B2B webinar follow up – make the most of your investment
If you’re doing more webinars, you’re not alone. Today, they are a key component of the B2B selling process across industries. Which makes webinar follow-up more important than ever.
Best Practices
If you have internal resources for webinar follow up, we’re happy to share some best practices with you.Turnkey solution
If you need a turnkey solution to webinar follow up, we can get started within days. Let our team do the hard part.
One of our clients did 55 webinars over three years that reached ~23K prospects. We followed up with them all and kept track – the numbers speak for themselves. A disciplined approach to follow up delivered a 4% lead conversion rate. With a conservative sale value of $10K, that equates to $1.8MM in sales and ROI of 10X.
*Actual client results
B2B webinar follow up
B2B webinar follow up delivers results
The numbers below speak for themselves – following up with the prospects who attend your webinars delivers B2B lead generation results. And don’t forget about the prospects who register and don’t attend. The qualified lead rates are the same between attendees and those who register but cannot attend. Which makes sense when you think about it.
So what is the “right way” to follow up with prospects who attend your webinars? Respectfully, professionally, and focused on delivering value not getting what you want. In most high-tech industries, like life science, biotech, medical devices, etc., webinars are a necessary part of the buying process. Gathering information. Getting a feel for what it might be like to do business with a company. That’s why your follow up needs to be respectful and professional. More than automated email. But not intrusive and self-centered. We need the prospect to think “I’m glad they called” not “I’ll never attend another of their webinars”.
Connecting the human touch of a conversation with email and digital follow up delivers B2B lead generation results. When you are already investing heavily in webinars, why not invest in an approach that quantifies the value of marketing’s contribution to the sales pipeline?
5 steps to better leads
B2B lead generation is not getting any easier:
- Less than 24% of sales emails are even opened.
- It takes 18 dials to connect with a single buyer (TOPO).
And while buyers are waiting longer and longer to contact sales reps, not that many companies seem concerned:
- Fewer than 25% of companies who receive an inbound web lead contact the prospect at all (insidesales.com)
So, what can you do? Click here for five proven steps to finding better leads.
These practical insider tips are based on over 30 years’ experience in B2B lead generation. Whether you are launching, growing or optimizing your lead generation efforts, you’ll find something you can implement today.
Click here for your guide to better leads.
Content and the B2B sales process
Maximize the value of content
B2B marketers have invested heavily in content for years. Especially in the industries we work a lot in – life science, biotech, medical devices, and even traditional industrial segments like manufacturing. This has created a fundamental shift in the B2B purchasing process that has been well-documented. A 2018 survey by Showpad found “on average B2B buyers will spend up to 20 hours researching before they contact a sales rep”. In fact, on purchases worth more than $100,000, buyers will research (both online and offline) for more than 40 hours.
With all the investment in the content that fuels this research process, why would a company choose to sit back and WAIT for the prospect to contact them instead of their competition? In the push for B2B lead generation results, there is too much at stake to simply hope – after all, hope alone has proven to disappoint as a strategy. At the same time, stalking prospects and jumping on the phone as soon as they open a web page can be equally ineffective.
So where is the balance? It comes from understanding the way prospects interact with your content, and reaching out with a well-timed professional, human phone call. No one likes a pushy sales person, but everyone likes someone who can add value to their research process. Sometimes simply being able to connect the interested prospect with their local sales rep is enough. Other times, answering a specific question early in the game can help your company stand out from the competition. The goal is to leave the prospect thinking “I’m glad they called”, which is often overlooked when it comes to measuring B2B lead generation results.
Connecting the human touch of a conversation with the value of online content delivers results more than double traditional outbound lead generation campaigns. The graphic above was compiled from actual B2B lead generation results for our clients in aggregate…from more than 30,000 outbound phone calls over eighteen months . And when you are already investing heavily in content, why not invest in the assurance that comes from knowing the value of marketing’s contribution to the sales pipeline?
Human conversation connecting with online content
Lead generation
When our clients build an outbound lead generation campaign from the groupd up, the realize a 2% lead conversion rate.
2%
Content marketing followup
When our clients have us follow up with their content marketing interactions, they realize a 5% lead conversion rate.
5%
Following up with content marketing interactions delivers qualified leads at over twice the rate of traditional outbound lead generation.
*Actual client results
Drive sales engagement by listening
Leading Life Science Supplier
You can learn a lot by listening
Life science suppliers recognize the opening of a new laboratory as the opportunity to build a partnership with their customers. New lab programs and lab start-up promotions have been proven retention platforms for years. Typically, customers sign up, make qualifying purchases and receive discounts. This often occurs digitally with no further interaction. However, several years ago (2015), one of our clients asked us to create an outbound phone cadence to complement their digitally automated new lab start up program. Initially they wanted to know why some customers engaged with the program while others did not. Once they answered that question, we pursued more revenue-driving activities.
Enough to increase sales engagement by over 80%
Over the course of the new lab program, LTS engages the customer in three separate conversations – an introduction, mid-point and final reminder. Each is focused on what is important to the customer. Initially, it’s help with login and system access. Then an incentive to purchase. And finally, a reminder of their program expiration date. In this market, there are three primary purchasing channels. Our team is familiar with all three, and can help the customer navigate the program based on their individual purchasing scenario.
30% of the customers typically place an order before our initial outreach. By the midpoint call it rises to 45%, and by the final call it hits 55% – an 83% increase! In addition, the dialogue uncovers potential issues, and provides the customer with a direct channel to support. In an average year, we diffuse over 20 potential customer service concerns, and help identify 25-30 qualified sales opportunities.
Consistently over time
Since 2015, the program has been managed by different members of the client’s team. During that time, Leads To Sales has delivered the continuity of a single rep and program manager. This consistency has aided transition on the client’s team, and provided a familiar voice and name to the customer. Through the framework of this annual program, we’ve also conducted Voice of Customer research, and executed lead generation campaigns. Consistent customer engagement, on-going analysis and attention to detail have delivered an overall enhanced experience for our client’s most valuable customers.
Professional services lead generation results
Business development in professional services was challenging in 1986 when Leads To Sales was founded. It was challenging in the pre-Internet days when I sold direct mail. And it’s still challenging today. By focusing on prior relationships and “segments of experience”, agencies can achieve results 5X those of traditional lead generation campaigns. We put together this complimentary white paper to share more information:
Lead generation
When our clients build an outbound lead generation campaign from the groupd up, the realize a 2% lead conversion rate.
2%
Relationship-based lead gen for professional services
When professional services companies leverage prior relationships, they can realize up to a 10% lead conversion rate.
10%
Leveraging prior relationships can help professional services companies deliver qualified leads at 5X the average of traditional outbound lead generation.
*Actual client results
Experience Counts
We’ve spent over thirty years in B2B lead generation. Learn from: