Decode Your Online Leads

Lead generation and Lead management programs are only as good as the rate of conversions they ensure for a company, and the most difficult part is, there is no set formula to guarantee conversions.

But, if you have a Lead management program, that takes into account the intent expressed by a Lead in the different phases of decision making, you might just be able to devise your customized formula for increasing the rate of conversions in your company.

Consciously or unconsciously, every visitor on your website leaves behind a set of clues, which if decoded, can easily convey a lot of information on the Lead and his intentions. This post tries to decode some of these clues, which provide greater insight on a visiting Lead.

Finding Visitor Type

Enterprise buying decisions are taken by multiple people, hence to understand the stage of decision making process an enterprise buyer is in, it is imperative to understand the roles of different people who participate in the decision making process. Enterprise visitors on any B2B website can be broadly divided into three types – The early researcher ( research analysts, managers etc.), the influencers (Senior managers, Directors) and the decision makers ( Vice Presidents, C-level executives).Since the role of each of these visitors is different in the decision making process, looking at the kind of content researched and the time spent on the site can give an idea on the role of the visitors in decision making process and the stage of decision making their company could be in.

Understanding the buying cycle

Going further, all B2B buyers go through an elaborate buying cycle, before they finally purchase a product or service. Multiple visits from an enterprise, showcasing interest in different types of content on a website can clearly indicate the phase of the buying cycle the company is in. The different phases of a typical B2B buying cycle are, research, awareness, evaluation and purchase. Understanding the phase of decision making a visitor is in, is important because it helps you plan for timely nurturing, engagement or sales pitching.

Finding Intent

While browsing a website, enterprise visitors usually spend more time on content and information, that closely meets their intent. For eg: In the research stage - the person would spend time getting an overview of what the company is into, what are the solutions they offer, people behind the company, news coverages, customer testimonials etc., in the awareness stage, they spend more time understanding your product, by reading whitepapers, user guides etc., in the evaluation stage, the kind of information people look for is a free-trial, price lists, feature comparison charts etc., in the purchase stage, it is more about interacting with the sales representative of the company and finding out about any discounts, offers and closure and delivery details.

Analyzing the time spent by a visitor on different types of content on your website can show, how serious the buyer is and help you pursue the Lead more proactively.

Analyzing the Keywords

The keywords and hyperlinked text clicked by visitors to reach your website and on your website, are cues that can help determine the purpose of their visit. For example, an early researcher may use keywords such as ‘what is’, ‘about’ etc. whereas, someone who is more familiar with your products and is making a more conscious visit will use keywords such as ‘features’, ‘benefits’ etc. and someone who is ready to buy from you, will use words such as ‘buy’, ‘price’ etc.

By correlating all the above factors, it will be easy for you to decide on the ‘Lead Type’ of the visitors and the stage of decision making they are in. Based on this analysis you can decide on your next plan of action, whether to wait for the lead to come back and perform more activities on your website that shows their seriousness or if they are already at the later stage of decision making then to initiate contact and the lead nurturing process.

Putting a process together that helps the marketing guys to de-code your company’s online leads can be a great way of ensuring your company finds the intent of a lead and starts nurturing it in time for you to make an impact on the buyer and ensure a higher rate of conversion.

Also, analyzing your leads and their behavior on your site can help you re-evaluate your website and make it more intuitive for visitors, by grouping information searched by different Lead types in one place or by leading a visitor through different stages of information in such a way that it helps them progress to the next stage of the buying cycle.