The Point

DECEMBER 15, 2020

A client asks: How long should a lead be chronically non-responsive before they’re marked as “marketing suspended”? Over time, an accumulation of stale, non-responsive leads can bump you to a higher pricing tier for your CRM or marketing automation license. . What best practices should we put in place?

Lead Scoring 162

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Leads Lead 162

The Point

OCTOBER 15, 2019

If your organization is generating plenty of leads but those initial inquiries aren’t converting to sales qualified leads, meetings, or pipeline, a myriad of things could be at fault: 1) sales follow-up may be sub-standard in either cadence, frequency, or message. 2) lead nurturing. 2) lead nurturing.

Sales Qualified Leads 138

Sales Qualified Leads Work Management Marketing Management Account Based Marketing 138

The Point

JUNE 23, 2020

B2B marketing has seen a dramatic change in the last decade, driven by radical advances in marketing technology and the emergence of new channels. Content marketing is dead. * Content marketing is dead. * Change in marketing is an evolution, not a coup. Cold-calling is dead. The MQL is dead. . The MQL is dead.

Lead Ranking 264

Lead Ranking Enterprise Management Marketing Qualified Leads Account Based Marketing 264

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

DECEMBER 6, 2022

Budgeting season is here again, and demand marketers are not immune. Define the percentage of that revenue (or pipeline) for which marketing is responsible. The trend is towards the higher end of that range, as marketing assumes responsibility for more and more of the funnel. We prefer to base budgets on MQLs vs. raw inquiries.

Budget Programs 162

Budget Programs Lead Ranking Demand Marketing Qualified Leads 162

The Point

JANUARY 7, 2020

Q4 is over, and with it, the inevitable rush to execute and scale marketing programs designed to somehow, magically, help a company makes its Q4 and year-end numbers. Here are 4 steps you can take starting NOW to eliminate headaches later in the year: Define how many leads you need to hit your numbers. takes time. But, yet, it happens.

Account Based Marketing 130

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

The Point

JULY 1, 2019

For the last decade or more, it’s been an accepted principle – almost a key tenet – of B2B demand generation that business buyers don’t want to talk to a sales rep until the last possible moment. It’s why, for example, we marketers have assumed control for more and more of the lead funnel. For example: * Lead Scoring.

B2B Sales 124

B2B Sales Demand Generation Agencies Top of Funnel Lead Scoring 124

The Point

JUNE 24, 2022

The TrustRadius report focuses primarily on how technology vendors should adapt their selling process to these new buying habits, but it’s also worth considering some of the key findings and their implication for the demand marketer. Key Finding 2: Buyers leverage sales reps for information less (and later) than ever.

Top of Funnel 130

Top of Funnel Cold Calling B2B Demand Generation 130

The Point

DECEMBER 13, 2019

The rate of change in B2B marketing and marketing technology continues to accelerate, and 2020 promises to be no different. I asked the best subject matter experts I know, my colleagues at Spear Marketing Group , what trends they think will highlight the next 12 months in B2B demand generation.

Demand 222

Demand Ideal Customer Profiles Demand Generation Agencies Account Based Marketing 222

The Point

APRIL 19, 2023

There’s an old truism in marketing that says the three most important success factors are (in order of priority): List, Offer, and Creative. Most marketers accept this axiom implicitly, and yet B2B companies routinely define their target audience with more attention to logos and aspiration than actual fit.

Ideal Customer Profiles 130

Ideal Customer Profiles Marketing AI Marketing Analytics Tools B2B Marketing 130

The Point

DECEMBER 5, 2023

House lists (customers, leads, and other opted-in contacts) are not immune. However, remember that the threshold may also include bulk sends from sales tools like SalesLoft or Outreach. Hi Sally”) is a band-aid at best, and may even increase spam complaints by branding your message immediately as a marketing email.

Deliverability 162

Deliverability Rules Purchase Marketing Automation Services 162

The Point

MARCH 22, 2019

Lead scoring – as a fundamental part of a company’s lead management strategy – has officially fallen out of fashion. Two reasons I can think of: One is that lead scoring is routinely set up as part of an initial implementation of a marketing automation platform. So, is lead scoring a dying art?

Lead Ranking 113

Lead Ranking Lead Scoring Sales Qualified Leads Account Based Marketing 113

The Point

JANUARY 27, 2022

When companies look to get started in Account-Based Marketing (ABM) , the first step is very often a pilot campaign. Pilot campaigns are modest in scope, and they cause companies to dabble in ABM without the lead time, personalized content, technology, research, data, and other key investments that a more thought-out strategy merits.

