1to1 - Spring 2009 - (Page 45) ead Generation between sales and marketing. meetings, and vice versa. That way each group can see what works and what doesn’t before and after the leads get handed off. Once a clear definition is in place, marketers should begin their lead management process by scoring leads. Lead scoring is a technique for quantifying the expected value of a lead or prospect based on that person’s profile, behavior, demographics, and likelihood to purchase. It is used to prioritize and articulate the potential value of leads and maximize both marketing and sales effectiveness when interacting with that potential customer. “Organizations are starting to embrace lead scoring, but haven’t quite cracked the nut,” Michiels says. He says those companies that do score leads are looking at one or two components, but haven’t advanced beyond that. “Features like segmentation and scoring based on behavior are advanced actions, but gaining in popularity.” He adds that lead scoring can become even more valuable when marketers add a lead nurturing component to it. Most leads that marketers get are not ready to buy at the time the lead first comes in. In those cases, Michiels says, “you want to remain top of mind with prospects, as a thought leader and trusted adviser,” as they move through the buying cycle of awareness through to consideration and then purchase. This may mean sending leads relevant articles, or inviting them to trade shows and events. Search engine optimization firm Enquiro has employed this three-pronged approach to lead management, with a keen focus on the customer experience. “Each lead is a person,” says Andrew Spoeth, director of marketing at Enquiro, which works with Marketo on its lead management program. “It’s important to never forget what things look like through the eyes of the customer.” Spoeth works with sales to jointly create Le ad SalesMarketing a scoring system for user activities, such as downloading a white paper or visiting a trade show booth. He is also constantly refining his lead nurturing activities. For example, the company recently held a webinar about search engine optimization and website design. Prospects who attended the webinar or viewed the archive receive a related article via email eight days later. If that person opens the article link, Enquiro will send a more detailed slide presentation. “We only do the next step if they show interest and take action on the previous step,” Spoeth says. The marketing team then sends a lead to sales if certain scoring criteria are met. However, he warns, “high scores don’t always mean highly qualified leads. We’re constantly refining the algorithms and providing more nurturing.” As a result, Spoeth does not send as many leads to sales as in the past, but those he does pass along to sales are higher quality and more informed. “We’re learning all the time when it’s ready to pass on to sales,” he says, adding that the lead generation program only began a few months ago, so the sales cycle is not yet complete for the initial leads that have come in. But, he adds, “we’re learning a lot about how people want to interact with us.” > Elizabeth Glagowski THE NATURE OF NURTURING Lead nurturing is a key element to successful lead generation strategies. But what makes a good lead nurturing program? Jon Miller, vice president of marketing at Marketo, highlights three points to consider when developing a lead nurturing plan. Every interaction needs to be valuable to the lead, not just valuable to the company. Any interaction with a lead must contain relevant, useful information that helps potential customers become smarter. Leave the promotions and sales fluff out. d ea l Keep interactions bite-size. Miller recommends a “YouTube” approach: easily digestible chunks of information. A webinar, for example, may not be a good lead nurturing activity because prospects might not attend one regularly. But a white paper or newsletter allows prospects to learn through short yet frequent interactions. Know your leads. Classic lead nurturing is composed of dripmarketing campaigns. The most successful nurturing programs look at a lead’s past behavior and then adjust future interactions on an individual level. Spring 2009 45 http://www.1to1media.com/view.aspx?itemid=29293
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.