We can agree that quality trumps quantity when it comes to leads. But do you have a system designed to score and qualify leads for your organization? MarketingSherpa reports that lead scoring can increase conversions by a whopping 79%!
It’s important to do it right, and Delivra is here to help! Continue reading to learn about the top practices that will help you create the best email marketing lead scoring strategy for your brand.
What is Lead Scoring?
Let’s begin with what lead scoring is and how it works. Lead scoring is a methodology used to rank sales leads according to a scale. Typically a score system is devised to range from 1 - 100, the higher the score, the more likely that lead is to convert. The system you build will determine and categorize lead priority based on prospect data, actions, or inactions.
Having a defined lead scoring system will allow you to more effectively manage your leads. With Delivra, you can score leads based on:
- Demographic data
- Time-based actions
- Category subscription status
- Form submissions
- Engagement with campaigns (opens / clicks)
- Responses in automations
Your dynamic point system will allow you to easily identify, prioritize, and sort leads so that you can target them with the most relevant content, move them through your sales funnel, and increase your close rates through email.
How do you devise a point system that works?
There are several criteria to consider that may elevate - or even reduce - the number of points a lead can be assigned. Chosen criteria should reflect your brand and email marketing goals.
Also, it’s just as important to identify your high value actions and attribute higher point values to them as it is to identify your low value actions and attribute lower point values, or even subtract points, for those actions. Keep in mind that the more interest a lead shows in the brand, the higher the score and the more qualified the lead becomes.
Pro Tip
Your Sales team can add extremely valuable input from their experience with your brand and determining top lead qualifiers. They know what sells - and to whom - and what does not. Don’t leave your Sales team out of the lead scoring strategy and set-up process.
Example Lead Scoring Criteria
- Industry/Job title (B2B)
- Demographics
- Purchase History
- More purchases = more points
- Email Opens (5 point per, as an example)
- Browse website pages
- Score pages based on the content; one score does not fit all.
- Open Welcome emails
- Download a white paper (B2B)
- View product tutorial
- View videos
- Click-through to site
https://databox.com/lead-scoring-tips
At this point, you may be thinking this sounds really cool, but why do I need lead scoring? The three biggest reasons for any email marketing team are:
- Reducing acquisition costs
- Increasing conversion rates
- Higher revenue
Best Practices
Now that we know what it is and how it works, let’s review some best practices so that you’re ready to dive in and create a lead scoring system for your email marketing strategy.
- Make sure your data is tidy and clean. Poor data is going to skew scoring and not achieve the goals intended.
- Incorporate lead scoring as a foundation strategy in your email marketing plan. Setting a solid foundation allows for a clear pathway to success.
- Make sure you’re properly accounting for engagement metrics like:
- Email opens and click-throughs
- High-value web page views
- High-value form submissions
- Consider a system to re-score cold leads too.
- Make sure you’re properly accounting for engagement metrics like:
- Create targeted content within automated journeys. Ensure that you’re considering lead point values or status within the acquisition funnel to meet leads where they are:
- Awareness: In the beginning, it’s important to share content with leads that will inform and educate them on why they need your brand. Using blogs, videos, infographics are all great pieces for this group.
- Engagement: Get more detailed. When a lead is engaged, they have questions and are getting more deeply interested in your brand - provide content to encourage this behavior.
- Decision: Content at this stage should be based on getting the lead across the finish line. Making sure they’re set to get approvals, overcome any outstanding objections, etc. is key.
- Continue to review and refine your lead scoring system. You should review results regularly to continue to optimize the program.
- Include criteria that will permanently disqualify poor leads. It sounds scary using the word “permanent”; however, there are some leads that will never convert. As you refine and optimize your program, this criteria will continue to evolve as well. Don’t be afraid to say it wasn’t meant to be and move on.
Wrap-Up
The bottom line is that lead scoring will help you increase your impact on the financial goals of your team and your company. Anything that can bring in more coin will get noticed, and anything that continually improves through optimization will keep getting you noticed!
