B2B marketers have found lead nurturing programs, created and managed through marketing automation tools, can generate greater volumes of leads. The benefits include an increase in the volume of warm leads, better prospect segmentation and improved targeting efforts to reach them.
Marketing automation tools are beneficial, but prior to implementing any lead nurturing program it’s important to:
- Cleanse your data.
- Align your marketing and sales teams.
- Develop your marketing strategy.
- Create the right content for each stage of your marketing funnel.
Benefits of Lead Nurturing Programs
A July 2016 survey of B2B marketers, conducted by Pardot and emedia, shows more than a third (36%) emphasized the programs are helpful simply because they generate a greater volume of leads. Another 26% mentioned the ability of lead nurturing programs to segment prospects based on their interests and behaviors, while 26% also noted the programs’ ability to improve targeting and segmentation.
The ability of lead generation programs to simultaneously maximize the volume of new potential customers while still maintaining high levels of quality is critical for B2B marketers. An Ascend2 August 2016 survey of B2B marketer goals found that improving the quality of leads and acquiring new customers were the most significant goals.
As more B2B marketers rely on lead generation programs to generate business, many are also experimenting with content marketing strategies to help find new business. According to an Ascend2 study in June 2016, content marketing is as another key lead generation tool for B2B marketers.