Material specific to marketing automation such as needs, best practices, lessons learned, and benefits of marketing automation.

Lead Liaison

Understanding and Automating Your Marketing Funnel

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Understanding and Automating Your Marketing FunnelWhen you’re getting ready to work out your marketing automation plan, understanding and automating your marketing funnel is one of the most important things you can do. Many companies see ads for larger marketing automation companies and get excited, expecting a miracle solution to come in that will completely revitalize their business.

Is a marketing automation company capable of some miracle work? Absolutely. You’ll be able to track signs that customers are ready to buy and spend time on leads that truly hold the promise of closing. But at the end of the day, if you aren’t ready to nail down what your sales process actually is, marketing automation isn’t going to work as well as you’d like it to – no matter which company you go with or what methodology you put into place.

Identifying Your Sales Funnel and Sales Cycle

A sales funnel isn’t a finite thing – every business has its own process and sales cycle – but any business that identifies prospects and sells goods or services has a sales cycle, and therefore a sales funnel. Just like your common hardware-store funnel, the top of the sales funnel is wide – meaning, leads get to you in a variety of ways.

As you engage leads through your funnel, the way you focus them on your products and services tends to become sharper. You want leads to understand your true value, to think about you when an opportunity for purchase comes along, and to refer you to friends and family for future sales of your products and services. For that reason, your sales funnel doesn’t actually have an end if you have the types of products that can be re-purchased.

The length of your sales cycle determines how you set up your marketing automation. If you’re selling a larger ticket item, it’s possible that clients could spend weeks or months in your sales funnel as opposed to just a few days. It’s common sense – a new home is a lifetime purchase, but a product you see on an infomercial is something you might buy in just a few seconds. A Realtor doesn’t necessarily advertise on television – they put themselves out there via word of mouth, billboards, magazine and internet ads and signs put up in front of houses because a house is an infrequent purchase. A Realtor relies on the fact that most families will purchase only once or twice in their lifetimes, so it’s important to get their name out there rather than to encourage a quick sale.

Automating the Funnel

Take the time to determine what the different steps are in your funnel. See one of our top articles on Sales Pipeline Stages to learn more about typical stages in the funnel. How do people get to your brand and therefore into your funnel? Once they’re in there, how do you manage leads and identify which ones have true potential to close? For customers who aren’t read to buy, how can you further engage to get them to buy, and how can you track the results of your engagement? Do you reach out to customers once they’ve been sold to, or do they leave your radar – and therefore your funnel?

Marketing automation software like Lead Liaison helps you not only automate the above process, but you can also track metrics to get an idea of your overall marketing effectiveness. Marketing automation can definitely change the way your company closes leads and engages leads in your funnel.

Some marketing automation companies leave you to figure out your sales cycle and sales funnel yourself. At Lead Liaison, we’re happy to look over your processes to find out how best to automate your sales and marketing funnel. For more information, contact us today!

Lead Liaison

What to Expect From Your Marketing Automation Platform

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Marketing Automation PlatformToday’s marketers are relying more and more on automated marketing systems to execute and monitor marketing practices. With a number of marketing automation platforms (MAPs) available in the marketplace, how do you know which system will provide you with all the tools you need? Following years of platform development, we have found there are several components that you should seek when searching for the right system for your B2B company. Here are some functionality areas that should be addressed in your decision.

System integration

Outbound and inbound marketing tools should be fully integrated into the MAP and delivered through a single user interface. An integrated system allows users to launch email campaigns and other communication channels from one platform. Your MAP should automate most common functions and provide scheduling for multiple simultaneous campaigns. And a good system will seamlessly integrate with popular CRM platforms.

Content management

The MAP system you select should provide the capability to easily create, re-purpose  or reuse web forms, landing pages, and other assets. Does it have an organized library for documents, templates, forms, etc.? Your content should be easily managed and the platform should allow permission-based access by employees and partners.

