Secrets for Generating More Qualified Leads
In today’s increasingly
competitive world of digital marketing, it’s not enough to know about concepts
like search engine optimization, social media marketing and other marketing
buzzwords. It’s important to learn how to incorporate the concept of a sales
funnel, particularly qualified leads, into your digital marketing strategy.
Your organization’s definition may
vary, but marketing qualified leads (MQLs) are defined as the “best-converting
leads on the market. MQLs are leads with intent – individuals and companies who
are in-market (or considering buying) a technology product.” MQLs are deeper
down the sales funnel, and more “ready-to-buy” based on key indicators defined
by your company.
A great way to identify if a lead
is a marketing qualified lead is by using the BANT method, which is a sales
method revolutionized by IBM 30 years ago. BANT is an acronym that stands for:
Budget – Is the lead willing and
able to buy your product or service?
Authority – Does the lead have
decision-making capacity to actually buy your product/service?
Need – Does your product/service
address an existing challenge experienced by the lead?
Time – Can your company deliver
the product/service in the same time frame the lead wants it?
If you’re looking to generate
leads that will make you answer “yes” to all four questions, then read on to
find out what steps you can take to do so.
Create high-quality content and targeted ads
A great way to capture marketing
qualified leads is through high-quality content and targeted ads. To deliver
those, you need inbound marketing and demand generation strategies, respectively.
Inbound marketing includes the
tactics you employ to draw interested individuals to your
website/product/service via content marketing. Your inbound marketing
activities could be the creation of landing pages, blogging (case studies are
great), guest blogging, social media updates and engagement, and premium
content such as eBooks, white papers, webinars, and infographics.
Demand generation is a marketing
tactic that drives awareness and interest in your company, your products,
and/or services. The strategy may include digital tactics such as paid search
(pay-per-click), social media ads and e-mail marketing, as well as traditional
marketing like print ads, TV commercials and tradeshows.
Answer questions before they’re asked
This doesn’t mean you should
bombard your potential customers with e-mails on what makes your product so
great. Instead, make information available and easily accessible for them to
find without having to contact you every time.
Be proactive; make sure product/service
descriptions are thorough, up-to-date and accurate. Provide access to FAQs,
forums, blog posts and other content that addresses potential inquiries,
concerns and even objections.
Remember, sales pitches aren’t
enough for some clients. In fact, many are determined to gather as much
information as possible before they even ask you any questions directly.
Provide value
Value is relative to the customer,
so many of your qualified leads may try to ask for a lower price, especially
when a competitor has a lower price point. Instead of viewing this as an
objection, look at it instead as an opportunity.
This is your chance to explain why
your product or service costs what it does and why your product is critical to
the lead’s continued success. Focus on providing the many benefits your
customer will have by investing in your product.
Now, if the lead appears to be
apathetic to your sales talk, that’s the time to start offering case studies
and demos to prove the real value of your product/service to them. If the
information is available, it may even be a good opportunity to give examples of
the consequences of not making a purchase.
Define a qualification process
According to Salesforce, the
qualification process cannot be overstated. Indicators on if a lead is already
qualified will vary from one company to another, but the most common
indications are:
- The lead is a decision-maker
- He/she is in a position that’s primed to make the purchase and not just looking for information.
It is important to qualify on
these two points because a study has shown that 50 percent of leads that are
qualified are actually not ready to purchase.
Nurture leads
Monitor the progress of prospects
and leads through the use of both a CRM (customer relationship management) and
a marketing automation software. If a lead turns out to be unqualified, it only
makes sense to send that lead back over to marketing to nurture the
relationship.
Create and target content like
personalized drip e-mail campaigns or design landing pages that are tailored
for specific lead segments. Finally, define lead scoring rules because leads
consume your content and move them to the different sales funnel stages as
necessary.
Lead generation is an important
indication of sales and marketing success. More than just any other lead,
however, qualified leads — those who are confirmed as interested in the product
or service and have the ability to buy — must be a primary concern for any
organization that aims to make a profit. Consider incorporating these tips into
your strategy today and start generating qualified leads.
Source: - http://www.sitepronews.com/2017/05/19/secrets-for-generating-more-qualified-leads/
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