Let’s talk about the importance of B2B lead nurturing, marketing qualified leads, sales qualified leads, and making your inbound marketing strategy as effective as possible.
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Let's start by identifying what an inbound generated lead is.
This is someone who responds to the content you've added to your inbound lead generation strategy. They differ from outbound leads, which are those you reach out to directly.
An example of an inbound lead could be a person who finds your blog through a specific search term, gets intrigued by a Call to Action (CTA) for an e-book you've created, and downloads it.
The beauty of these leads is that they have found you while doing their own research, making them likely to be more educated and engaged.
In your lead nurturing strategy, it's crucial to be aware of their journey.
Marketing Qualified Lead Vs. Sales Qualified Lead
One common mistake is treating Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) and Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) the same way.
The difference between MQL and SQL is their level of engagement with your product or services. MQLs are interested, they're looking at your research-based information, but they’re not as far down the funnel as SQLs, who have interacted with multiple pieces of your content and are now downloading decision-stage pieces of content.
Approaching an MQL for a sale is akin to proposing marriage on a first date – it's off-putting and inappropriate.
Instead, focus on providing helpful, relevant content to guide them further along their journey.
Inbound Lead Scoring
But how do you determine whether a lead should be followed up by sales or marketing?
The key lies in lead scoring, which can be determined by factors like:
- Number of pages they've viewed
- Site visits
- Type of content they're downloading – are they still researching, or are they pretty much ready to buy something and they're evaluating whether it should be your product or someone else's?
Don’t Be That Guy
Finally, a word of caution: avoid being 'that guy' who is persistently bombarding leads with unwanted emails.
Remember, the objective is to build trust and nurture leads, not alienate them. Keep your approach considerate, focused, and value-driven.
For more resources in this series, head to:
How to Audit your Online Marketing
If you are executing digital marketing, congratulations! You are most likely already one step ahead of your competition, and making strides to meaningfully connect with prospects online. But, how do you know if you’re seeing continual success year over year, and improving your metrics?
Without the tools in place to analyze and benchmark your efforts, it is impossible to scale your online marketing and ensure continuous success.
