The Point

MAY 17, 2021

Whatever demand gen channels you use to generate marketing leads, there’s value in always promoting a mix of content and other offers that span the entire buying cycle: early-stage, mid-stage, and late-stage. Use of very short-term metrics will almost certainly devalue those leads and the perceived ROI from the program.

Marketing Management 207

Marketing Management Paid Search Agency Buying Cycle Demand Generation Agencies 207

The Point

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

The conclusion: most B2B companies were failing to follow even the most basic lead management best practices, even in areas that one would assume were a primary business case for purchasing marketing automation in the first place. The major software players in the marketing automation space have also seen a lot of changes in the last 5 years.

Marketing Automation Services 147

Marketing Automation Services Marketing Management Marketing Automation Automation 147

The Point

JULY 18, 2011

If you market CRM software, for example, and a prospective customer has a need for that software, that prospect is more likely to download a white paper on “how to improve customer service&# than he/she is to request a brochure on your product. Benefits/Applications/ROI (including case studies, if possible).

Paper 100

Paper Lead Generation Sample Lead Ranking 100

The Point

JUNE 11, 2010

Just getting started with lead nurturing? Recently invested in marketing automation software? Concerned that your lead nurturing program isn’t everything it should be? Great lead nurturing starts with more than just software. 10 Best Practices for Lead Generation & Pipeline Acceleration.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Paper Marketing Automation Services Tips 100

The Point

MARCH 24, 2021

For most B2B marketers I know, the goal of advertising in whatever form is to drive engagement, leads, and revenue. I may visit my neighborhood Starbucks based on emotion and comfort and brand allegiance, but if I’m making a six-figure decision about enterprise software, I’ll be doing so based on the cold, hard facts, thank you very much.

Advertising Agencies 312

Advertising Agencies Advertisements Advertising Paid Search Agency 312

The Point

SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

When marketers embark on a formal lead nurturing strategy, opportunities for process improvement can arise in unexpected ways. That was the experience for iDirect , a leading provider of satellite IP communications based in Herndon, Virginia. All this presents real challenges for both demand generation and lead management.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Lead Scoring Sales Qualified Leads Lead Ranking 100

The Point

DECEMBER 14, 2012

One of the most frequent questions we’re hearing from clients during this planning season pertains to the balance between pure lead generation on the one hand, and lead nurturing on the other. Even the most sophisticated lead nurturing program, however, depends on a stream of new leads entering the top of the sales funnel.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Demand Generation Budget Programs Demand 100

The Point

FEBRUARY 5, 2010

A couple of months ago, in a respected marketing Webzine, there appeared a case study detailing a software company that had gone to impressive lengths to make the most of their investment in marketing automation. Yes, you can tailor emails to fit every possible unique combination of demographic and behavioral criteria. Not really. I doubt it.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Rules Leads Lead 100

The Point

MARCH 29, 2017

Though the marketing team was doing a great job generating raw inquiries at the top of the funnel, the sales reps weren’t receiving the number of “sales ready” leads they needed to hit their pipeline targets. The lead funnel is obsolete. Think about it: most companies have no problem generating leads at the top of the funnel.

Sales Qualified Leads 50

Sales Qualified Leads Top of Funnel High Quality Lead Marketing Qualified Leads 50

The Point

JANUARY 7, 2020

Spoiler alert: no amount of Q4 spend – not even with intent data, ABM, conversational marketing (chat), content experience and any other bells and whistles you might have at your disposal – will enable you to suddenly make up for leads and opportunities that should have been developed weeks and months ago. Chances are: not likely.

Account Based Marketing 130

Account Based Marketing Top of Funnel Demand Generation Agencies Paid Search Agency 130

The Point

DECEMBER 6, 2010

Blog Makeover Nets Sales Leads for Software Company. In fact, I’ve written much more in the last 12 months about social media and lead nurturing, yet many of those posts didn’t make the cut. Eloqua’s “Juan Eloqua” Campaign: Email Creative at Its Best. 21 Tips & Other Impressions from the Marketo User Summit.

Lead Gen 100

Lead Gen Webinar Metrics Salesforce.com Eloqua 100

The Point

FEBRUARY 27, 2018

If you use a marketing automation platform such as Marketo , that software will track anonymous visitors to your Website by capturing their IP address and other information by means of a browser cookie. Simply cloning your CASL program for EU leads and contacts will give you a great starting point for building out a GDPR program.