Account Based Marketing 204

Account Based Marketing ABM Campaigns Demand Generation Agencies 204

The Point

APRIL 22, 2020

I posted recently on LinkedIn that, in the current climate, leads from content syndication and other CPL programs may be an ideal replacement for lost trade shows and other events, and indeed can be an effective way to stay engaged in the marketplace at a time when many buyers are laying low. Quality content = quality leads.

Lead Scoring 162

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking CPL Cost per Lead 162

The Point

JULY 30, 2020

Even as demand generation activity begins to pick up, most marketing budgets right now remain tight, and so B2B companies are looking for creative, low-cost ways to drive demand. Blogs are historically the province of the PR team, and so they’re not often looked at as a vehicle for driving leads, sales engagement, and revenue.

Demand 221

Demand Lead Scoring Lead Ranking Marketing Budget 221

The Point

APRIL 16, 2019

Because costs per click in B2B search campaigns can often be extremely high when companies compete the for same keywords, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) for B2B advertisers offers its own very unique challenges. Is the offer appropriate for the likely sales stage of the prospect? Failure to Nurture Leads Correctly.

Cost per Acquisition 235

Cost per Acquisition Paid Search Agency Campaigns Cost Per Click 235

The Point

MARCH 18, 2020

Most B2B marketers we talk to are continuing to plan, develop and execute campaigns and other initatives, for the time being at least. Right now, people want empathy and information of value, not a sales pitch. If nothing else, lead nurturing. Offer free information on how to cope, certainly.

Demand 243

Demand Demand Generation Agencies Top of Funnel Account Based Marketing 243

The Point

OCTOBER 25, 2018

The analysts at Demand Gen Report just published their “ 2018 Lead Nurturing & Acceleration Survey Report ” and one conclusion is no surprise: many B2B companies are still really bad at lead nurturing. It’s not just that 44% of respondents said that their lead nurturing “needs improvement.” Think about that.

Lead Nurturing 178

Lead Nurturing Marketing Report Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 178

The Point

APRIL 26, 2018

In a world where demand generation , and marketing in general, is more data-driven than ever, one of the hottest topics in B2B circles is intent data. How should the average B2B marketer be looking to leverage intent data in their demand generation mix? But is that real? HS) How do you define Intent Data to a layman? (CC)

Intent Data 209

Intent Data Intent Bombora Account Based Marketing 209

The Point

MAY 28, 2020

ABM was born of a time when (in hindsight) we marketers had it good. A major driver for the advent of ABM was the frustration that sales teams in particular had with a funnel-based model in which they were bombarded with inquiries that, ultimately, didn’t convert. Most sales teams are starved for opportunities.

Demand Generation Agencies 162

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Ideal Customer Profiles Lead Ranking 162

The Point

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

Given the business case on which most Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategies are founded – namely, that ABM increases opportunities and revenue from high-value accounts – the temptation for marketers is to measure the success of those programs on similar, high-value criteria: namely, opportunities, revenue, and average deal size.

Account Based Marketing 290

Account Based Marketing ABM Lead Ranking Sales Qualified Leads 290

The Point

AUGUST 25, 2020

Not every Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy starts from the same place. Sales Structure. – How is your sales team structured (BDR/SDR, Field), how are they assigned (geo territories, named accounts), and what responsibilities will individual team members have in an ABM campaign? Lead Management Definitions/Processes.

Ideal Customer Profiles 147

Ideal Customer Profiles Account Based Marketing ABM Lead Ranking 147

The Point

JUNE 30, 2017

In the headlong rush to Account-Based Marketing , many B2B companies are, quite naturally, looking to implement ABM in a manner that allows them to dip their toes in the proverbial water. ABM is a strategy, and a wholly different way of looking at how leads, opportunities and revenue are generated.

Account Based Marketing 235

Account Based Marketing ABM Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation 235

The Point

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

I was left a voicemail earlier this week by a sales rep that I talked to (briefly) about 6 months ago. As a sales professional or as a marketer, if you engage with a qualified prospect and that prospect doesn’t convert immediately to an opportunity, there’s every reason to stay in touch with that individual over time.

Lead Nurturing 224

Lead Nurturing Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 224

The Point

JUNE 25, 2019

[Thanks to Anne Angele, Spear’s esteemed Director of Marketing Technology, for this month’s guest post.]. Marketing attribution is a hot topic these days in B2B circles. Yet, for all the interest, precious few B2B companies achieve the holy grail of knowing exactly how – and where – their marketing investment impacts revenue.

