19 May Does marketing stop when a sales lead is generated?
Every C-level exec, business unit lead or sales and marketing director appreciate the importance of modern B2B marketing, which has greater involvement in the overall B2B sales cycle. However, a successful strategy is defined by several key factors and this needs even more involvement from marketing.
Most companies are now happy to accept that seven touchpoints aren’t sufficient on the road to digital success. But is it also necessary to extend the length of marketing’s involvement , in addition to the number of pit stops along the way? Let’s find out why.
The close connection between marketing, lead generation, and lead validation
Building brand awareness and taking a customer through the stages of Awareness, Consideration, and Decision requires an investment of time and money. Losing the prospective sale and subsequent client relationship is, therefore, not an option you can consider.
A successful B2B marketing campaign that generates a genuine lead will have set a great first impression of the business. However, Harvard researchers found that leads are 60x more likely to qualify the lead when they are contacted within the hour compared to after 24 hours. This study alone underlines the need for responsiveness to ensure that the buyingcycle moves in the right direction.
Yet, without ongoing marketing involvement, hot leads can quickly turn cold and result in prospective clients choosing your competitors. Marketing casting an eye over ongoing communications, helping with presentations, supporting collateral and supporting proposal and bids will deliver far greater results. Studies show that;
- Customers want a good experience and over 80% will happily pay more for it
- Up to 80% of sales require 5 or more post-meeting follow-up contacts
- New companies grow 24% faster when marketing and sales are aligned
- Marketing to existing customers is 5x cheaper than new ones
- Increasing customer retention by 5% can boost profits by up to 75%
Marketing and sales are so closely linked that the two teams need to be closely aligned to ensure that a lead’s enthusiasm towards the brand and its products are maintained beyond the lead generation phase and into the converted sale – and, ideally, future repeat sales.
How can B2B businesses promote post-lead generation marketing?
Continued marketing beyond the point of lead generation is important to provide branded, on message, content at every stage of the buyer journey. After all, a huge 95% will choose a company that achieves this goal.
Companies must invest heavily in building good links between marketing and sales teams to ensure a continuous and solid representation of the brand. When sales teams are presented with the relevant information about a lead, the likelihood of a quick conversion is greatly increased. When thinking about ongoing engagement with a prospect well after the lead generation stage, it is important to;
- Build a good level of consistency that continues the brand imagery, tone, and style
- Include case studies, brochures, white papers, to support proposals and bids
- Ensure that regular contact is made to prevent leads from going cold
- Implement presentations and proposals to show B2B leads what you offer
- Ensure that the content leads on from the marketing strategy rather than repeat it
Marketing has perhaps more to do than ever before, but in order to achieve greater results ensuring marketing is involved in proposals and messaging around major bids is critical to ensure success.
If your business needs help devising the winning b2b sales lead generation strategy, contact the Incognate team for a comprehensive, convenient, and cost-effective solution.