The Point

MAY 19, 2020

2 A core engagement program that runs indefinitely, one that delivers a regular stream of informational content to all prospects in a pre-defined sequence, can be paused at any time to allow for tactical batch sends (ex: Webinars), and is regularly augmented by new or replacement content. Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash.

Lead Nurturing 299

Lead Nurturing Class Budget Programs Lead Scoring 299

The Point

MARCH 20, 2012

In order for a prospect or customer to register for your event, it’s critical that your email invitation convince him/her that the benefits of attending the Webinar make the investment in time worthwhile. But just to hear a senior product manager tell me why his product is so exciting? Not so much.

Webinar Metrics 100

Webinar Metrics Product Marketing Management Transparency 100

The Point

JANUARY 23, 2018

. * Technology changes rapidly, and tech companies often have windows of opportunity to realize revenue from products or services before they become obsolete. Here’s why: * Many tech products are first of breed solutions and/or of a complexity that demands a more long-term, consultative selling process.

Sales Management 253

Sales Management Sales Qualified Leads Demand Generation Agencies Lead Scoring 253

The Point

APRIL 16, 2019

B2B clicks can be very expensive, but – depending on your product category and the cost of your solution – a high cost per click can actually be a bargain compared to the potential revenue that a new customer generates. Not Doing Everything Possible to Pre-Qualify Prospects. Some will be, well: junk.

Cost per Acquisition 235

Cost per Acquisition Paid Search Agency Campaigns Cost Per Click 235

The Point

FEBRUARY 14, 2018

This functionality not only generates additional insights for marketers as to just how much of their content prospects are actually reading, but also enables more sophisticated lead qualification methods, for example: granting higher lead scores when an individual prospect reads more than say, 80 percent of a white paper. It doesn’t.

Paper 193

Paper Demand Generation Agencies Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 193

The Point

OCTOBER 11, 2022

Having a customer or user or prospect follow you or your company on LinkedIn, for example, and the ongoing communication and brand awareness that permits, can be just as effective as opt-in email. Buyers want information of value that isn’t just a list of reasons to buy your product.

Marketing Report 246

Marketing Report Email Marketing Co-Registration Privacy 246

The Point

MARCH 8, 2018

Sure, they’re expensive to license, but they’re instant fodder for all sorts of content marketing, they bring credibility and name recognition to a campaign, and – bonus – they say nice things about your product. The information value of an analyst report – no matter how complimentary – is not that it says nice things about your product.

Marketing Report 216

Marketing Report Planning Gartner Demand Generation Agencies 216

The Point

JUNE 24, 2022

As in the consumer space, B2B buyers use a variety of content to research prospective purchases: social media, Google search, review sites. This is consistent with the larger trend of PLG (Product-Led Growth) in B2B tech, in which customer acquisition, conversion, and retention are driven primarily by the product.

Top of Funnel 130

Top of Funnel Cold Calling B2B Demand Generation 130

The Point

SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

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. then only the most highly motivated prospects will ever respond. Are you ready to buy yet? Click To Tweet.

Lead Nurturing 224

Lead Nurturing Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 224

The Point

DECEMBER 5, 2023

Lastly, these new regulations only reinforce what should be email marketing best practices, regardless: * Focus on value, not volume * Strive for relevancy, at all costs (hint: segmentation) * Offer information that solves problems vs. pitches a product Note that I don’t mention personalization. Basic, token-based personalization (e.g. “Hi

Deliverability 162

Deliverability Rules Purchase Marketing Automation Services 162

The Point

APRIL 19, 2017

The best demand generation campaigns start with content that your prospects want. Does the topic help to qualify the prospect as someone suffering from a problem or pain point your product/service can solve? After all, it’s the title that drives the prospect to click on your ad or fill out the registration form.

Top of Funnel 214

Top of Funnel Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Paper 214

The Point

APRIL 19, 2023

Enter Exegraphics, an entirely new way of looking at companies that allows marketers to more accurately define, and target, those organizations that are the best fit for a particular product or solution. There’s a lot you can learn from companies that are a certain size or belong to a specific industry. Exegraphics can give you that insight.

Ideal Customer Profiles 130

Ideal Customer Profiles Marketing AI Marketing Analytics Tools B2B Marketing 130

The Point

APRIL 22, 2020

MOFU and BOFU content like case studies and analyst reports will result in fewer downloads and a slower pace of leads, but typically from prospects that are further along the buying cycle. Note: it is not sufficient to simply dump these leads into your regular nurture stream, even one that’s persona- or product-specific.

