B2B Lead Generation: 3 Tips for Using Lead Scoring Models
So, you’re getting new leads through your funnel. Success, right? Sort of. But gathering leads is far from the final step in B2B lead generation. At the end of the day, they’re not going to mean all that much if those prospects aren’t actually interested in your product or service.
But how are you supposed to know whether a lead might actually go anywhere? You could go purely on intuition (and we’re certain yours is flawless), but for a more traditional approach, you should consider lead scoring. In today’s blog, we’ll be breaking down some of the most effective scoring models when it comes to B2B lead generation.
What is Lead Scoring in B2B Lead Generation?
Lead scoring is the practice of assigning an automatic score to your inbound leads with a numerical value. Qualifying any leads that come in will give you an idea of whether you should be passing those leads over to your sales team. A number of factors will contribute to this, including the number of pages they’ve visited on your website, whether they’ve downloaded any of your content (eBooks, for example, or whitepapers), and whether they’ve opened your emails or clicked through them.
Lead Scoring Models in B2B Lead Generation
There are a number of lead scoring models you can follow. Let’s take a look at some of the most effective…
Purchase Intent Model
The first lead scoring model is the purchase intent model, which involves using intent data to gauge the likelihood of a prospect converting. That means looking into the web activity of that prospect to discern whether they’ve been actively considering what you’re selling, and determine at which point they entered the buyer’s journey. This lead scoring model in particular is a way to get in early on particular leads.
Why would companies use the purchase intent model over other models? It tends to be less demanding of both budget and resources, when compared to other methods. Still, the purchase intent model is just one way to target key decision makers in B2B lead generation.
Activity and Suitability
This B2B lead generation scoring model veers from the numbered scoring and focuses more on the demographic profile of the prospect. It’s assessing a combination of the prospect’s interactions with your business, and how well their profile seems to fit with your brand. For example, someone who’s interacted with your brand a lot should probably be a priority, but if their profile doesn’t make them much of a match, then they should still come after leads who A) interact with your company a lot, and B) seem to be a perfect fit in terms of demographic. Striking that balance is the key when it comes to the activity and suitability scoring model.
Attributes of Negative Scoring
Not all interactions with your company are positive. If a prospect unsubscribes from your email list, for example, this would strongly suggest that they’re not going to be interested in your brand any further. Acknowledging attributes of negative lead scoring is a way to push those unlikely prospects to the back of the queue- or, in some cases, out of the queue altogether.
As well as someone unsubscribing from your email list, there are a number of other actions that might make you bump a lead down the queue. These include the following:
- Leads who are largely interested in your jobs pages, implying that they are more intent on working for your company than with your company. This is obviously not an inherently bad thing, especially if you’re currently hiring- it’s just an indication that they’re probably not worth targeting.
- Leads that you suspect are competitors. They’re probably just trying to get an inside scoop on the goings-on at your company, and the kind of content you’re producing. Be flattered! It likely means you’re doing something right.
- Leads that you know personally. For example, if one of your relatives is interacting with your content, it’s more likely that they’re doing it out of support and curiosity rather than for a family discount.
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