In Case You Missed It: The Battle For Lead Scoring

Inbound 2013: Bridging Marketing and Sales

If there is one word we can attach to last week?s HubSpot?s 2013 Inbound Marketing Conference, it’s depth. Let?s be honest?inbound marketing is a strategy and not a software. Every minute spent studying and strategizing is a moment well spent. HubSpot did an amazing job not only teaching, but presenting information in a fashion that spurred new thought and applications for current clients. Needless to say, we were blown away by the conference!

One of our points of emphasis was to gain more insight into how others were using lifecycle stages and lead scoring to bridge marketing and sales.? Because as you know?this is never an issue for a retail client.

Not surprisingly, most people in the sessions were very weak or had zero experience with lead scoring. Immediately, the internal alarm start going off in our heads ? this is a bigger problem than we had anticipated.

HubSpot has provided the rod and reel of lead scoring, now we must figure out how to use it

Figuring Out How to Fish

You?ve heard it, ?Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.? In this instance, HubSpot has literally given marketers the rod and reel, yet they haven?t figured how to fish. We believe lead scoring will someday become the true battleground among inbound marketers. The faster and more efficiently marketers can qualify prospects as a sales qualified lead, the more their organization will thrive. Remember, the first organization to contact a sales qualified lead will have the greatest chance for success.

For some of you this may not be earth shattering news, but Inbound 2013 gave us a peek into what is on the horizon. All the tools in the world can?t make up for a weak conversion strategy and a poor sales cycle.

Other thoughts:

Seth Godin was amazingly inspirational. ?If failure is not an option, then neither is success.?

Arianna Huffington surprised us. For someone at the helm of a media machine, she seemed like a breath of fresh of air. She preached rest and recharging. Because like a cat, you must go backwards to before you make a big jump.

Peter Shankman was hilarious as always. For a guy who loves to use four letter words, he preached calm. Taking inspiration from his baby daughter?he basically said who cares when things go wrong. Because, whenever he loses it. All is baby girl can do is laugh at him!

A return to the basics. Getting ahead of yourself is easy in this business. Remember you cannot neglect the human portion of sales and inbound! Also, authenticity is all about displaying consistent behavior. (Miley Cyrus anyone?)

The new HubSpot COS and Social Inbox look awesome. Even if you?re not a marketing geek, you will surely be blown away by their abilities. First, the COS will offer website visitors a customized experience based on past behavior. This is so far ahead of the game?it?s ridiculous. Secondly, the Social Inbox. We have a confession; we’re not a fan of Hubspot?s past social tool. But, the new inbox adds the ability to track and nurture leads through social. Talk about the opportunity to start a conversation!

The Takeaway

The Inbound Conference infused energy into the inbound movement. As more businesses adapt to this new way of online marketing, HubSpot continues to deliver great new products, like the COS and Signals, that address their customers’ needs and optimize their marketing effectiveness. We applaud this year’s conference at look forward to the next one (maybe in a bigger venue).

If you attended Inbound 13, please share your thoughts with us! If you haven’t jumped on board yet:

Marketing Matters Inbound?is an inbound marketing firm specializing in online conversions, content?strategy, PPC campaigns and traditional media placement. Our experience in?B2B digital?marketing?and?traditional media?allows us to deliver results through a strategic media mix. We believe in?aligning and merging marketing and sales/operations for optimal return on your marketing investment.