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 Reading5 Tips for Smart B2B Marketers on Black Friday
by MGB2B
Everyone else is out getting deals, pushing through crowds, and fighting over the last electronic gadget available for 79% off. But you — you are sitting back, eating a nice pile of leftovers, and planning for 2017. That’s the kind of business you run. So as you prepare, we’ve got a fews tips to get you started.
Here Are 5 Tips for Smart B2B Marketers As You Think Ahead to 2017:
- Get Your Creative Media Mix Right. Are you using the right medium at the right point in the sales funnel? This guide will help you fine-tune your plan, and hit the right people at the right time.
- See What You Can Gain From Your Trade Pubs. You can get more than just a print ad from your trade publications. More opportunities. More value. And a lot more leads.
- Learn the Latest Paid Search Opportunities. Adwords device bidding is one of the latest tools available to B2B marketers from our friends at Google. Those who use it correctly can gain an edge over their competitors.
- Know How Others In Your Industry Use Content. Learn not only the important stats for 2017, but what each one means for you.
- Rock the Trade Shows. Trade shows aren’t obsolete. They actually offer great new opportunities that never existed before. Use these 8 tips to do trade events right in 2017 — before, during, and after each show.
As the exhausted masses return from the malls, bruised and irritated by humanity, you’ll be sitting home with a belly full of turkey and a brain brimming with ideas for next year.
Happy Thanksgiving and a very Happy (and Smart) Black Friday to you!
Need more ideas for 2017? Drop us a line.
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