Scoring applied to marketing automation

Interest in scoring strategies applied to marketing has been increasing, mainly due to the growth in the adoption of marketing and sales automation processes and technologies. According to Aberdeen Research 1, companies that properly implement lead scoring have an average lead approval rate 192% higher than those that don't.

Although this strategy is growing in popularity thanks to its efficiency and effectiveness for marketing automation, there are certain points that can still hinder the process: lack of information, lack of planning, not choosing the right technology, static models, etc.

Manual Scoring vs. Scoring automation

A lead scoring strategy can boost conversions because it allows us to identify and prioritize the most interested leads, personalize marketing efforts and streamline sales processes, resulting in more conversions and a unified and efficient marketing and sales funnel.

Naturally, companies' first approach to lead scoring applied to marketing is to do it manually. Here, a marketing or sales expert assigns scores based on their own knowledge of the lead's interactions with the brand.

This approach could be effective in certain situations (very small operations, very low lead volume, specific cases of Account Based Marketing of products with extremely complex sales processes, etc.). However, doing so manually can be time-consuming and subjective or susceptible to errors such as biases and inconsistencies.

On the other hand, an automated approach is based on an algorithm or model that takes information from different sources (interactions with the website, visits to specific landing pages, email opening rate, etc.). This approach is more efficient, consistent, and highly scalable for operations that generate large volumes of leads. Automated lead scoring is objective, based on data and reduces the potential for human error.

Although automation ultimately streamlines the process, it still requires monitoring and optimization to ensure accuracy and effectiveness. It cannot run like a machine that will not require adjustments and customization based on the business objectives and needs of the operation and the marketing and sales teams.

What technology should I use to automate my lead scoring process?

When choosing the right technology to use scoring applied to marketing automation, you must consider your specific needs and objectives. In addition to the cost of the software, there are other factors to consider for its operation: the functionalities it offers, its interface and ease of use, or the possibility of integrating with other tools.

Some of the options available in the market to implement lead scoring are:

• Marketing automation software

There are several platforms that focus 100% on marketing processes and that have integrated scoring features that will allow you to easily assign scores to leads and customers and carry out marketing actions (such as sending email campaigns or entering an advertising flow).

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems

A CRM is a rich source of data for lead scoring. By recording all of the lead's business interactions, it provides them with the necessary information to automatically score. In addition, it is a platform powered by the sales team that will allow them to focus on the most promising leads.

• Software specialized in scoring

There are already tools on the market that specialize only in lead scoring. If your marketing automation software or CRM does not have a scoring tool, or this is insufficient, this solution connects to them to fulfill the function.

• All-in-One Software

There are other solutions that offer marketing automation, CRM and lead scoring on a single platform. These tools offer many advantages over using separate tools for each function. The all-in-one tools are designed to work together and fluidly, eliminating the need for complex integrations or custom developments.

An all-in-one tool also streamlines your processes by allowing you to manage all marketing and sales actions in managing a potential customer in one place. This reduces time, effort and resources needed to manage multiple tools and systems. Even using the tools mentioned above and others such as Help Desk, they can generate predictive models (the probability that that lead will close or increase their score).

Why should you give automated lead scoring a chance?

Scoring applied to marketing automation has many benefits, such as saving time and effort; adopting a data-driven and aligned marketing and sales strategy, increasing conversion rates and allowing an operation to scale up. Even so, it's important to approach it carefully and ensure that you're using the right scoring model, rules, and thresholds for your business. It is also important to periodically review and adjust the scoring approach based on data and results, in order to continuously optimize performance.

Nor should we forget that the technology you choose plays a crucial role in this strategy. Make sure you implement the one that best meets your needs and allows you to intelligently optimize your processes and free up resources and time.

With careful planning and execution and appropriate technology selection, automated lead scoring can be a valuable addition to your sales and marketing toolkit to generate more quality leads that convert to sales.

*Aberdeen Group, Lead Prioritization and Scoring: The path to higher conversion