Privacy Policies 231

Privacy Policies Marketing Automation Services B2B Marketing Marketing Management 231

The Point

JANUARY 31, 2011

What does a software company do when their paid search program is working well but just not generating enough leads? That was the issue faced by Navicure , a leading Internet-based (SaaS) medical claims clearinghouse that helps physician practices increase profitability through improved claims reimbursement and staff productivity.

Paid Search Agency 100

Paid Search Agency Demand Generation Agencies Sales Qualified Leads PPC 100

The Point

JULY 30, 2019

I argued previously in this space that one of the primary drivers for ABM, and the frustration that sales professionals rightly feel at the inability of marketing to deliver qualified leads, is that companies are just really bad at lead nurturing. More broadly, it’s not that demand generation has stopped working.

Demand Generation Agencies 140

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Account Based Marketing ABM 140

The Point

OCTOBER 25, 2016

But no company that I know of paved their way to marketing success solely by buying software. Issues that, alas, take more work than writing a purchase order for new software. Ineffective Lead Response. It’s alarming to see how many companies still rely exclusively on telemarketing to follow up on new leads.

Buy 100

Buy Telemarketing Top of Funnel Demand Generation 100

The Point

APRIL 8, 2015

The survey asked marketing operations managers and other B2B marketing executives to rank their current deployment of marketing automation software in 33 separate categories relating to either key software functionality or generally accepted best practice. The report is available as a free download from the Spear Website.

Lead Scoring 100

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Marketing Automation Services Marketing Automation 100

The Point

MARCH 3, 2015

Here’s why: One reason is that agencies aren’t structured to sell software. The staff, the expertise, the content, the sales cycles required to sell software effectively are very different. B2B Marketing Marketing Automation david raab marketing automation agency marketing automation best practices marketing automation software'

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Enterprise Management Paid Search Agency Advertising Agencies 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Lead nurturing programs designed to convert trial users tend to focus, as they should, on the very front end of the trial period, when it’s critical to make sure the user is fully engaged with the product being tested. This is an effective way to increase trial conversion rates yet stil avoid sending reps leads that don’t merit the effort.

Telemarketing 100

Telemarketing Marketing Automation Services Lead Nurturing Work Management 100

The Point

AUGUST 22, 2014

That might suggest that the adoption rate for marketing automation is lagging, but revenues for the leading companies are climbing at a torrid 50-60 percent per year. Even at mid-size companies ($20 Million – $500 Million), the figure is only 10 percent. Even then, however, the vast majority of B2B marketers have yet to take the plunge.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Paid Search Agency Marketing Automation Advertising Agencies 100

The Point

MARCH 13, 2013

Studies show that responding to new sales leads promptly, literally within minutes, can have a dramatic impact on the rate at which those leads are qualified, and the speed at which they convert to opportunities and, ultimately, deals. Here are 3 keys to crafting a successful autoresponder strategy: 1. Don’t try to do too much.

Autoresponders 100

Autoresponders Effectiveness Trade Show Bandwidth 100

The Point

JANUARY 21, 2020

At Spear, we design and build all MAP landing pages in professional design software, and then port the HTML to the intended platform, which frees us from any and all design limitations that might exist. Sensitive Data.

Landing Pages 147

Landing Pages Industry CMS Marketing Automation Services Marketo 147

The Point

MAY 9, 2017

Earlier this year, he launched The B2B Content Agency to provide clients with buyer research, message strategy and insight-lead sales narratives. The power to convert leads lies in the message – not the software.

Account Based Marketing 206

Account Based Marketing ABM Marketing Automation Services Lead Scoring 206

The Point

OCTOBER 10, 2013

Dave Brock wrote an excellent post recently (“ I’ve Never Ever Sold a Computer or Piece of Software ”) on what technology buyers really buy. Most companies market Webinars in terms of how the information can impact the prospect’s business: “Hear how Customer X used Software Y to increase revenue …”.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Personalization 100

The Point

JANUARY 21, 2014

I received an email recently from Kevin Payne, Senior Director of Field Marketing at customer service software provider [24]7. The number of leads was so impressive it gained the attention of Executive Staff. Kevin writes: “Below is one of our most successful email campaigns. Thanks again for your advice!”.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Advertising Agencies Campaigns Marketo 100

The Point

APRIL 19, 2012

On that score, there’s a lot to like about the email campaign below from CallidusCloud , a leading provider of cloud-based business software solutions. Most notably, it’s to the writer’s credit that not once in the email is there any mention of the CallidusCloud solution, or even what the company does. Here’s what else I like: 1.