Marketing Attribution 242

Marketing Attribution Work Management Marketing Management Marketing Automation Services 242

The Point

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

For a long time, “ lead nurturing ” was thought of as something you did with the leads that sales didn’t want. The theory was: leads come in, the sales team gets the hot ones, and the rest go to lead nurturing. Today, of course, a comprehensive lead nurturing strategy is much more than that.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Top of Funnel Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring 100

The Point

JUNE 5, 2018

Earlier this year, Forrester Research conducted a detailed survey of more than 150 B2B marketing decision-makers with the intent of benchmarking the maturity of B2B marketing best practices, focused on revenue marketing and marketing automation. for lead management to 3.35 Marketers are just beginning that pivot.

Lead Ranking 194

Lead Ranking Forrester Lead Scoring Paid Search Agency 194

The Point

NOVEMBER 27, 2018

Social media may be a hot topic in B2B marketing circles, but most of that buzz focuses on the role of social media advertising. Are B2B marketers ignoring a huge opportunity? In addition, the platform integrates with leading marketing automation platforms, such as Eloqua, HubSpot, Marketo, and Pardot. Click To Tweet.

Top of Funnel 203

Top of Funnel Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Lead Scoring 203

The Point

JANUARY 19, 2021

2020 was a year of change for marketers worldwide, much of it not for the best of reasons. Will B2B marketing, and demand generation in particular, revert to “normal” once the pandemic subsides and economic recovery kicks in, or are recent trends destined to become staple tactics in the months and years to come?

Demand Generation Agencies 147

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Lead Ranking 147

The Point

DECEMBER 11, 2018

I may not be a market analyst, but from what I see working with our agency’s B2B clients , it seems to me that, in the language of technology adoption lifecycles, Account-Based Marketing (ABM) stands at that pivotal junction – what Geoffrey Moore calls the “chasm” – between early adopters and early majority.

Account Based Marketing 157

Account Based Marketing ABM Ideal Customer Profiles Enterprise Management 157

The Point

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

Almost 5 years ago, our agency conducted a survey to determine whether B2B companies were getting maximum value from their investment in marketing automation. You’d assume, therefore, that marketing automation maturity – the level of sophistication at which companies employ the technology – has improved.

Marketing Automation Services 147

Marketing Automation Services Marketing Management Marketing Automation Automation 147

The Point

OCTOBER 8, 2015

Bear with me as I relate a quick story about lead nurturing: A few months back I became a sales lead. I sent an email to a marketing technology firm, one with whom I was vaguely familiar, about a client campaign for which I thought their technology might be useful. A question: at this point, what kind of lead am I?

Lead Ranking 100

Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring 100

The Point

JULY 30, 2019

Much has been made of the argument that Account-Based Marketing (ABM) gained traction so quickly in B2B marketing primarily because traditional, funnel-based demand generation has stopped working. Whether it’s intent data or BANT-qualified cost per lead (CPL) programs, demand gen has become a race to the next short cut.

Demand Generation Agencies 140

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Account Based Marketing ABM 140

The Point

MAY 28, 2019

Like so many other trends that first take root in the consumer realm, B2B companies are starting to take note, to the point where chatbots – programs designed to simulate (and stimulate) conversation with online users – are being heralded as the “next big thing” in B2B marketing. Inserting chat into a lead nurturing. in particular.

Demand Generation Agencies 127

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Top of Funnel 127

The Point

OCTOBER 8, 2020

An old boss once commented: “75% of marketing is just being in the right place at the right time.”. For more companies than not, marketing success is rarely about convincing a given individual, on a given day, to buy what it is you’re selling. Marketing Success & the Accident of Timing Click To Tweet.

Demand Generation Agencies 173

Demand Generation Agencies Paid Search Agency Advertising Agencies Marketing Agencies 1 173

The Point

JUNE 20, 2018

In marketing circles, there’s little argument these days that a well-planned, well-executed Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy can pay real dividends. Develop a multi-touch, multi-channel campaign to market to those account contacts with display ads, nurture emails, and a meeting-setter direct mail campaign. Click To Tweet.

Account Based Marketing 168

Account Based Marketing ABM Multi-Channel CPL 168

The Point

JULY 14, 2015

In an era when “demand generation” and “content marketing” are virtually synonymous, most B2B sales leads are the result of a prospect downloading or requesting content. The best opportunity for converting raw inquiries to sales-ready status is at the very top of the funnel, immediately upon the prospect expressing interest.

Sales Qualified Leads 100

Sales Qualified Leads Marketing Qualified Leads Lead Ranking Top of Funnel 100