B2B marketers want fast answers and accurate reporting.
That’s the verdict according to MarketingProfs, and it’s not difficult to understand why. In order to leverage these tools effectively, you need to have access to reliable technical support and marketing guidance that are responsive to your needs. You also need products that actually work.
Here’s where things can get a little complicated: it’s easy to recognize when you aren’t receiving timely answers to your questions, but it’s far more difficult to know when your marketing product is functioning properly. Why? The vast majority of this initial outreach doesn’t rely on direct responses. Instead, it depends on electronic activity and whether you’re verifying the right contacts.
What digital tools do marketers want most?
Electronic activity. Are leads opening your emails? Are they clicking on links to your website? How many are doing this, and how often? These statistics will tell you whether your messaging and content are crafted appropriately, or that it’s time to fine-tune them.
Verifying the right contacts. Electronic activity may allow you to gauge interest, but how do you know if you’re reaching the right people? That’s why it’s so important to start with brief, invitational emails: they provide enough information to explain who you are and what you want to talk about, while asking who the best person is for that discussion. This shouldn’t be a one-off-and-done kind of message. It often takes many touches before you’ll get an answer—even if that answer is a simple referral.
Prospecting automation addresses all of these factors. It uses the firmographic profiles of your ideal prospects—including their industries, job functions, company sizes, and geography—to build a database of verified leads for you to email, measure their electronic behavior, and follow-up with them accordingly. Access to this software also comes with an assigned Account Manager, who learns about your business and acts as your primary point of contact for feedback, guidance, and consultation. If you’d like to see how this arrangement can benefit your new business development heading into 2021, let’s schedule some time for a call.
