July 25, 2017
Lead generation through social? The whole point is to drive revenue and hit that C-suite spot. Do it, measure it properly, and you can challenge with conviction at how effective it is, for those that are sceptical.
There’s a divide of those that do, and those that don’t generate leads from social. 61% of marketers are and have it firmly embedded in their marketing toolkit, but what about the 39%? Are alternative lead generation methods performing brilliantly for them and they don’t need to do social? Or they do they simply not know how?
Previously, we’ve highlighted the issues around defining and owning social selling in organisations. There’s also a malaise surrounding its effectiveness. This tangled ball of confusion could be unravelled by sales and marketing working closer together, but again, there needs to be a shared agreement and measurement on what the end result is, and this comes from having social lead generation targets in place.
A very niche 11% do have lead generation targets in place, while a staggering 89% DO NOT HAVE ANY. The implications of this are huge. That’s like gathering hard-won leads and simply scattering them without following them up.
Are the 89% pushing lead generation as far as they can to deliver more? How do they know what works and what doesn’t? Which campaign works? Which bit of content? If not setting targets how do they know if they’re doing the best that they can? If your aim is to simply ‘be on social’ you’re looking at it without seeing its full potential. The biggest question is: What do you want to accomplish from lead generation through social selling?
The potential lies in filling the funnel at different touchpoints of the customer journey and quickly adapting to their needs. By setting those targets you can look at the right blend – is it awareness, is it lead gen, what am I getting out of it? Then, you track your leads from MQL to SQL.
The 11% will be able to use those targets and measure effectiveness of their spend. Follow their lead and you’ll be able to see a clear ROI on a campaign spend. Choose a CRM system and you can help qualify your SQL and MQ so they can be easily measured. How many do sales accept? have you tracked those? Can you then find secondary touchpoints – is it then all down to sales or can you assist?
There is a mixed bag of tools at your disposal though. Take the time to pick the right ones that work for you, your colleagues and company. 64% use web analytics, while more than a third are using social platforms own native analytics. Only 1 in 10 though use third party monitoring tools.
With the sheer amount of data you can collect and analyse, it would pay to keep abreast of monitoring tool developments.
So, a strong lead has been defined and targets put in place. You’re measuring effectively. You’re bringing the customer closer with relevant, thoughtful content and an open ear. You’re helpful, useful and curing customers’ sleepless nights. Your c-suite’s interest will be well and truly piqued and hopefully? That 11% will balloon to 100% in an ideal world.
