Most small business marketing automation software tracks the IP addresses of website visitors before they identify themselves as a lead by completing a form on your website to download a content offer. Heres a screenshot from HubSpots marketing automation software detailing prospect intelligence:
There is a wealth of information to be gathered from the prospect intelligence tool:
All of this data can be used to optimize your marketing efforts to increase web traffic.
A web visitor becomes a lead by providing contact information (usually an e-mail address) in order to receive a premium content offer like an eBook or webinar. Marketing automation software identifies the leads activity prior to becoming a lead by matching the IP address and incorporates that data into the lead record. Analyzing the data associated with your leads provides insight into the quality of the lead and the problems facing the lead. Some of the intelligence gathered includes:
Lead intelligence lets you tailor future interactions with the lead to enhance their experience with your company and position you as a trusted advisor.
Lead Scoring is the process of determining if the lead is ready for sales interaction based on the following factors:
Once you have assigned point values for the elements discussed above, the best practice is to work with your sales team to determine what point level equates to a sales-ready lead. When a lead is identified as sales ready, it is passed to the sales team to pursue. By implementing an accurate lead scoring system, you dont harass people who arent ready to buy and you maximize the efficiency of your sales team by passing along leads that are well into their decision-making process. Keep in mind that lead scoring is never perfect and that you should always be adjusting your lead scoring based on data analysis.
As stated earlier in this blog post, most leads are not ready to buy at their first interaction with your website. Lead nurturing is the process of using e-mail marketing to provide buyers with the right content as they move through their purchasing process. Simply stated, lead nurturing mirrors your selling process with the buyer's decision making process. Here is a description of the types of content that is appropriate at different stages of the buying process:
Lead nurturing is a topic that will be covered in detail in a future blog post. For purposes of this discussion, the best practice for lead management is to sketch out the stages that buyers of your products or services go through and determine the best types of content to help them progress through their buying decision. A well-structured lead nurturing program will position your company as a trusted advisor and increase your chances for success as the buyer formulates their purchasing decision.
Follow these 4 lead management best practices and you will be much more efficient in your revenue generation efforts. Rather than taking a scattered approach to revenue generation, lead management will let you focus your efforts and maximize the efficiency of your limited revenue generation resources.