Lead Scoring 162

Lead Scoring Lead Ranking CPL Cost per Lead 162

The Point

JULY 1, 2019

How well does your current lead scoring program identify prospects exhibiting signs of buyer intent? Sales Alerts. If sales is alerted to virtually any sign of interest on the part of a prospect (say, an email click), those alerts quickly become worthless and duly ignored. For example: * Lead Scoring. Gated & Secondary Offers.

B2B Sales 124

B2B Sales Demand Generation Agencies Top of Funnel Lead Scoring 124

The Point

DECEMBER 6, 2022

It goes without saying that these formulas and the underlying assumptions are subject to your specific sales model, tech stack, staffing model, product category, target audience, and marketing preferences. How to Calculate Demand Gen Budget: A Rough Guide Click To Tweet.

Budget Programs 162

Budget Programs Lead Ranking Demand Marketing Qualified Leads 162

The Point

FEBRUARY 28, 2023

What actions do you want your prospects to take? Depending on your audience, product category, and level of brand awareness, maybe what you really need is a search campaign. Many will even help write the proposal to apply for funds. What content assets or other calls to action (CTAs) have worked best in the past? Or an ad on LinkedIn.

Demand Generation Agencies 147

Demand Generation Agencies Advertising Agencies CMS Development Work Management 147

The Point

JANUARY 13, 2017

In an era when the average business buyer only contacts a brand when he/she is 67 percent through the buying process , there’s every reason to make sure that you’re reaching prospective customers at every stage of their research, not just when they’re ready to buy. Conversely, early-stage prospects may be far from evaluating solutions.

SEM 100

SEM Paid Search Agency Marketing & Strategy Sales Qualified Leads 100

The Point

JULY 27, 2018

The bar in either case is the level of time, effort, and commitment required of the prospect or person registering for said offer. So, for example, on a spectrum from low to high: * a white paper is a low bar offer (very little asked of the prospect). * I wrote about how to get prospects to say “yes” to a meeting in this earlier post.

Account Based Marketing 100

Account Based Marketing Campaigns Multi-Channel Demand Generation Agencies 100

The Point

OCTOBER 8, 2015

Unfortunately the budget for the campaign got cancelled, so I emailed the rep, told her the bad news, and that I would continue to keep her company and product in mind for future needs. Prospects who then engage with that nurturing content can then be further profiled, or scored, and the rep can be alerted based on pre-defined triggers. (At

Lead Ranking 100

Lead Ranking Marketing Qualified Leads Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring 100

The Point

JANUARY 17, 2019

I’ve written previously in this space about how automated lead nurturing works best, not as a dumping ground for unqualified leads, but as something that works in parallel with sales development to increase lead conversions and maximize SDR productivity. Spoken as someone that never answers his phone, ever.).

Sales Qualified Leads 168

Sales Qualified Leads Tips Lead Nurturing Multi-Channel 168

The Point

AUGUST 21, 2018

I haven’t asked Joe directly, but I believe he means that, in the absence of a genuine need for a product or solution, marketing rarely creates that need. Even if your product is trailblazing a new category, or solving a problem that few companies know they have, you can still orient your marketing to capture demand.

Demand Generation Agencies 113

Demand Generation Agencies Demand Generation Demand Generation 113

The Point

AUGUST 27, 2019

The relatively high cost of LinkedIn advertising can lead some marketers to want to generate only highly-qualified leads or those further along in the buyer journey, but attempting to have the offer itself qualify those leads can be counter-productive. Stale Creative.

Paid Content 241

Paid Content Advertising Agencies Linkedin Advertisements 241

The Point

MAY 9, 2017

(SP) I believe branding is making a comeback because marketers are finally realizing that deploying martech tools to automate the delivery of undifferentiated messages isn’t enough to engage and convert prospects. The purpose of branding is to ensure your product or service is the preferred choice in the minds of buyers.

Account Based Marketing 206

Account Based Marketing ABM Marketing Automation Services Lead Scoring 206

The Point

AUGUST 25, 2015

When someone registers to download a white paper or podcast or case study about the business challenge that your product solves, he or she is expressing an interest in that topic, not necessarily in your product. That individual may well be a great candidate for your product, it’s just that he/she doesn’t know it yet.).

Autoresponders 100

Autoresponders Leads Lead Marketing Qualified Leads 100

The Point

JULY 18, 2014

In particular, she notes that “… 80% of the companies were primarily focused on themselves, with information on products and features but little in regard to the issues their customers might be facing.”. Companies pay lip service to this reality, but then in practice pump out content that is mostly product collateral in sheep’s clothing.