Program management

Drip campaigns, display ad routing, and trigger marketing tactics should all be achievable through a robust system. Lead nurturing practices will require message creation, a delivery schedule, exit conditions, and in-campaign updating. Your marketing automation platform should provide all these functions across multiple campaigns.

Database capabilities

Your lists are your lifeblood. A good MAP system allows for easy list creation, import and export functions, and list prioritization. Of high importance is the capability to integrate your marketing databases with a CRM system, allowing for dynamic exchange between each platform. List segmentation is also an important function because such features provide sharper targeting.

Lead generation and management

Your marketing automation platform’s primary goal is to streamline and enhance lead generation, management, and distribution. Therefore, you should expect your system to be able to manage inbound leads and send autoresponders based on website visits and other online activities. And CRM-integration should provide seamless transition between the platforms for leads that must be returned to marketing for nurturing.

Lead scoring

The system should score leads based on explicit (location, industry, etc.) and implicit (behavioral traits) data. The scoring matrix should be adjustable to allow for new parameters and modified weighting. Once a lead has received a score, the platform should automatically place new leads in the appropriate pipeline stage and responsively transition leads through the pipeline as additional engagements take place.

Reporting and analytics

An automated marketing platform should provide reporting capabilities. Robust platforms will deliver granular reports and the individual and group levels. The analytics functions should return data from disconnected marketing tools such as social media and user forms. Check for real-time tracking of online behaviors.

Channel integration

Whether your marketing practices include webinars, social media, email, or display ads, your MAP should allow posting, auto response, CAN-SPAM compliance, and personalized capabilities. Better MAPs also provide visitor alerts, behavior tracking, and prospect tagging.

There are many more functions that you should expect from your marketing automation platform. The bottom line is that the MAP system you select should provide you with a broad set of message creation, lead management, reporting, and channel integration tools. If you would like to learn how our Lead Management Automation™ supports your automated marketing practices contact one of our account representatives at 888 895 3237 or sales@leadliaison.com.

Lead Liaison

How Lead Nurturing Content Fuels the Marketing Automation Engine

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How Lead Nurturing Content Fuels the Marketing Automation EngineAn effective marketing automation program will be able to draw in an endless supply of quality leads. Almost every lead has the potential for conversion, but it takes strategic and informative lead nurturing content to earn their trust and eventually their business.

Most people visit a specific website in search of information. They want to learn more about a product or service to determine whether or not it is something they are truly interested in buying. Static webpages are a start, but they don’t have the same impact as lead nurturing content. Leads have a harder time trusting the material displayed on the website, since it is obviously designed to be boastful promotional ad copy geared at landing new business.

Subtle Sales Tool

Lead nurturing content is more subtle. From the reader’s perspective, it should sound like an educational guide designed to help the lead make an informed decision. It should brand a company as being an expert and offer the potential customers reliable answers to their most commonly asked questions. It should never sound like a sales pitch.

Customized Lead Nurturing Content

It also should be customized to cater to each lead based on their online profile. The marketing automation process starts with generating leads and then defines each lead’s individual potential using a ranking method referred to as lead scoring. The lead scoring process gathers their demographic and behavioral characteristics and creates a profile.

The next aspect of marketing automation is breaking these leads into more manageable segments (groups), so content can be developed for lead’s that share similar needs. Although each lead has a different profile, many will be searching for the same information.

Take for example a business that specializes in acupuncture. Some leads may be looking to treat back pain, others may be interested in trying acupuncture to quit smoking, and some many want to use it to lose weight. Depending on the website pages these leads choose to read (click on), marketers can determine what need they are looking to satisfy with acupuncture.

Answer the Lead’s Needs

Once these leads are grouped based on information that they are currently reviewing, content can be generated that answers their needs. Using the above example, if someone has spent considerable time on webpages that address how acupuncture can help you quit smoking, the marketing automation program can be setup to send them an article on the benefits of quitting smoking.

