Want more fintech leads? Speak to marketing
Fintech marketing teams should be providing salespeople with more high-quality leads... Simple.
The countless early mornings and late evenings I've spent hunched over my laptop trawling the world wide web for potential leads.
Looking for that "lead gold mine" untapped by other people in my industry with potential customers just waiting for my call.
Springing out of bed the next morning, imagining that first call, the high fives........
"boop.. boop.. beep....the number you have dialled has not been recognised, please try again".
"Any B2B salespeople out there? You know where I'm coming from right?"
The good news is times have changed, this is not the only way. And all will be revealed.
Before I really get going, I'm not about to bash cold calling. I don't care what people say, it works, good salespeople are never afraid to pick up the phone.
Instead, picture this... every morning you open up your email to a list of fresh leads, people who genuinely have an interest in what you have to offer.
Well, it happens... and guess where these magical leads come from - yes you guessed it (with a little help from the title) Marketing.
To be more precise Inbound Marketing.
WHAT IS INBOUND MARKETING IN FINTECH?
Well in the time we've all been buried in a heap of www.bestleadsourceever.com crap, buyers have been getting smarter.
They no longer wait for smooth-talking salespeople to contact them before they buy.
They visit this wonderful thing called Google, type in their question and get about 2 million answers.
They find the solution to their challenge and probably a whole load of other great articles from savvy fintech’s who have nailed their marketing.
Initially, they may subscribe to their newsletter. Then they might download a report, maybe even sign up for a free trial.
Before you know it they've found themselves a new supplier all without hearing your dulcet tones.
Hello to the world of inbound marketing.
Goodbye to the world of "lead sourcing should happen outside of business hours because in business hours you should be cold calling".
The good news is that this approach to fintech marketing is not rocket science or dark art.
It's about producing regular, quality fintech content that your target audience is going to want to read.
Quality fintech content is the sort of thing that adds value to the reader. Maybe it answers a question or provides them with a solution to a problem.
BUT, WHAT IS CONTENT?
It could be blogs, articles, newsletters, e-books, whitepapers, reports, videos, social media posts. Ideally written by professional fintech copywriters.
It really depends on who you are targeting and where they are likely to consume this content.
For example, if you're selling a complex fintech solution targeted at CIOs you may want to be driving potential customers to more in-depth analytical articles on your website from platforms like LinkedIn.
Producing amazing content is great and everything but it doesn't mean your potential customers are going to call you up and ask to buy your product or service.
You need to give them a reason to part with their precious details. Some compelling reason to let you know who they are.
ENTER "GATED CONTENT"...
Gated content with a strong call-to-action: it's a piece of downloadable content that provides your target customer with something really juicy and helpful.
Maybe an e-Book with a step-by-step guide on how to solve their problem or an informative report that will shape the strategic direction of their business. Or even a free trial.
Here's the catch... in order to get their hands on this forbidden fruit they have to enter just a few basic details. Name, company name, email address, phone number for example.
Between 3-5 basic details is recommended. If you start asking for too much then this you may scare them away.
Then Hey Presto you have a lead.
Is it qualified? Well, yes because clearly, these people have a level of interest in what you have to offer.
When you phone them will they take your call? Probably, yes, because they'll know who you are.
So do you pick up the phone and call them straight away?
It depends.... and this is where the science starts.
Some smart marketing people talk about funnels. In sales, we're familiar with the funnel concept too.
You have a whole bunch of leads at the top of the funnel, they get qualified in or out and then at the bottom of the funnel you have qualified leads who are much more likely to buy.
So if your new lead has downloaded one piece of content should you give them a call? Again, it depends...
If they've signed up for a free trial they're obviously much further down the buying funnel, probably somewhere near the evaluation/purchase phase.
However, if they've downloaded a research report they may be much higher up, closer to the awareness/interest stage.
Those leads closer to the top of the funnel, need some love, some nurturing, some help to realise yours is the best solution.
"How can we do this without giving them a call?"
Well, we've got some information from them. Like their role, their company name... their email address... it’s time to start sending them relevant articles that are really specific to that person.
If they're a Finance Director you may want to send them articles about the cost-saving benefits of your solution.
Ultimately you want to gently persuade them that yours is the right solution.
Sounds easy, doesn't it?! Just remember your competition may already be doing this so you need to be brilliant to get results.
HERE ARE SOME QUICK FINTECH INBOUND MARKETING TIPS
1. Produce quality content that your target audience wants to read. Make it valuable, answer their questions.
2. Understand your audience and the types of content they like to consume.
3. Put your content in the places they are most likely to find it.
4. Use compelling calls to action to get them to part with their details.
5. Nurture them until they are ready to buy.
6. Call them and help them purchase your product.
Amazing. You only need to pick up the phone at step 6 and marketing does the rest! Queue call-to-action...
