice as possible.
Combine reverse DNS with other marketing tools
Reverse DNS lookups are pretty powerful on their own. But when used in combination with other marketing tools, they can form the foundation of your entire lead generation strategy.
There are several different types of tools that fit the bill here. You could use reverse DNS lookups to feed your CRM. Or you could put together profiles of the customer information you get from reverse DNS lookups to enhance your SEO techniques.
The key is to take the data from a reverse DNS lookup and use it to fill an existing strategy.
Use reverse DNS to update your databases
Many companies maintain large databases that are full of contact information for leads and customers. But these need to be checked regularly to ensure that the information isn’t inaccurate.
Reverse DNS tools are great for this. You can sync the data that they generate with your marketing databases. That way, you know that you always have the most up-to-date information for whoever visits your website.
Don’t neglect forward DNS lookups
It’s also worth mentioning that forward DNS lookups are a thing. Your company may also be able to use these to enhance its marketing results as well. Whereas a reverse DNS lookup starts with an IP address and returns a name, forward DNS lookups do the opposite by starting with a name and returning an IP address.
This can be useful in specific niche scenarios. Maybe you meet many of your leads in person, and all that you get from them is a name. If so, you could use a forward DNS lookup to find their IP address so you’re able to target them with online ads.
There may be other scenarios where you have someone’s name but not their IP address. When these situations occur, your best bet is to use a forward DNS lookup tool to find it.
Make sure your whole team has access to your results
Some larger companies tend to keep information siloed. But this is something that you want to avoid when you start using reverse DNS lookups. That’s because the information generated by reverse DNS lookups can be valuable to multiple employees. People from all levels of both sales and marketing can benefit from accessing this type of data — and you never know what other creative things employees can do with the information.
So make sure that you make this data freely available across your organization. Doing so is the best way to ensure that you optimize your reverse DNS strategy.
The Bottom Line: Why You Should Care
Using a reverse DNS lookup tool can have a significant impact on your company. Here are three of the most important reasons why your business should be using one.
Generate new leads for your sales staff
The best reason to use a reverse DNS lookup tool is to take advantage of an untapped source of covetable leads. If someone is visiting your website, it means that they’re already interested in your company and the products it’s selling.
Reverse DNS tools empower your sales staff to take full advantage of this. They’ll be able to start targeting the companies that are the most likely to turn into paying customers.
Optimize your staff’s prospect pitches
Reverse DNS tools don’t just tell you who’s visiting your website; they also tell you when they’re visiting your site and what pages are viewed. All of this information can be leveraged by your sales staff to create pitches that target the unique goals of the prospect they’re reaching out to.
For example, a reverse DNS might tell you that a company has visited one of your product pages multiple times. With this information, your sales staff can create a pitch highlighting the product’s benefits as they apply to the company in question.
Similarly, this tool can show your sales staff when the best time to reach out to a new prospect is. That’s because it will provide them with a report that shows the timeframe in which a company has visited your website. They can use that to follow up with the prospect immediately after they’ve check out your site, precisely when they’re most interested and engaged with your company’s offerings.
Validate interest from early-stage prospects
This can be one of the most effective ways to use the data you get from a reverse DNS lookup tool. It can be difficult to determine exactly how interested new prospects are in what you have to offer.
For example, maybe you’ve cold-called someone or sent out an email to a B2B client. Perhaps the prospect indicated some level of interest but you aren’t sure exactly how much time or energy you should put into following up with them.
A reverse DNS tool helps you make an accurate determination. You can use one to check if the prospect you’re curious about has visited your website after your call/email or not. This can be a great indication of their interest level in what you have to offer.
Better ROI data
Reverse DNS lookup tools can also improve the quality of your ROI data. Most modern companies use multiple channels to market their products and services to customers.
This helps businesses meet their target audience wherever they go online, but it can also make it very difficult to ascertain which marketing channel should be credited for a sale when one occurs.
Reverse DNS lookup tools help with this by providing greater insight into which of your marketing materials a lead has seen. You can cross-reference the data you get from a reverse DNS lookup tool with data you’re tracking for your marketing campaigns.
Doing this will help you figure out which of your marketing materials are responsible for a sale. And with that information, you can make more informed decisions about how to allocate your marketing and sales budgets moving forward to get the most out of them.
Optimize your account-based marketing strategy
You can also use a reverse DNS lookup tool to improve the performance of your account-based marketing campaigns. These tools help with that by giving you accurate information about the content each prospect cares the most about.
With that data, you can make more informed decisions about how you target the account moving forward.
For example, your reverse DNS lookup tool might show you that an account has visited the same product feature page on your website several times. You could use that information to create a personalized marketing plan for the account that revolves around the type of content that they’ve already displayed an interest in learning more about.
Enhance your website
You can even use a reverse DNS lookup tool to turn your website into a more effective sales tool. With the information provided by the tool, you can assess which pages of your site are getting the most traffic and which pages are the most effective at accomplishing set goals.
With that information, you can determine whether various components of your website are effective or not. For example, you might notice that one of the pages consistently sees low traffic or that the CTA you’ve placed isn’t performing as well as it should. Then compare to other parts of your website that are hitting your KPIs and make adjustments as needed.
LeadLander Can Help
Reverse DNS lookups provide a simple way to enhance your company’s B2B lead generation process. But not just any rDNS tool will do. To get the most out of one, you need a tool that simplifies the data generated into easily digestible chunks of actionable information.
This is where LeadLander can come in for your company. Our sophisticated web analytics tool makes it incredibly easy to track who visits your website and what they do while they’re on it. It generates simple reports highlighting what you need to know while omitting any useless information in the process.
The effect is a do-it-all platform that’s easy enough for everyone in your organization to use to suit their purposes. With LeadLander, you can turn your website into a powerful digital marketing tool that will help you keep pace with the ever-shifting business landscape.
We’re making it super easy to get started, too. Just visit our website and sign up for a free 14-day trial whenever you’re ready to begin. No credit card is required and you can cancel anytime you want.
So why wait? Give LeadLander a chance today. It could be just what you need to optimize your company’s digital marketing strategy and improve its B2B lead generation process.