The article itself does not need to promote how acupuncture can help you quit smoking. A lead will trust the information more if it is solely focused on educating the lead on why they should quit. This shows concern for the lead’s health and ultimately builds trust.

Use Registrations to Gain Information  

A company can also attach featured content to visitor registries to gain further insight into a lead’s demographic characteristics. If a person is truly interested in reading more about why they should quit smoking, they will be willing to fill in their basic information to secure access to the article or tutorial. This information is they added to their profile and used for lead scoring.

Lead nurturing content fuels the marketing automation engine by developing trust as it guides leads through the buying process. It is an opportunity for a business to speak directly to the potential buyer and convince them a product or service is necessary for their well-being. It can be powerful fuel for the marketing automation engine when it is used as a customized, subtle sales tool.

Lead Liaison

Why Your Sales Pipeline Needs Marketing Automation

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Why Your Sales Pipeline Needs Marketing AutomationHave you thought about why your sales pipeline needs marketing automation? We came across an old post the other day that got us talking about marketing automation and the sales lead pipeline. One of Lead Liaison Revenue Performance Specialists commented that B2B lead management has been completely changed because of marketing automation. How, you ask?

1. Redefines Early Pipeline Stages

In the past, a B2B sales pipeline has typically included four primary stages: Inquiry, Lead, Opportunity, and Customer. Thanks to marketing automation sales managers can have a more well-defined view of activity leading up to a sales close. There are four newly recognized phases in today’s sales lead pipeline:  Prospecting, Awareness, Qualification, and Nurturing. These new stages have become recognized as important contributors to the sales cycle.

2. Provides Lead Scoring

B2B marketing automation provides measurements that score leads as they become more familiar with your solutions and company. The commonly quoted industry standard of 80% of first contact B2B leads are not ready to buy means that leads require deeper connections through consistent, progressively-staged messaging. During the lead nurturing process leads can be digitally scored  for sales-readiness within an MA system, which allows salespeople to focus on the hottest leads.

3. Gives Sales Agents Better Information

Sales agents have a greater understanding of sales prospects before they make contact because of the data collected through marketing automation. For example, activities such as webinar attendance and infographic views can be captured in a MA system and reveal how informed a lead is about your products. A savvy sales agent can incorporate that information into her sales approach with that lead. Often B2B prospects must be educated about business solutions. Moving leads through a sales pipeline using a marketing automation system also provides a focused product education process. Automated messaging helps lessen the educational responsibility for your salespeople.

4. Gets Marketers More Involved in the Game

In the past, marketers have had little accountability when it came to moving a prospect to a customer. With marketing automation, marketers now have more “skin in the game” when it comes to moving leads through the sales pipeline. The newly-added sales pipeline stages we mentioned earlier are, for the most part, marketing-related. Prospecting, creating awareness, and lead nurturing rely on digital messaging, social media and search engine strategies, and other marketing-related activities. And now management can see how effective digital marketing campaigns are at bringing in qualified leads through the use of an automated marketing system.

5. Provides Consistent Message Scheduling

Marketing automation uses staged release mechanisms to contact leads on a regular basis. Marketing campaigns used to rely on a lot of leg work to distribute messages; with MA that is no longer the case. From emails to blog posts to articles to press releases, digital marketing assets can be deployed at scheduled intervals using a streamlined process provided by a marketing automation system.

6. Allows Managers to Manage Better

With the incredible level of analytics an automated marketing system provides, marketing and sales directors can now analyze critical details about marketing activities. From page views to click-throughs, MA systems provide data and information that can be used to either improve good marketing campaigns or scrap ineffective ones. Some marketing automation systems require a sizeable investment and may not be appropriate for every company, but those that invest in a marketing automation system to manage their sales lead pipeline find their marketing and sales effectiveness improves. To learn more about how marketing automation can help your company contact a Lead Liaison representative.

