If direct marketers want to weather the current economic downturn, they need to create multiple, relevant lead-nurturing campaigns. According to a November 2008 report from Aberdeen Group, only 16 percent of the total leads deemed as “sales opportunities” close, leaving marketers to handle the remaining 84 percent of qualified leads; the difference between a best-in-class company and an average company is how those leads are nurtured.
Aberdeen’s report, Lead Nurturing: The Secret to Successful Lead Generation, surveyed 213 organizations between October and November 2008. Specifically, the report—generated by Aberdeen Group analyst Ian Michiels—revealed 72 percent of best-in-class companies use multiple lead-nurturing campaigns to connect with prospects and existing customers (see chart below). This practice illustrates the companies’ efforts to make campaigns relevant, tying into unique customer buying cycles.
Within the multiple lead-nurturing campaigns, marketers also need to focus offers on educational materials (white papers, research), webinar invitations, etc., and avoid relying too heavily on promotional offers and product/service marketing messages. Though marketers may be concerned about the time required to develop this kind of content for multiple campaigns, Michiels states that the effort pays off with significantly higher performance.
Learn more about this report at http://tinyurl.com/btr6vk.
The Business of Database Marketing