The Critical Role of Time in Successful Demand Generation Programs

A
WhitePaper
The Critical Role Of Time In Successful
Demand Generation Programs
The 5 Time-Sensitive Metrics BtoB Companies Of All Sizes Must Track.
+5 Steps They Can Take To Improve Response Related Performance
Sponsored byhen it comes to digital marketing, Because buyers now have time isn't just money, it's everything. Considering the proliferation of information on pricing and Wmedia and methods buyers can use to access competitive solutions at information - web sites, email, social media sites, events, mobile, etc. - it's now more their fingertips, in many important than ever that marketers track buyer cases they fast-forward the behavior and purchase intent in real-time and respond as quickly as possible. research process and are
expecting an immediate Because buyers now have information on pricing and competitive solutions at their response from solution fingertips, in many cases they fast-forward providers. the research process and are expecting an immediate response from solution providers. According to industry estimates, nearly two-The reality is sales and marketing teams that are thirds of marketing organizations have little or unable to identify and respond to ready buyers no centralized infrastructure for monitoring and within hours or even minutes, risk being left out managing campaigns. This lack of infrastructure of deals. and intelligence on real buyer behavior has Conversely, timing is also a critical factor in forced most marketers to limit their focus to identifying and fostering longer-term buyers. top-of-funnel activities vs. enabling real-time Sales and marketing teams now need the ability and compelling communication throughout the to track and nurture early-stage prospects with buying cycle. relevant information that supports their specific Rather than accelerating prospects from information needs during different phases of contact to close, disparate systems force their buying journey. BtoB marketers to simply generate more leads Unfortunately, the majority of marketers don't without visibility into how those leads convert to have the tools or processes in place to track customers. and respond to evolving buying signals in On the opposite end of the spectrum, those real-time. Strapped with limited resources and marketers that have integrated marketing budget, most sales and marketing teams have platforms are now utilizing the rich analytics, been forced to work with disparate systems provided in real-time, to better prioritize and that provide silos of information and disjointed respond to ready-buyers. signals on buyer timing and intent.
For example, while an email marketing system might tell sales and marketing a prospect has been consistently opening emails, it will typically fail to tie those campaign results to when and how often that prospect might be visiting the company's web site.
The Critical Role Of Time In Successful Demand Generation Programs 2 Key Areas Impacting Nearly two-thirds of Demand Gen Success marketing organizations
To illustrate the critical role time plays in 5 have little or no successful demand generation initiatives, this white centralized infrastructure paper will present case studies and research from industry analysts to highlight five key areas progressive for monitoring and marketers are tracking and the results they are managing campaigns.achieving. Key time-sensitive metrics that will be addressed:
1. Campaign Timing: Case studies have shown shortening the time it takes to create and send marketing campaigns can have a significant impact on demand generation success.
2. Hot Lead Response Times: Research shows that minimizing the time it takes to respond to a hot lead after an initial touch is as critical to converting the lead into an opportunity as responding based on lead type and source.
3. Pinpoint Pipeline Accuracy: Leading companies have found a positive impact on conversion rates at various stages of the sales funnel by prioritizing prospects with lead scoring. Research from Aberdeen found companies with optimized lead scoring have a 192% higher lead qualification rate.
4. Right Timing Prospect Touches: Cadence is an important factor in successful demand generation programs. Research shows it can take an average of seven touches to convert an inquiry to an opportunity. However, its important that marketers ... [download for more]