Lead Liaison

Five Ways Marketing Automation is Good for Your Company

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Five Ways Marketing Automation is Good for Your CompanyMarketing automation is good for your company. In the world of marketing, automation makes sense. Why? For two reasons: 1) automation provides better tracking and lead management for digital marketing campaigns; and 2) automation provides marketing and sales alignment, which allows both functional silos to operate more efficiently and effectively.

Lean B2B companies with smaller sales and marketing departments can automate functions that, in the past, have required hours of work. Mid-size companies can be more agile with messaging that reacts to market sentiment. Large companies can maintain a competitive edge through targeted, sustained campaigns that strengthen brand loyalty and grow top line revenues.

Marketing automation (MA) is used to streamline workflow and provide measurement for marketing activities in order to increase operational efficiency and accelerate revenue growth. How does MA help small to large companies improve their marketing effectiveness? There are five benefits that marketing automation provides:

Nurture Relationships

Marketing  industry analysts claim that 20% of leads that connect with your brand are not sales-ready at the point of first contact. Therefore, a relationship must be built to move a suspect lead to a customer. In fact, when done properly, lead nurturing can yield nearly 50% more sales-qualified leads from marketing campaigns. Marketing automation allows marketers to develop, execute, and monitor extended campaigns that move leads through buying stages.

Retain/Strengthen Existing Relationships

Marketing automation provides a way to encourage brand loyalty through scheduled messaging to customers. Companies that incorporate MA have significantly improved their customer retention rate versus those that don’t, according to industry leaders. Data collected through digital engagements can be analyzed and leveraged towards stronger relationships. In addition, MA provides a structured approach to up-sell and cross-sell opportunities.

Segment Market Participants

Companies are able to segment leads by various criteria through the use of marketing automation. For instance, groups can be easily organized by geography, demographics, online behavior, and other attributes. Marketers can increase messaging effectiveness by tailoring campaigns that capitalize on stored data.

Sales and Marketing Alignment

Marketing automation is the best way to blend marketing and sales activities for greater efficiency and effectiveness. MA helps each silo through coordinated messaging, lead scoring, and pipeline management functions. Companies can more readily identify hot leads through a combination of lead nurturing and lead scoring. And systems that integrate with customer relationship management (CRM) platforms provide a seamless transition for leads that have moved from marketing-qualified to sales-qualified status.

Measure ROI

Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of marketing automation is the ability for management to measure return on investment in both sales and marketing functions. Executives can analyze response rates,  social media impacts, and other metrics with a few clicks. For example, our Lead Management Automation™ platform provides details about lead sources, campaign types, and most active lead territories, to name a few.

The bottom line is that marketing automation solutions like those developed by Lead Liaison provide companies a streamlined approach to marketing activities and builds alignment between sales and marketing. Business executives can save time and money, measure and optimize marketing investments, and drive revenue growth faster through a robust marketing automation platform.

Please share how your company reaps the benefits of marketing automation. To find out how Lead Liaison can strengthen and improve your marketing process, contact us today!

Lead Liaison

How to Get the Most from Marketing Automation

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How to Get the Most from Marketing AutomationRecently, there have been some marketing specialists that have besmirched the reputation of marketing automation (MA). They have said marketing automation does not work or that MA is not cost-effective. But we are here to tell you that evidence shows B2B marketing automation can make many companies more effective in their marketing practices. The key to making an MA system work effectively is the strategy that is developed before the system is deployed. Here are a few ideas to consider when you’re developing an automated B2B marketing strategy to get the most from marketing automation.

Keep email lists up to date

B2B marketing automation relies heavily on email transmissions. Unfortunately, email addresses often change and job tenure is not as extended as it used to be. Therefore, it’s critical to maintain a current email database with active accounts. Email records decay at a rate of 25% per year so stay on top of your email list: plan to review database records annually and review deliverability reports monthly or quarterly.

Provide timely information

According to a Gartner Research “customers will manage 85% of their relationship with (an) enterprise without interacting with a human.” This means that automated marketing messages had better be relevant and timely. Inbound marketing relies on connecting digitally with leads at the right time, but it’s just as important that auto-response messages connect mentally when prospects are searching for solutions.

