In most of the industries, having a qualified lead is an important criterion for marketing. However, before you can find them, it first requires that you know what they are and how to find them. This article offers some of the best practices and strategies to help marketers find those elusive marketing qualified leads.
Marketing qualified leads are the best type of potential clients to target. Qualified leads have more money, are more likely to convert, and they have less risk.
Knowing how to find these leads is essential, but it takes time and effort. This blog post will give you a simple guide on how to market qualified leads.
Marketing qualified leads are potential clients who have the following characteristics:
They’re interested in your product or service. They’ve shown interest by clicking on a link, reading an email, responding to a call-to-action (CTA), and so forth.
They fit into one of these 3 groups:
1) They qualify for your offer;
2) You can reach them through marketing channels that aren't too expensive – such as Facebook ads; or
3) They don't fall under any other category but still may be good leads for you!
Let's take a look at each of the above three groups in more detail.
1. Qualifying for your offer- The first step is to determine whether or not you have an offering that qualifies as being "worth it" to this particular person.
This means determining if they meet all of these criteria: They’re interested enough in what you do (they've shown interest by clicking on a link, reading an email, responding to a CTA and so forth)
You can reach them through marketing channels that aren't too expensive – such as Facebook ads. If they don't fall under any other category but still may be good leads for you!
2. Reaching them via marketing channels that aren't too expensive- This is a very important step.
The last thing you want to do is waste money on advertising when your target audience isn't interested in what you're offering and won't be able to afford the price of your product or service.
If they don’t qualify, then it's best not to advertise at all – unless this type of lead will fit into another category (more on this later).
But if they meet one or more criteria above, then by all means invest some time and money into reaching them via marketing channels that aren't too expensive.
3. Not qualifying for your offer and still being a good lead- For example, let's say you're an author who wants to sell ebooks on Amazon Kindle.
You might want to advertise in the "Kindle Store" because it has a huge audience – but if they don't qualify as one of those leads I mentioned above (they haven't shown any interest), then by all means skip advertising there!
Leveraging other people's offers If you have more than one product or service, consider leveraging someone else’s offer so that YOU can reach the right people.
For example, let's say you're a web designer and want to sell your services on Fiverr – but don't have any clients yet! You could leverage other people’s offers (for example by using someone else’s logo) so that you can get some leads for free.
There are many ways to find marketing- qualified leads, but I recommend using a lead generation service because they usually have the most advanced technology and tools.
Lead Generation Services There are several places where you can get free or low-cost leads for your business:
1. Facebook Ads – This is one of the best sources for getting new customers, especially if you're targeting people who aren't interested in what you do (which will increase conversions).
You'll want to set up ads that target specific demographic groups so that only people who fit into those categories see them.
2. Twitter Ads – If someone has tweeted about something related to your business, they might be interested in what you have to offer. This is a great way to get leads for free – but it's important that you're not spamming people!
3. LinkedIn Ads – If someone has viewed or searched for something related to your company, then they may fit into one of the demographics targeted by LinkedIn ads (for example: "Software Developers").
You'll want to make sure that this person isn't already part of another audience though.
4. Google Adwords - If someone searches on Google about what you do and doesn't find anything relevant, then he/she probably fits into one of the demographics targeted by Adwords.
You'll want to make sure that this person isn't already part of another audience though (for example: "Web Designers").
To identify marketing -qualified leads, you must first identify the type of business that you're in.
Then, find out which keywords are used to search for your industry and determine how many people are searching those terms each month. You can then use the information to determine whether a lead is marketing qualified.
1. Identify Your Industry- To identify your industry, you need to know what type of business you're in and which keywords are used for searching it online. You should also be able to see how many people search each month for those terms.
This will help narrow down the number of leads that might qualify as marketing- qualified leads: For example, if I'm selling real estate agents – my industry would be "real estate" and I'd want people who searched for this term on Google or Yahoo! Finance every month (the more , the better).
2. Identify Keywords For Your Industry- Next, you need to identify which keywords are used for searching your industry.
If a keyword is being searched more than once per month, it's likely that there will be people who search this term and they're probably willing to buy something from you – even if they don't know anything about what you do or how much money you make.
To find these terms: Go online and type in your industry on Google or Yahoo! Finance (or whatever search engine has been most popular among real estate agents)
Look at the results of those searches (the top 10, 20 or so results) You'll see the most popular keywords that people are using to search this industry.
For example: If I'm a real estate agent and I want to find out which keywords my clients use when searching for "real estate agents," I'd go online and type in "real estate agents."
Then, look at the first few pages of Google's result page (this is what it would show me if you were looking up your own name). Here's an example: This is just one keyword – but there are more than 100 other ways someone can describe what I do. And, those top results are the ones that would make me money if I were selling real estate agents.
The benefits of using marketing-qualified leads are many. Here are just a few:
They're more likely to buy from you.
Research shows that people who have been referred by someone else tend to be more interested in your product than those who found you through other means (source). They'll also convert at higher rates because they've already shown interest in what you do.
You can use this information as leverage when negotiating with them later on, which will increase the likelihood that they'll pay for your products/services. There's less risk involved, and there's no need for any up-front sales. You can focus on your product/service and not worry about the sales process.
They're more likely to become loyal customers . People who are referred by someone else tend to be more interested in what you do than those who found you through other means (source).
This is because they've already shown interest in what you have, so there's less risk involved for them when it comes time to buy from you. They may even become a customer of yours without ever having an initial conversation with anyone at all!
As I mentioned above, this makes it easier for people that don't know anything about you to buy from you.
There are two types of leads that you can use for your marketing efforts:
Marketing qualified lead : Someone who has been referred by someone else. This is a more ideal type of lead because it's less likely to be confused with other people in the audience and they're already interested in what you do, so there's less risk involved when it comes time to buy from them.
Sales qualified lead : Someone who found your website/business through one of these methods (search engine, paid advertising).
These people tend not to convert as well because they've shown interest in what you have before but have not yet made a purchase.
The type of lead that you use for your marketing efforts is important because it will determine how much money you make from each sale.
If someone buys from you without ever having any contact with anyone at all, then there's no way to track the conversion rate and calculate an ROI (return on investment).
This means that they're less likely to become loyal customers , so this is not ideal for business owners who want their products/services sold as frequently as possible. You need leads that are more qualified in order for them to be able to convert into sales.
The best way to determine which lead type is ideal for you is by looking at your conversion rate. If the conversion rate of a specific marketing qualified lead (MQL) turns out to be higher than that of sales qualified leads (SQL), then it's probably better to focus on using MQLs in the future instead.
If your website has been ranking well for keywords like "home design" and "interior designer", then there's a good chance that people who search those terms will find you through organic searches.
You should focus more on SEO (search engine optimization) as opposed to PPC (pay-per-click) advertising because that's the type of traffic that you're most likely going to get.
If you're a realtor, then people who are looking for homes to buy will likely find your website through organic search. If they don't convert into sales , then it's not worth spending money on PPC advertising.
If your business is in the health and fitness industry, then there's a good chance that people searching for "personal trainer" or "fitness instructor" will end up finding you through organic searches.
You should also focus more on SEO (search engine optimization) as opposed to PPC (pay-per-click) marketing because that type of traffic tends to be more qualified. If you're a personal trainer or fitness instructor, then people who are looking for solutions to their health and fitness problems will likely find your website through organic search.
They may not convert into sales , but it's still worth spending money on PPC advertising because that traffic is more likely to become loyal customers.
