When marketing to scientists, speed is of the essence, and even a five-minute delay can turn a lead cold. Streamline your lead management with automation so you don’t lose time and sales.
Today’s market is an incredibly competitive one. Given COVID-19 related budget cuts and delayed buying cycles, if you don’t remain top of mind, potential customers might lose interest in the product they’re considering, or worse, turn to a competitor. Just like that, the future sale opportunity is lost. It’s fundamental to rapidly action and nurture leads when they’re collected. Especially when considering that 35-50% of sales typically go to the marketing-and-sales teams that respond first.
Here are three actionable steps to automate your lead generation operations:
Begin with the right services. Given that speed is key when encouraging potential buyers to share their information, make the process quick and easy for them. How? Auto-fill forms that require very little action from the potential sale often lead to higher conversion rates. On ResearchGate, for instance, onsite lead collection forms which are auto-filled with a researcher’s professional contact information have resulted in an average 12% increase in lead conversion. In this vein, choose lead-gen tools that auto-populate with professional contact information.
Actioning leads while they’re hot is only possible by always being notified of inquiries as they come through. You can achieve this with automatic lead forwarding, which sends leads directly into your CRM. This enables your sales-and-marketing engine to immediately respond — and kick-off meaningful contact. Acting quickly means you connect when potential customer intent is high – when the problem they’re trying to solve is fresh in their mind. The longer you wait, the more time a prospect has to consider your competitors or change their mind.
Sales teams and marketers don't always help themselves when it comes to timing. For example, the average customer is 'touched' or contacted by a rep just 1.3 times, and a staggering 71% of qualified leads never receive follow-up. For those that are contacted, the average time between a lead being generated and the first contact is nearly 48 hours. This gives you an opportunity to stand out from the competition: don’t wait for leads to go cold, speed up your processes with email marketing automation to make the most of your STEM leads.
Ultimately, scientists like solutions, and providing them with what they need can set you on the path to success. Don't miss out on long-term sales opportunities because of slow processes. Do the basics well — auto-population, auto-forwarding, and automated touchpoints — to move ahead of your competitors. In today's uncertain economy, you cannot afford to lose business due to inaction. Work with a partner, such as ResearchGate, whose STEM Content Marketing Suite can help you reach your audience and meet your objectives.
Are you a digital marketer looking to connect with scientists and researchers? Contact us today for a free consultation to learn more about how we can help you achieve your business goals by reaching and activating your target audience online.