Match messaging to lead source

Prospects can connect with your brand from a number of sources. Make sure that the automated messages that follow a lead’s action support the lead source that “sent” the lead. For instance, a lead that connects with you through a Facebook share should receive a message that references the share link that was used to find your brand. This way you recognize your prospects as unique and provide personalized messaging.

Set a reasonable pace for message delivery

With so much email – both wanted and unwanted – filling up mailboxes, it’s a challenge to grab attention and generate enough interest to get read. To get opened you must approach your leads cautiously but consistently. Avoid sending messages too frequently, you may become an irritant. Send messages too infrequently and you risk losing a customer to another more timely message. There is no magical formula for setting delivery schedules but a good rule of thumb is to schedule messages for delivery between three and seven days from the previous contact event.

Tailor messaging to lead behaviors

Don’t simply send a broad message to market segments, acknowledge the path that has brought a prospect to your brand by addressing previous online activities. You can’t rely on your messaging to be simply relevant to your markets’ objectives (i.e. seeking a solution); messages should also remind leads of the digital journey they have taken to get to your brand. Blog reads, website visits, purchase history, and search activity should all be considered when designing automated marketing messages.

Change with customer evolution

Automated marketing should not remain static. Ten years ago there was no Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. The channels that B2B buyers use to find solutions will likely change over the next 10 years. B2B prospects use search engines 93% of the time to find solutions and 37% post questions on social networking sites for information. Your automated marketing strategy should be flexible in order to adapt to changing digital marketing channels.

Don’t rely on email alone

Marketing automation systems are evolving. Use automated article delivery or set landing pages to deliver messaging. In the era of full mailboxes, consider other assets to drive lead engagement.

Automated marketing practices are relatively new, and some claim that the verdict is still out on their efficacy. However, the Lead Liaison sales team has found that customers have seen improved response rates and higher conversion rates through the use of our automated marketing solutions. This means more revenue is being generated. The key takeaway here is that, in order for your marketing automation system to be effective, your automated marketing strategy should be solid. To find out more about setting up an effective marketing automation strategy, talk with one of our knowledgeable Lead Liaison sales agents today!

Lead Liaison

Why Marketing Automation Can Produce More Sales-Ready Leads

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Why-Marketing-Automation-Can-Produce-More-Sales-Ready-LeadsMarketing automation can produce more sales-ready leads for your business. Not every online lead is ready to make a decision. Many online shoppers are still deciding whether or not they even need a product or service. They have not begun the process of deciding where they will make their purchase and they have no desire to speak to a salesperson until they are ready.

Marketing automation is designed for these types of leads. It produces more sales-ready leads by first identifying leads that are actively demonstrating interest by researching information online. Marketing automation then tracks each of these lead’s online behavior and rates their activity against the pre-purchase behavior of existing customers.

Lead Profiling and Scoring

By comparing potential leads to the typical buying patterns of current customers, marketing can prioritize leads based on their likelihood of conversion. They can also encourage leads to volunteer their demographic information using registration forms for newsletters, white papers, or tutorials. Leads that are willing to fill out online surveys are given higher priority, since it demonstrates a more sincere interest in a product or survey.

Marketing automation is designed to gather as much information on a lead as possible to determine BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, & Time). Can they afford to make a purchase? Do they have the authority to make a purchase? Do they need to make a purchase? Are they ready to purchase? The answer to all four questions should be yes before the lead is given to the sales department.

Use Quality Content to Nurture Leads

If the lead is not sales-ready, the marketing automation program will build on their interest with informative content that confirms a need for a product or service. For example, if a lead has clicked on a page that discusses general information about the online accounting software program that the site offers, lead nurturing can be programmed to email a helpful article on how accounting software programs can save a business time and money.

If a lead is further along in their buying process, the nurturing content can be designed to make them feel more confident about their purchase. Using the previous example, it could be an article on how technology has made it safer and easier to manage your finances online. This aspect of the marketing automation process will produce more sales-ready leads by nurturing leads based on their individual needs.

