As important as generating leads is for business, really good marketing is about more than just generating leads. Are leads essential to business success? Absolutely! But leads aren’t the end game. You can’t pay your bills with leads. You need to follow up on those leads—and nurture them—so that those leads eventually become customers.
That’s one reason we’re sold on HubSpot. As a matter of fact, it’s one big reason why TMR Direct is a certified HubSpot partner. It’s because HubSpot enables us to do something with the leads we generate through our inbound marketing activities.
Just having leads isn’t enough. We need more information about those leads so that we can follow up effectively and convert those qualified leads into customers. So what does HubSpot tell our sales team about our leads? Here are some of the things we learn about our leads from HubSpot—and why they matter.
Where have leads been when they visit online?
Not only does HubSpot tell use what web pages a lead may have visited on our site, it also tells us what the lead is interested in seeing. Are there blogs that the lead visits repeatedly? What are the topics? Are leads looking at finance-related material? Are they seeking out how-to information? Are they interested in basic information or more in-depth material? Knowing these things allows us to follow up with more information that’s appropriate for the individual.
What information have leads downloaded?
A lead who is interested enough to download an eBook (and provide us with his/her name and email address) is indicating a fairly high level of interest. Their choices of downloads also tells us what kind of information and offers other potential customers will respond to. That enables us to create more content that works—and not waste time and money on things that don’t get results.
Which emails work?
Some people think that email is dead as a marketing tool, but it’s actually extremely effective if it’s done properly. We put leads into an email campaign (remember, these are leads—not cold prospects) so we can stay in touch and nurture the relationship. HubSpot tells us which emails get opened—and which links inside the emails generate the most response (when recipients click on them for more information). Again, this helps us deliver the kind of content our leads find helpful and useful.
The reason all of this is important is that a lead is not a customer. A lead is someone who has told us that they are interested in what we have to offer. It’s our job to figure out what specific information they want—information that will move them along in the sales cycle until they actually become customers.
HubSpot doesn’t magically turn visitors into leads. It’s not some “secret sauce” that turns leads into customers. But what it does is tell us more about our leads so that we can provide them with the kind of information they want and need—and eventually become customers.
That’s how we use the tools that HubSpot offers. Do you use any type of marketing automation? Which toolset?
