Qualified leads are a key criterion in most industries. But, you must first know what they are before you can find them. This article will provide some tips and tricks to help marketers locate those marketing-qualified leads.
Qualified leads can be marketed to make them more attractive clients. Qualified leads are more profitable, more likely to convert, and have a lower risk.
It is important to know how to find these leads, but it can take time and effort. This blog post will provide a quick guide to how to market qualified leads.
What is Marketing Qualified Leads (or)?
Market-qualified leads are those potential clients who possess the following characteristics:
They are interested in your product/service. They have shown interest by clicking on a hyperlink, reading an email, responding to a call for action (CTA), etc.
They fall into one of the following 3 groups:
1. They are eligible for your offer
2. You have two options to reach them: through inexpensive marketing channels, such as Facebook ads or
3. These leads may not fall under any other category, but they could still be good leads!
Let’s have a closer look at each one of these three groups.
1. You must qualify for the offer. This is the first step to determining if your offering is “worth it”.
This is how you determine if they have all the criteria. They are interested enough in what your do (they have shown an interest by clicking on a hyperlink, reading an email, and responding to a CTA).
They can be reached through inexpensive marketing channels, such as Facebook ads. They may still be potential leads even if they do not fall within any other category.
2. Reaching them through marketing channels that don’t cost too much is an important step.
Advertising is a waste of money that your target audience won’t want and can’t afford.
If they do not qualify, it is best to not advertise.
If they do meet the criteria, you can invest your time and money in reaching them through marketing channels that aren’t too costly.
3. You may not be eligible for your offer but you are still a lead. Let’s take, for example, an author who wants ebooks to be sold on Amazon Kindle.
Advertise in the “Kindle Store” to reach a large audience. But, if they aren’t qualified (or haven’t expressed any interest), you can skip advertising there.
Utilize other people’s offers – If you offer more than one product, consider using another person’s offer to reach the right people.
Let’s say, for example, you are a web designer who wants to sell your services via Fiverr. However, you don’t yet have clients. To get leads, you could use other people’s offers, such as using someone else’s logo.
How do I find Marketing Qualified Leads?
Although there are many methods to find qualified marketing leads, I prefer using a lead generation company because they have the best technology and tools.
Lead Generation Services There are many places you can find free or low-cost leads for your business.
1. Facebook Ads – These are one of the most effective ways to get new customers.
Advertisements that target certain demographic groups will be most effective. This will ensure that they are only seen by those who fall within the targeted categories.
2. Twitter Ads – A tweet about your business might lead to someone being interested in what you offer. It’s a great way for leads to be generated, but you should not spam people.
3. LinkedIn Ads – If someone has searched or viewed something related to your company’s products, they might be a good candidate for one of the targeted demographics by LinkedIn ads (for instance: Software Developers).
It is important to ensure that the person you are introducing is not already part of any other audience.
4. Google Adwords: If someone searches Google for what you do, but doesn’t find any relevant results, then they probably fall into one of the Adwords-targeted demographics.
It is important to ensure that the person you are contacting is not already part of any other audience (e.g., “Web Designers”).
How to Identify Marketing-Qualified Leads
Before you can identify qualified leads for marketing, you need to identify the type and size of your business.
Next, determine which keywords are being used to search for your industry. Then calculate how many people are using those keywords each month. The information can be used to determine if a lead qualifies for marketing.
1. Identify Your Industry – You need to identify the type of industry you are in. Also, know which keywords are used when searching for it online. It is also important to know how many people search for these terms each month.
This will reduce the number of leads that may qualify as marketing-qualified leads. For example, if I were selling real estate agents, my industry would be “realty” and I’d like people to search for this term on Google. Finance every month (the better, the more).
2. Identify Keywords for Your Industry – Next, identify keywords that are commonly used to search your industry.
If a keyword is searched more than once per week, it is likely that people will search for it. They’ll probably be willing to purchase something from you even if they don’t know much about you or your business.
These terms can be found online by entering your industry into Google or Yahoo! Finance (or any other search engine that is most popular with real estate agents)
Take a look at the top 10-20 results for these searches. You will see the most searched keywords in this industry.
An example I would go online to type “realty agents” and find the keywords that my clients are using when searching for them.
Next, take a look at the first pages of Google’s search result page. This is what Google would show you if it were searching for your name. Here’s an example. This is only one keyword. There are over 100 ways that someone could describe what I do. These top results would be the ones that I would sell to real estate agents.
What are the Benefits of Using Marketing Qualified Leads to Increase Sales?
Marketing-qualified leads offer many benefits. Here are a few examples:
They are more likely to purchase from you.
According to research, people who are referred by others tend to be more interested than those who find you via other channels (source). Because they are already interested in what you do, they will convert at a higher rate.
This information can be used as leverage in negotiations with them later, which will increase their willingness to pay for your products/services. There is less risk and no upfront sales. Instead of worrying about the sales process, you can concentrate on your product/service.
They are more likely to be loyal customers. Referred customers are more likely to be interested in your products than people who find you via other sources (source).
Because they have already expressed interest in your products, there is less risk for them to purchase from you. You may be able to make them a customer without even having to speak with them.
This makes it easy for people who don’t know much about you to purchase from you, as I have mentioned.
Marketing Qualified Lead Vs Sales Qualified Lead
You have two options for leads to use in your marketing campaigns: and
A marketing-qualified lead – Someone who was referred to you. This type of lead is more suitable because it is less likely to be confused by other people in your audience. They are already interested in what you do and there’s less risk when it comes to buying from them.
A qualified sales lead is Someone who discovered your website/business using one of these methods (search engines, paid advertising).
These people are less likely to buy from you because they have shown an interest in your product before, but have not yet purchased it.
It is crucial to choose the right type of lead for your marketing efforts. This will affect how much you make on each sale.
If someone buys from your company without ever speaking to anyone, there is no way to determine the ROI (return on investment) and track the conversion rate.
This is bad news for business owners who want to sell their products/services as often as possible. To convert leads into sales, you need more qualified leads.
Your conversion rate is the best way to decide which lead type is right for you. If a particular marketing qualified lead (MQL), converts at a higher rate than sales qualified leads (SQL), it is probably better to use MQLs in the future.
Some examples
Your website ranking for keywords such as “interior design” or “home design” is a sign that your website will be found by people searching those terms through organic search.
Focus more on SEO (search engine optimizing) than PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, because this is the type of traffic you are most likely to get.
If you are a realtor, people searching for homes will most likely find your website via organic search. It’s not worth investing in PPC advertising if they don’t convert to sales.
If you are in the fitness and health industry, there is a high chance that your business will be found by people searching organically for “personal trainer” and “fitness instructor”.
It is better to focus on SEO (search engine optimization), rather than PPC (pay-per-click) marketing, as the latter tends to have more qualified traffic. People searching for answers to their fitness and health problems will most likely find your site through organic searches if you are a personal trainer.
Although they may not convert to sales, it is still worthwhile spending money on PPC advertising as that traffic is more likely than others to become loyal customers.