Customization based on Lead Segments

To make the content customization process more efficient, leads are broken down into lead segments based on similar profiles and score. Marketing automation generates an abundance of leads and it is too difficult to personalize content for every single lead. By grouping leads together, content can be created for each type of lead.

The marketing automation process can produce more sales-ready leads by profiling, scoring, segmenting, and nurturing each lead throughout their buying process. Only leads with the highest scores are given to sales, so valuable time is never wasted on leads that are not ready to buy.

Lead Liaison

How to Develop an Effective Marketing Automation Strategy

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How to Develop an Effective Marketing Automation StrategyAn effective marketing automation strategy has the ability to quickly generate new customers and increased revenue. It gathers potential leads that are actively searching for information online, profile’s each lead’s interests, nurtures leads with helpful and relevant content, and then scores them to assess their potential for conversion. The process is efficient and automated, but a truly effective marketing automation strategy will also require a human touch.

It is All about the Customer

The first and most important focus must always be on satisfying the customer’s needs and concerns. This can be achieved by understanding the critical attributes of existing customers and then using those factors to create a lead scoring model.

What is the lead researching online?

What is their buying history?

What are their interests?

An effective marketing automation strategy is based on finding out as much information as possible on every potential lead. Clever marketers will use registration forms to block particularly valuable content, requiring leads to volunteer pertinent information prior to access. Marketing automation also uses online newsletter registries as a method for gaining greater insight into a lead’s characteristics.

Lead Profile & Ranking

Once this information is obtained, marketing automation software compares and ranks it using a profile of an ideal prospect. For an effective marketing automation strategy, the profile it is ranked against should as closely represent a typical buyer as possible. A good plan is to create the lead scoring using a collaboration of both the sales and marketing team’s experiences with current clientele.

Marketers know what landing pages and tutorials are bringing in business and the sale’s team understands what their customers need and want. Any marketing automation strategy will need both perspectives to effectively capture an accurate and complete lead profile.

Segment Leads into Groups

Using the information gathered for the profile, each lead will be segment in groups based on similar needs and wants. Marketing automation cannot effectively target every lead individually due to the massive volume of leads it generates. However, personalized campaigns make a huge difference in the eyes of the customer. Since the customer is the first priority of marketing automation, lead nurturing campaigns are created to target specific lead segments.

Content that Provides Value

The last fundamental aspect of marketing automation is creating relevant and informative lead nurturing content. The content that is being provided to lead must offer them real value. This is a business’ chance to brand themselves as experts in their field and earn the customer’s loyalty.  All lead nurturing content must be focused on building relationships and trust.

An effective marketing automation strategy begins by profiling, ranking, and segmenting each lead. Once leads are grouped together and their needs are understood, quality content can be customized to satisfy their concerns. All of this is designed to produced more qualified leads and build stronger and longer-lasting customer relationships.

Lead Liaison

How Marketing Automation Strengthens B2B Relationships

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How Marketing Automation Strengthens B2B RelationshipsMarketing automation strengthens B2B relationships. Savvy purchasers are spending more time researching their buying decisions online and it is resulting in higher expectations of online businesses. They are now craving more personal attention from the fast-paced, highly-technical commercial business world. B2B buyers want to feel like they are valued customers again. They want the same customized service from their online vendors as they are accustom to from their local suppliers.

Offers Value before the Sale

Marketing automation strengthens B2B relationship by offering advice and guidance prior to the sale. It shows the B2B buyer that the company cares enough to offer them advice without expecting anything in return. Let’s compare this method using a traditional office furniture store. Prior to the internet, a salesperson would book an appointment with a buyer to go over their catalog and pricing. During this meeting, they would offer their advice and expertise on what type of furniture would best suit the space.

