An Analytical Approach To Lead Generation Webinars

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1 An Analytical Approach To Lead Generation Webinars A confluence of forces has created new demands on marketing and sales teams. The right lead-generation campaign can help you meet them head-on.

2 Now more than ever, the pressure is on to create lead-generation programs that deliver measurable results. Consider the realities in B2B marketing today. The global economy operates 24/7, opening the door to ever-increasing competition for prospects time and placing heavy demands on content. If you don t have something valuable and relevant to say, it s increasingly unlikely you will be heard. New sources of sales and marketing data and an increased drive for marketing accountability demand improved analytical processes. According to the CMO Council, 90% of CMOs say the ability to measure marketing results is a significant priority. At the same time, 80% are not happy with their systems for measurement.1 That s a big warning sign for marketing teams who are behind the analytics curve and a big opportunity for those who have embraced it. Media markets are fragmenting while multichannel marketing proliferates, making targeting more challenging and exceptional lead qualification more vital. Industries with long sales cycles are engaged in smarter, more consultative client relationships, raising the bar on the tone and content of sales engagements. 2

3 At Bulldog Solutions, our definition for leadgeneration success is simple. We define a successful lead-generation campaign by its ability to generate incremental sales for your company. Success can t be measured by attracting a lot of initial interest in your campaign, or pulling off a Webinar or in-person event in which the technology runs smoothly, or garnering anecdotal compliments from the sales team on the results. These are all factors in success, but ultimately they are not the right metrics by which to measure it. This briefing will review a proven lead-generation campaign approach that integrates marketing and sales efforts to increase reach, maximize marketing return on investment, shorten sales cycles and boost revenues. A systematic approach to increasing marketing ROI. When you invest in a lead-generation effort, your primary goal is to generate high-quality leads. Often, you may do just that. But the system breaks down when those leads get into the sales funnel, where they are supposed to be qualified and converted. Simply put, the funnel clogs. Your marketing team may not track leads adequately and may fail to deliver the information the sales team needs. Your sales team, presumably responsible for qualifying the leads, does not do so, perhaps because they lack confidence in the quality of the leads or lack the tools or resources to follow up efficiently.

4 Bulldog Solutions lead optimization approach is driven by five fundamental strategies: Sales and marketing aren t working together and the majority of leads die on the vine as a result. Clearly, opportunities are going to waste. How could you improve return on investment on your leadgeneration program by aligning sales and marketing, effectively generating, qualifying and prioritizing leads, and converting them more quickly and more efficiently into sales? Here s how: Use an analytical approach designed to optimize your lead generation efforts and deliver the best return on investment for your marketing spend. CSO Insights found that when companies invest in optimizing their lead generation, conversion rates of leads to first calls improve by 16.5% and win rates rise by 7%.2 Leverage your marketing to promote your campaign in the most efficient, effective way possible. Automate your program to create highly personalized, dynamic communications that build a solid relationship with prospects. Establish thought leadership by creating content that is relevant and useful to your target prospect. Engage the prospect to collect valuable information about their behavior and needs. Analyze the data to measure the success of your campaign and target the prospects in your Buying Zone : That place where a prospect is highly qualified according to your business rules and has a high level of interest in your solution

5 Architecture and Approach Before During After Strategy Provision Metrics Promotion Planning Audience Development Data Collection Campaign Microsite Campaign Communications Sales Acceleration Data Collection Activity (Webinar, Download, Subscription, Road Show) Prospect Analytics Campaign Analytics Sales Engagement Offer Fulfillment Nuture Sales Contacts Database Webinars are an exceptional tool for successful lead-generation programs. Webinar-based lead-generation campaigns are an exceptional tool for generating high-quality leads and, most important, achieving truly exceptional, measurable results. At Bulldog Solutions, we develop lead-generation Webinars using a campaign framework (Diagram 3) based on the five key strategies described above. This framework can also be used for lead-generation campaigns that use content other than a Webinar, such as white papers or physical events. The content is an important part of the campaign because it draws prospects in and is the catalyst for their first engagement: typically, registration. From there, the process of identifying and qualifying your best leads is driven by data collection and analysis that feeds effective sales engagements. Data collection and analysis are the unifying factors in successful programs.