Lead Nurture Analytics: An Often Overlooked, Low-Hanging Opportunity

Even the most seasoned marketers can miss well-known sources of data. But collecting that data is only half the battle. To be truly effective marketers you must track, analyze, and then apply that knowledge into enhancements.

Case in point, during a recent presentation with a client we highlighted their lack of focus on lead nurtures. Users had completed an inquiry but had yet to move towards completing an application. The client was surprised to hear that they were missing out on such an untapped resource of promising leads.

While lead nurturing isn’t a new concept, it’s prudent to understand how and why we concentrate on these users. So, before we get into the specifics of how we helped the client, let’s review why we emphasize lead nurturing:

• You don’t have to run ads for these leads like you do for new users. They already know who you are, so you’re already increasing Return on Investment.

• You have their behavior and intent data. You know what they want, so you only need to send them the right content that will bring them back to the site.

• It is an overlooked part of a student journey so, in a way, you are bridging the student’s expectation with their website experience.

• You can provide the student with the information they need, regardless of the time of the day or the day of the week.

Now that we understand the importance of lead nurturing, let’s take a look at the step-by-step approach we applied to our client.

First, we create look-alike comparisons. By analyzing the behavior of users who apply versus those who do not, you can understand the acquisition strategy, engagement, and call-to-actions that make converters. By pooling users into a similar bucket of users who did not apply, you can gleen a wealth of information. The unseen content and experiential drivers will become apparent and help you drive your marketing and content strategy.

Sound data collection 

Next we collect information on other efforts working to convert the users. This means comprehensive integrations with your CRM, email, and marketing automation tools. There is a lot of data stuck in silos that can provide cross-impact insights and help you fine-tune your target audience.

Arguably one most important actions we take is to create intent scores. By rating website visitors on how likely they are to convert, you can weed out users with similar behaviors as converters but will never actually convert. Any behavior that identifies users in your target will become apparent during this exercise.

The culmination of the previous steps. Here we analyze the student journey and plan it out. When you put yourself in the shoes of the student, you’ll understand which content to personalize and channels to use. Part of this understanding will come from clickstream data and the other part would come from your expertise as a marketer.

Finally, we test, evaluate, and repeat. Once you think you’ve found the answer another piece of data reveals itself. It is imperative to constantly monitor data, update user scores, and test new marketing and content experiences. This is how you provide the easiest navigation and most effective calls-to-action.

Successful marketers deliver the right content to the right leads at the right time. You have the data — the pages they’ve visited, brochures they’ve downloaded, and emails they’ve opened — now you just have to measure it. This will improve the performance of your campaigns — and  generate more leads and customers.