When a customer is browsing office furniture online, they may not know exactly what they need. They know what appeals to them, but unless they have some interior design experience, it will be difficult to figure out which pieces of furniture will work best in their given space. If the website for the furniture store offers the perspective customer design tips and helpful articles that explain how to choose the ideal layout, it will provide the buyer with additional value.

Offer Personalized Content that is Helpful to the Lead

In marketing automation, this is referred to as lead nurturing content. It is not meant to be a sales pitch or ad copy. Its main goal is to brand a business as an expert and develop trust with a buyer. This relevant and informative content can be further personalized based on the lead’s online behavior. The possibilities for customized content increases dramatically when a lead is profiled and scored using marketing automation.

Gain Greater Insight into Each Lead

Lead scoring provides deeper insight into buyer’s behavior and demographic characteristics. It assesses and ranks each lead compared to a typical consumer. By tracking which pages a lead visits, which tutorials a lead downloads, and how frequently a lead visits a site, marketing can determine their likelihood of conversion. When past purchasing history and demographics are added into the mix, lead scoring can provide a clearly defined profile containing all of the lead’s vital details.

Group Leads Based on Similar Needs

Once leads have been profiled and scored, they can be segmented into similar groups for a more customized approach. It will most likely be too difficult to cater to every leads concerns individually. Leads that share the same needs are grouped together and nurtured by providing information that is more relevant to their online activity and demographic profile.

Marketing automation provides a deeper insight into each lead and their unique needs. This insight can be used in countless ways to strengthen the connection between supplier and buyer. By using marketing automation to strengthen B2B relationships prior to a sale, a business can brand themselves as an expert and develop trust with future clients that will last well beyond the initial sale.

Lead Liaison

Better Lead Management using Marketing Automation

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Better Lead Management using Marketing AutomationLead management drives business. Being able to gather, nurture, and direct leads is a fundamental aspect of every company’s success. Marketing automation has streamlined this process into a highly-effective machine that produces leads with a 50% higher conversion rate than traditional marketing. It provides better lead management using automated software combined with a personalized approach to target leads efficiently and effectively. Here’s how you can achieve better lead management using marketing automation.

Driven by Lead’s Online Activity

Marketing automation sources leads based on their online behavior and demographic profile. This gives marketers the ability to tap into a lead’s buying process to determine how they research and source their purchases. It is focused on the links they click on, the pages they visit, as well as the demographic characteristics that they volunteer during online registrations.

Measures Activity Using Lead Scoring

Online activity is measured using lead scoring criteria to determine which leads have the highest potential for conversion, resulting in better lead management. It gives higher priority to leads with recent activity and it degrades leads based on periods of inactivity. Lead scoring also attaches a value to each lead based on their professional information and the behavior they have exhibited on a website.

Gives Sales Only Qualified Leads

By comparing leads to an ideal customer profile using lead scoring, marketing can determine where each lead is at in their buying process and how likely they are to convert. Only qualified sales leads with the highest scores are passed onto the sales department, so their time is never wasted on leads that have a low potential for conversion.

Offers Further Lead Nurturing for Leads that are Not Ready

Unqualified or cold leads are redirected back into the lead nurturing program until their engagement level increases. Lead nurturing offers potential consumers answer to their most frequently asked questions. It is personalized and relevant content that provides leads with free advice in an effort to build trust in a particular brand.

Creates Strong Relationship with Leads

Since leads are first profiled and then nurtured, marketing automation has the power to create a strong relationship with the lead prior to the purchasing being made. Effective lead nurturing will establish a company as being a trustworthy expert in their field. If the lead nurturing program is effective, leads will feel like they can rely on the free information provided by the business. This will also make them feel more confident in their decision to buy.

Lead management is a complex process that used to require a team of marketing professionals. It can now be efficiently managed using marketing automation software that is driven by potential lead’s online behavior and demographic profile. It generates more qualified leads and nurtures undecided leads until they are ready to make a decision. It also builds trust between lead and supplier. There is no doubt that better lead management can be achieved using marketing automation.