Using customer engagement data to fuel lead scoring
Ann Roskey, VP of Marketing & Audience Development, Accela Communications
One thing sales and marketing can agree on is that all leads are not created equal. Both know that identifying the “low hanging fruit” is imperative especially in an intensely competitive market, but rating them in an ad hoc fashion can be perilous if based on just a few criteria. Nor is that kind of process scalable. Lead scoring lends a systematic data-based approach to understanding where the contact is in the buying chain, so they can be nurtured with the right content and communications. According to the DemandGen report, on average nurtured leads produce a 20% increase in sales opportunities versus those that are not nurtured, so the payoff is real.
Incremental data collection supports lead scoring
The concept of lead scoring makes good sense, but the practicality of implementing it can be onerous and complicated without the appropriate technology and engagement tactics to support it. One approach is to use interactive multimedia -- it engages prospects more deeply, and is an extended experience that allows you to capture incremental information to build a more detailed customer profile or lead score. The AccelaCast platform enables you to collect data at multiple points throughout the program, both interactive and passive/behavioral. Of course, it is possible to collect user-supplied demographic information such as job function, time to buy, or purchase influence through registration forms, but you can go way beyond that with interactive polling, Q&A and click data. This information is all part of the registrant’s profile which can be scored to assess readiness to buy.
Content can also be created in a segmented manner based on established buying personas and presented through a menu. The user chooses their preferred path, enabling you to quickly identify buyer interest and/or stage based on the content selection. The data that is collected throughout this engagement helps quantify the value of a lead based on many inputs: the user-supplied data in registration forms, as well as passive data derived from click and viewer behavior (i.e. what content have they engaged?). Possible characteristics that can be used to create a viewer score follows.
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An effective lead scoring methodology will help you identify those leads that need more information and nurturing, and enable you to pass on more qualified leads to your sales team so they can focus the time and energy on the opportunities most likely to close.
AccelaCast and AccelaWorks were designed to work hand-in-hand to generate actionable data, as well as the insight needed to develop intelligent and meaningful lead scoring. To learn more about how we can help you develop and deliver multimedia content to engage with and understand your customers better, please contact us.
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