Why Lead Nurturing Is Key to Marketing Success

Are you nurturing your leads? Research shows 65% of B2B marketers have not established lead nurturing. Our more than 200 clients tell us running a sustained nurture effort can be difficult because of:

  • Marketing technology challenges.
  • Limited staff resources.
  • Content requirements.

Lead nurture is a key part of any successful marketing plan. It may be tough to prioritize, but it’s worth doing because it is the best way to progress leads from marketing qualified (MQL) to sales qualified (SQL).

Not sure about the difference? Here’s a quick rundown:

  • A marketing qualified lead (MQL) is someone who is interested in beginning a relationship with your brand.
  • A sales qualified lead (SQL) is typically someone who has a confirmed budget, the authority to spend it, a confirmed business need, and a timeline to solve it.

While particular definitions for MQLs and SQLs vary, our more than 200 clients agree on these basic characteristics. They also agree MQLs need to be nurtured before they’re converted into an SQL.

Unfortunately, it is common for marketers to treat MQLs like SQLs and pass them straight to sales without nurturing them – especially in the fast-paced, high pressure B2B technology space. Research indicates 61% of B2B marketers send all leads directly to sales; however, only 27% of those leads are actually qualified for a sales call.

Additionally, not nurturing MQLs can come at a major cost: MarketingSherpa reports ~80% of marketing leads never convert into sales – with lack of lead nurturing as the common cause of poor performance.

We hope this information inspires you to start nurturing your leads. If you have any thoughts on how to make lead nurturing easier, send us a note and we’ll add them here.