Forrester 100

Forrester Work Management Content Marketing Demand Generation Agencies 100

The Point

AUGUST 18, 2014

Note: these strategies assume that hot leads – those prospects who specifically requested follow-up or were otherwise graded as “high priority” on the show floor, get prompt response directly from sales. Follow-up emails are a great place to remind the prospect of announcements you made at the show. But don’t overdo it.

Trade Show 100

Trade Show Campaigns Tips Lead Nurturing 100

The Point

MAY 23, 2017

For the publishers, I can see the appeal: the opportunity to diversify their product portfolio, add another revenue stream, and charge higher CPLs. Question: is this a smart choice for marketers? For the average B2B marketer, I’m not so sure this is a wise move. Here’s why: First, some context.

Sales Qualified Leads 110

Sales Qualified Leads Cost per Lead High Quality Lead CPL 110

The Point

AUGUST 11, 2015

At any given time, you do not know where a given prospect is on that journey. But that does that mean that every buyer, for every product, conducts 67 percent of his/her research online? Secondly, do you really know where a specific prospect is in the buyer’s journey? No two customer journeys are the same. Sorry, but no.

Sales Cycle 100

Sales Cycle Demand Generation Lead Nurturing Aggregators 100

The Point

JANUARY 24, 2013

What is the range of products in which a prospective customer could express interest? Some companies market very homogenous product lines; others market products that cover a wide swath of functionality, business needs, and markets. From both domestic and international prospects?

Lead Management 100

Lead Management Process Work Management Sales Qualified Leads 100

The Point

NOVEMBER 22, 2016

Yes, effective lead nurturing can educate, cultivate, and maintain brand awareness over time with a group of prospects that aren’t quite ready to talk with a rep. It’s when a prospect first expresses interest that nurturing can help highlight hot leads, filter out the junk, and increase the rate at leads engage with sales.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Top of Funnel Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring 100

The Point

AUGUST 15, 2012

There was a time when lead nurturing was synonymous with simply staying in front of prospects. Successful lead nurturing is about delivering content that’s personalized, relevant, and compelling to the individual prospect. Ultimately nurturing should be about moving a prospect along the selling cycle. You can do a lot better.

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Sales Qualified Leads Lead Scoring Lead Ranking 100

The Point

JULY 23, 2012

And though recent studies suggest that a large chunk of the sales cycle may already be over by the time many prospects talk to a live salesperson, the reality is that inbound sales leads will always occupy a wide spectrum of sales readiness: tire-kickers, hot leads, and everyone in between. In theory, anyway.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Sales Qualified Leads Leads Lead 100

The Point

JULY 18, 2011

Prospects are usually more likely to download or otherwise register for a white paper vs. a Webinar, free trial, etc. This demands, however, that the content of your white paper be oriented towards solving a problem and not convincing the reader why your product is the best thing since sliced bread.

Paper 100

Paper Lead Generation Sample Lead Ranking 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

On a recent conference call with a prospective client, the Vice President of Sales chimed in with a question: “How many touches do you think it takes before someone becomes a lead?”. That means almost three-fourths of the buying process could be over before anyone in your organization has “touched” the prospect in any meaningful way.

Demand Generation Agencies 100

Demand Generation Agencies Validation Demand Generation Rules 100

The Point

JUNE 18, 2013

DC) Today’s buyers are more educated on markets, products, and competitors than ever. One way they can do so is by providing content that resonates with individual prospects and advances the sales cycle. Or, they’ll use the same generic content time and time again, material that doesn’t resonate with prospects.

Salesforce.com 100

Salesforce.com Work Management Marketing Management Content 100

The Point

OCTOBER 25, 2016

By “good content” I mean information of value that speaks to your audience’s pain, problems, and challenges and not content that simply sings the praises of your product. It generates leads from prospects feeling the pain that you can solve. It builds credibility and moves prospects along the sales cycle.

Buy 100

Buy Telemarketing Top of Funnel Demand Generation 100

The Point

SEPTEMBER 30, 2013

A prospective client asks: “We’re just getting our demand generation programs ramped up, and I’m not sure I’m ready for marketing automation. Tailoring email content automatically to demographic criteria like persona, industry, and company size, as well as where the prospect is in the sales cycle. •

Lead Nurturing 100

Lead Nurturing Demand Generation Agencies Marketing Automation Services Sales Qualified Leads 100