Lead Scoring 100

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Paper Verticals 100

The Point

MARCH 22, 2017

For a particularly egregious example, see the email below from Azalead , a software platform for Account-Based Marketing (ABM). Most of the time, however, set-up paragraphs simply bog down the email in a recitation of facts (e.g. “As As a busy IT leader you know …”) that does nothing but try the reader’s patience.

Account Based Marketing 210

Account Based Marketing SIC ABM Demand Generation Agencies 210

The Point

MAY 3, 2016

No surprise here – the leading sales and marketing technology company says that investing in sales and marketing technology is a good thing. The cautionary note here is the same for all marketing technology – namely, that software alone doesn’t solve problems.

Marketing Report 100

Marketing Report Planning PPC Lead Ranking 100

The Point

MAY 27, 2014

I was reminded of this technique recently upon receiving an email from a software company that read as follows (names and other details changed to protect the misguided): “To get a complete picture of your company, you need an integrated business application. Adapted from “The High Tech Direct Marketing Handbook”.

Copywriting 100

Copywriting B2B Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation 100

The Point

MAY 6, 2010

Using even the most conservative assumptions, we were able to project a return – in the form of increased revenue – that far outweighed the price of the software under consideration, even allowing for related services and staff time. Not everyone is able to measure the precise ratios at which sales leads currently convert to sales.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Marketing Automation Marketing Management Automation 100

The Point

FEBRUARY 11, 2013

In the meantime, our CTO, Dan Appleman, had moved from the Microsoft platform to Force.com and had developed many software projects in APEX, the programming language for the Salesforce platform. BC: First, our software is complementary to marketing automation systems and Salesforce.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Salesforce.com Campaigns Budget Programs 100

The Point

JANUARY 13, 2015

Improving email campaign measurement won’t generate more leads or better leads, in and of itself, but it will help accomplish both those goals by providing the data necessary to identify what’s truly working. To measure the type of revenue performance that I describe, you’ll need software tools that empower you to do so.

Lead Ranking 100

Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads ROI Sales Qualified Leads 100

The Point

JANUARY 13, 2012

There’s a lot to like about the email campaign I received (image below) recently from Infusionsoft , a maker of sales and marketing automation software for small businesses. Make lead nurturing part of your campaign plan. Lead nurturing will always be more effective when it’s targeted, personalized, and relevant.

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Campaigns Practices Fulfillment 100

The Point

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Technology that was only recently regarded as “email software” is now becoming a vital component of a company’s sales and marketing infrastructure. Increase the rate and volume of qualified leads passed to field sales. Increase the number of pipeline opportunities by more effectively marketing to existing leads.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Marketing Automation Marketing Management Automation 100

The Point

APRIL 30, 2012

To the right is a subscription management page that we created recently for a software client, Noetix. When someone clicks on the “unsubscribe” link in a Noetix email, rather than landing on a simple Yes/No unsubscribe page, he or she will be pointed to this page offering an array of options to choose from, including “unsubscribe all.”.

Marketing Management 100

Marketing Management Marketing Automation Services Data Hygiene Ideal Customer Profiles 100

The Point

JULY 15, 2010

Salesforce.com is a dominant player in the CRM category and an integral part of many companies’ lead management, database marketing, and demand generation programs. Actually, it’s much easier for Marketing and lead cultivation people to get instant value out of Salesforce.com (SFDC) than it is for reps.

Salesforce.com 100

Salesforce.com Marketing Automation Services Budget Programs Work Management 100

The Point

APRIL 23, 2013

The other, from email marketing software provider ExactTarget , drives action by communicating the value of the content in concise, compelling language. One, a white paper offer from sales tax automation company Avalara , is a plodding recitation of facts that does little to grab the reader.

Email Campaigns 100

Email Campaigns Campaigns Copywriting Demand Generation 100

The Point

FEBRUARY 8, 2012

In the case of our agency , though we still get our fair share of calls from companies who find themselves saddled with what amounts to an expensive email broadcast system, a growing percentage of our engagements are with companies who have yet to even purchase the software.

Marketing Automation Services 100

Marketing Automation Services Marketing Automation Automation Process 100