For many executives, marketing is part black magic, part entertainment with a few dashes of business thrown in. Those outside of the marketing world just can’t help but wonder if all of the money spent on creating content and generating leads is actually bringing in new business. After all, when was the last time someone actually reacted to an email or answered the call to action (CTA) on a blog post?

There are very clear methods for answering the return on investment (ROI) question. It begins by asking these questions:

1.      Who is visiting your site?

Your content is created for a specific audience. In most cases, you will have several target audiences and your content will reflect that variation. Then there is content focused on each level of the funnel; switching from educational, to comparative, to the company, to the product. At each step your prospect is getting closer to becoming a qualified lead. Tracking potentials as they move through the funnel provides some answers to the ROI question.

2.      All Contacts Are Not Created Equal

Let’s be honest, if you are putting out great, educational content (and you absolutely should be) your blog is going to be found by people who may only be conducting initial research and by those who are not in the position of making the buying decision. This means that they will consume your content yet never buy. It is important to remember that the average person goes through 70% of the buying process before wanting to engage with a salesperson.

3.      How to Handle Leads

With the above in mind, it is important to divide potential leads based on their behaviors and demographics. If the visitor has had several contacts with the site, are moving steadily through the funnel and meet the targeted audience demographics, it may be time to engage the sales team.

If you prospect’s contacts are sporadic and their alignment is slightly off, you may need to double-down on your nurturing efforts. Provide the potential lead with tailored content without being aggressive.

With a robust marketing and lead nurturing strategy in place, you can expertly bring your contacts through the funnel and realize substantial returns on your marketing efforts.

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