B2B Monday Myth: Once the Lead Is Generated, My Job Is Done
by MGB2B
Myth: Once a Lead Is Generated, My Job Is Done.
The Truth: Lead Nurturing Is Necessary to Drive Prospects Towards a Purchase Decision.
Your B2B sales funnel has multiple steps: Awareness, Interest, Decision, and Action. As marketers, we spend a lot of time trying to generate leads and get prospects into the top of the sales funnel by promoting awareness. Once we have the lead, it’s time to pass the contact onto Sales, where they can try to work their magic on convincing the prospect to make a purchase, right? Not quite.
Before the prospect is ready to make a decision, they spend some time in the Interest portion of the funnel. This is the opportunity to nurture the relationship, and move the buyer along in the decision-making process. Here are a few tips to get you started:
Develop the Right Media Mix
The different steps of the sales funnel require different strategies in terms of media mix. So if you are targeting those who have shown some interest, attempt to settle their skepticism with targeted, informational media. This could include paid social media posts on topics in the industry, webinars with trade publications, sponsored e-blasts, or paid search. Take this step to foster interest. As a result, prospects will be engaged and ready to make a move toward decision-making.
Know How the Lead Was Generated
The way you nurture a lead will depend a lot on how you garnered the prospect’s awareness in the first place. They took some palpable step to give you their information, whether it was filling out a form on your website or giving you their business card at a trade show. How you go about nurturing one lead will differ from the others. The channels you use and the content you share will depend on many factors. For instance, if a prospect watched one of your webinars, send an email thanking them and asking for feedback. Then invite them to the next one. Automated B2B lead nurturing can help you get the right messages out to prospects based on their behavior. And it can raise conversion rates significantly.
Segment Your Prospects Into Personas
Creating a fictional character who represents a buyer in one of your audience segments will more easily allow you to share relevant content that the prospect actually cares about. Your target segments have different needs, preferences, motivators, challenges, media preferences, and belong to different verticals. Don’t ignore the power of personalization. Start here by checking out our guide to persona creation.
Be Authentic
Nothing will turn a prospect off more than trying to pitch to them every time you’re in contact. Your purpose for lead nurturing is to maintain relationships with your prospects, and convince them of you authority in the industry. This can be done without sending out weekly promotional product emails. Distributing relevant content will position you as a trustworthy company with integrity. And talking to your prospects like they are actual human beings can only benefit you. While promotions should be tastefully added, content should be your primary focus.
Marketing and sales teams should work together to master the lead process. Resist the urge to pass your contact along for a sales pitch without first increasing their interest. And remember — it often takes 7-10 touchpoints to have a qualified, interested lead for the sales team to close. If you beef up your lead nurturing program, you’ll enable your business to do a lot more closing. And the marketing team, the sales team, and the CEO will all be very, very happy.
Continue ReadingThe Right Creative Media Mix to Feed Your B2B Sales Funnel
by MGB2B
With so many advertising options out there, it can be difficult to sift through the clutter and decide what the right B2B media mix is for your business. A media mix is the combination of communication channels you can use to market your business. It can include print and online ads, radio, television, billboards, websites, email, and social media. The mix will vary depending on your specific marketing goals; however, there is always one commonality: we want the consumer to take action.
That action could be visiting a landing page, filling out a contact form, or making a purchase. Whatever the desired action may be, the goal of your marketing mix is to drive as many customers as possible to that action. How? By feeding each step of the sales funnel with the right media tools.
Step 1: Awareness
What It Is – The customer is aware of the existence of your product or service, but doesn’t know much about it. Yet.
Media Tools – Broad reach media such as print ads in trade publications, radio, and television ads on targeted channels.
Step 2: Interest
What It Is – The customer begins actively expressing an interest in your product or service, but may still be skeptical.
Media Tools – Targeted, informational media such as paid social media posts with industry-related topics, informational webinars with affiliate trade publications, sponsored e-blasts through trade publications, paid search.
Step 3: Decision
What It Is – The customer is interested, engaged, and ready to make their decision. The goal is to make sure it’s you they are choosing.
Media Tools – Targeted, sales-focused media such as direct email campaigns, paid social media, targeted online display advertising, paid search.
Step 4: Action
What It Is – The customer is ready to take the next step towards purchasing your product.
Media Tools – Continuation of media from Step 3, with renewed focus on driving customers to your point of sale (website, contact form, phone number, etc.).
There is no absolute formula for making a sale. But by putting together an enticing media mix instead of putting your eggs all in one basket, you can guide your potential customer through the sales funnel – and increase your likelihood of closing that sale.