One of the most critical components of an effective demand generation strategy is lead nurturing, and most of the buzz surrounding lead nurturing today focuses on the marketing automation tools (Marketo, Eloqua, Genoo etc.) that help us make it happen.
However, you can't automate strategy or smart tactics, and tools can only take you so far. In her new Demand Generation Certification Program, B2B marketing expert Kim Albee dives deep into the "how" of lead nurturing, including how to implement a nurturing sequence with small, digestible steps that easily pass leads on to the next step in the process.
If you still need more convincing on the "why", here are 10 compelling lead nurturing statistics that will help you prioritize it within your organization—ASAP.
Why You Need a Lead Nurturing Strategy
1. On average, organizations that nurture their leads experience a 45% lift in lead generation ROI over those organizations that do not. (Source: MarketingSherpa)
2. 79% of marketing leads never convert into sales. Lack of lead nurturing is the common cause of this poor performance. (Source: MarketingSherpa)
3. Nurtured leads produce, on average, a 20% increase in sales opportunities versus non-nurtured leads. (Source: DemandGen Report)
4. Companies with mature lead generation and management practices have a 9.3% higher sales quota achievement rate. (Source: CSO Insights)
5. Lead nurturing emails get 4-10x the response rate compared to standalone email blasts. (Source: SilverPop/DemandGen Report)
6. Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads. (Source: The Annuitas Group)
7. Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales ready leads at 33% lower cost. (Source: Forrester Research)
8. 61% of B2B marketers send all leads directly to sales; however, only 27% of those leads will be qualified. (Source: MarketingSherpa)
Why Marketing Automation Should Be Part of Your Lead Nurturing Strategy
9. Businesses that use marketing automation to nurture prospects experience a 451% increase in qualified leads. (Source: The Annuitas Group)
10. About 56 percent of marketing automation users rated their demand generation performance as in line, above or far above expectations. This compares with just 41 percent of non-marketing automation users. (Source: Software Advice 2012 B2B Demand Generation Benchmark Survey)
