KPIs are often a discussion when it comes to nurture, and for good reason, as demand gen marketers have been conditioned to measure success based on things like net new leads, MQLs, and LTV/CAC. However, nurture initiatives often require different measures of success. Example KPIs we use to measure the success and impact of post-lead nurture initiatives include (at the account, rather than contact level) pipeline touches, pipeline velocity, lead-to-close conversion rate, influenced opportunities, impressions and website engagement. For nurture, it all comes back to marketing 101 – serving the right message, to the right person, at the right time.
While staying top of mind is vitally important, marketers should also know when to call it quits. Signals should be analyzed and defined to determine when a previously warm lead has gone cold. Best case, this threshold is indicated by a quantifiable number, such as a lead score being piped in from Marketo. If that isn’t available, signals such as the number of impressions without engagement or time without engagement can be used.
Pro Tip: Think through your re-engagement strategy. Just because a lead has gone cold doesn’t mean you should never re-engage.
To wrap it up, post-lead nurture initiatives can be a powerful complement to lead generation. Through thoughtful analysis, creative strategic planning, tech stack integration, AI-assisted execution, and thoughtful reporting that connects the dots, there’s no question in my mind it has the power to be a multiplier for your business – especially with superior content and technology. Leveraged cleverly, nurture strategies can be a crushing blow to what your competitors are doing.
Some may even call it diabolical.