Growth Fusion

Demand generation is an intrinsic part of a B2B organization and marketers spend millions of dollars to implement consistent demand generation campaigns. As an important marketing function, one has to tread carefully. A lead generation campaign that’s not methodically monitored and followed-up will lead substandard results  at best and could completely backfire at worst.

Some of the important questions which marketers need to ask while developing a demand generation strategy are:

1. Do I have a good grip on the source of my leads?

Leads can be generated from a variety of online and offline mediums such as website, email campaigns, online marketing initiatives, social media, webinars, events and fairs, print/TV advertising, cold-calling, direct inquiries, and a lot more. You can tell about the quality of the leads from the source(s) they emanate. Where are leads coming from? Are those leads qualified? Which medium generates what type of leads? These are some of the questions that come to mind while deciding the quality of the source and the leads that it generates. Therefore,  the first step as a marketer must be to define the authenticity of the lead.

2. Am I nurturing my leads in an effective fashion?

Getting a lead is only the beginning. Following it up to a closure will define the success of the campaign as well as your business. A step-by-step methodical approach from the time the lead is generated to gauging its authenticity, engaging with the lead, and taking it to a sales closure is a framework the marketer must decide before embarking on a demand generation campaign. A well-defined lead nurturing process can help you make sure that you reach your prospects at the right time, with the right message, thereby increasing conversion rates.

3. Am I able to continually tweak my marketing budget based on results from various marketing programs and lead sources?

At the outset of the financial year, every marketer is faced with the task of drawing-up a marketing calendar of the year. As a marketer, one of the key roles is to drive an effective and robust lead generation campaign that increases sales for the company. While it is important to set aside marketing budget for a lead generation campaign, constant checks must be maintained to tweak the budget to either shore up funds or to cut down depending on the performance of a campaign. Ongoing analytics of the success or failure of your marketing campaigns will enable you to tweak the budgets and invest more in what is generating maximum returns.

4. Is my sales team able to access the leads generated by marketing in a seamless fashion?

Marketing as a function is primarily created to support and drive sales. Once a lead is generated, a marketer must have a flawless communication channel built with the sales team to not just pass on the lead but also ensure that the sales department follows it through and ensures closure. Seamless implementation of a comprehensive marketing automation tool ensures effective execution as well as a structured plan to drive closure that makes a demand generation campaign foolproof.

5. Do I have a history of all interactions the prospect has had with my company, either by phone, e-mail or website or other social media marketing initiatives?

This is a point which many marketing executives choose to ignore. However insignificant it might seem, but all correspondence from the time a lead is generated to the time it is closed must be accounted for and stored. A repository of this communication must be maintained. It helps the marketer in times of crisis. Also sometimes there are important leads that can have cross functional benefits and opportunities of up-selling. A lead for one business unit could also generate sales for another business unit. Hence, database of leads and all communication must be recorded and maintained for future reference. With effective integration of marketing automation tools and CRM tools, this can be achieved.

6. Does my sales team have enough context around these interactions before they pick up the phone and talk to prospects?

As a marketer it’s important to equip the sales team to drive lead to closure. Collateral information in the form of brochures, sales tool kit, background information about the lead, past interactions, any previous grievances, expectations, etc., must be carefully mapped and tabulated before the sales team starts engaging with the lead. Such historical data and information not only equips the sales team to understand prospects’ needs but also reflects on future customer service and sales aggressiveness of the brand. Marketers must ensure optimal data quality to make this process smoother.

7. The marketing team generates leads, but is it getting to the sales team as intended before they go cold?

The lifecycle of a lead is extremely critical. From the time it is generated to the time it reaches the sales team for further engagement and closure; it needs to be closely monitored by the marketer. The authenticity, background mapping and then final engagement – this process must be transparent and well-timed before the lead gets cold and futile. With marketing automation tools, a lead can be studied and followed-through its entire lifecycle and beyond.

8.       Is feedback from sales on individual prospects integrated into my drip marketing initiatives?

Any campaign, no matter how successful it might be, has room for improvement. To make any campaign a well thought-out initiative, it is imperative to build in feedback and areas of improvement to make it even more successful in future. The basic ground rule of marketing must not be forgotten, i.e., marketing is created to support and enhance sales. Hence, working in isolation spells doom of the function as a whole, whereas, a collaborative approach can define its success. There should be seamless alignment between the marketing and sales teams, so that they can work in-sync to define lead generation, lead qualification, and lead nurturing strategies.