How To Setup a Strong MQL Follow-Up Strategy and Close More Sales

1. How To Setup a Strong MQL Follow-Up Strategy and Close More Sales By Akash Bhagwat Do you even have an idea? That 31% of your MQLs through website visits have a potential to convert into SQLs To get on any lead generation process, MQLs is the first step of the ladder. The only challenges are to get effective follow-up and measure the potential, so you don’t waste time and resources on comparatively low potential prospects. This allows us to say that a strong follow-up strategy is the most effective tool one can have on their side. Here, further we will discuss the main pillars of it. MQLs and Their Importance In order to dive into the follow-up plan, it is necessary that one understands what MQLs are and why they matter. MQLs refer to leads who have shown some level of interest in your product or service by engaging with your marketing. Compared to other types of leads,

2. such leads bear a higher probability of converting because they have already interacted with your brand. MQLs usually do things like: •Download gated content •Fill out forms on your website •Attend webinars or events •Engage email campaigns These activities are an indication that the lead wants more information about your products and services and may be willing to take further steps. Along with it, here’s an insight for you: (Source: Outfunnel)

3. Step 1: Lead Scoring and Segmentation The first step towards creating a strong MQL follow-up strategy is to build a lead scoring system. Through this approach, you can classify prospects according to their chances of conversion for better prioritization. Different actions as well as features which show how much interested a lead might be and if he will fit into your product/service can be assigned certain scores such as: •E-book download- 10 points •Webinar attendance-20 points •Job title matches target audience-15 points •Company size matches target audience-10 points One add-on to your note, that Lead scoring increases conversion rates by 77% Step 2: Personalized and Timely Communication For an effective MQL follow-up strategy there must be personalization. Generic messages that try to address everybody do not appeal to leads on the whole. Instead, customize your content to match with the individual interests and activities of each lead. The information you gathered from lead scoring and segmentation can help create personalized messages that resonate with each particular lead. Also, notice the timing factor too. It is revealed by research that cases of qualifying a lead tend to be higher when the follow up is done within a shorter time frame after his first interaction with it. Try reaching out to MQLs within 24-48 hours of their engagement period so as not to miss out on any opportunity. This quick response signifies your attentiveness as well as increases the chances of maintaining this prospective customer’s interest in your product/service/offering Step 3: Multi-Channel Follow-Up Approach There are different channels through which leads can interact with your brand; hence, it is necessary that your follow-up strategy should be a multi-channel one.

4. •Email: Come up with custom made follow up emails that address the specific interests and actions of the lead; moreover, insert some high-quality content such as case studies, whitepapers or product demos for added value. •Phone Calls: A timely phone call can make a big difference. Base your conversation on what you know from your lead scoring and addressing the prospects’ points of pain while drawing upon their interests. •Social media: Engage with them on platforms like LinkedIn by sharing relevant content, commenting on their posts and sending personalized messages. •Direct Mail: When targeting high-value leads, consider personalizing direct mail such as handwritten notes or customized gifts that leave a lasting memory. Step 4: Developing MQLs with Valuable Content Not all the MQLs are ready to make a purchase straight away. Some may require more nurturing before they can move on to the next stage in the sales funnel. Use your content marketing strategy to keep these leads engaged and informed. Develop a content calendar that combines educational and promotional materials customized for your customers’ interests and pain points. Such content may include blogs, eBooks, whitepapers, webinars, as well as case studies. By always giving valuable content, you will be able to establish trust and credibility with your leads thereby increasing their chances of converting when they are ready. Step 5: Leveraging Marketing Automation Marketing automation systems can drastically improve your MQL follow-up by streamlining and optimizing your efforts. To do this, use automation to: •Send Personalized Emails: Follow up emails should be automatically sent that are personalized according to lead behavior and segmentation. •Track Lead Engagement: Monitor how leads engage with your contents then adjust accordingly on your follow up strategies. •Score Leads: Continuously update lead scores based on new interactions and behaviours. •Trigger Actions: Create automatic workflows that can initiate several tasks such as sending an email or assigning a lead to a sales representative that are based on the behavior of leads.

5. Step 6: Sales and Marketing Teams Alignment Efficient follow-up strategies towards MQL require intense cooperation between your sales and marketing teams. Relating their common goals and understanding well about the lead handoff process helps both these teams perform in unison. •Define MQL Criteria: Clearly define what constitutes an MQL so that both teams are on the same page. •Regular Communication: Regularly hold meetings for sale and marketing team to discuss matters about lead quality, follow up strategies, feedbacks among others. •Shared Metrics:Use shared metrics and KPI’s for assessing progress made in MQL follow-up efforts identify areas where improvement is needed. Also, Sales and marketing alignment can improve revenue growth by 32% Step 7: Continuous Improvement and Optimization Finally, keep monitoring while improving your MQL follow-up strategy. Use data analysis and analytics to measure how successful you have been with these subsequent activities and establish those which give results as required. •Analyzing Metrics: Monitor the way key metrics such as e-mail open rates, click through rates, response rates and conversion rates are progressing to gauge the efficiency of your follow up strategy. •A/B Testing: Test different ways of following up, messaging and timing to discover what works best for your leads. •Feedback Loop: Obtain inputs from your sales team members concerning lead quality and how much effective is the follow-up strategy. Use this feedback to make data-driven improvements. In Conclusion, It is critical for any business that aims at converting leads into sales and driving revenue growth to establish a robust MQL Follow-Up Strategy. By implementing lead scoring and segmentation techniques, personalizing and synchronizing communication by use of multi-channel approach, nurturing leads with valuable content, utilizing marketing automation, aligning sales & marketing teams in addition to continually optimizing your efforts, you can increase probability of closing more sales.

6. Remember, understanding your leads well enough to offer them relevant information and interaction when it matters is what success hinges on. And to stay tuned with the success, Connect with Vereigen Media now!