How To Use Lead Scoring and Lead Nurturing Together

I shouldn’t say this out loud and I definitely shouldn’t write it down and publish it, but…

There is no secret formula for turning website visitors into sales opportunities. 

I hope I don’t get fired for that, but it’s true. Visitors will come to your website at all different stages of the buying process. Some will be window shoppers, some will have gotten there by accident, and some will already have their wallets out and be ready to buy.

But it doesn’t have to be total chaos. You can build systems that help manage and prioritize your leads automatically without a lot of manual effort. In this article, we are going to discuss lead scoring and lead nurturing and how businesses like yours can combine these two tactics to improve conversion rates and bottom line revenue.

What’s the difference between lead scoring and lead nurturing?

Lead scoring and lead nurturing and essentially two sides of the same coin. Lead scoring tells you which leads to nurture and lead nurturing, well…it nurtures them.

There’s a little bit more to it than that, though. Let’s dive into the details.

What is lead scoring?

Lead scoring is a system that prioritizes your leads based on their level of interest in your product or service. Essentially, you create a list of actions - such as viewing a pricing page or clicking on an email - and assign a point value to each action.

Points can be either positive or negative. For example, you may give a lead 10 points for reading a case study, but then subtract 5 points if they don’t open your follow up email. 

The number of points a lead has is referred to as their “lead score.” The higher the lead score, the more interest they have. Once a lead hits a certain lead score, it indicates they are ready to be handed off to the sales team.

In essence, lead scoring improves marketing and sales efficiency because it…

• Assigns leads a score based on how likely they are to close
• Helps sales and marketing teams prioritize leads
• Creates alignment between sales and marketing teams

What is lead nurturing?

Lead nurturing is the process of building or strengthening relationships with leads that are not ready to buy. It involves sending them useful information and educational resources - usually through email - to help them with their buying decision. 

Not all visitors who convert will be ready to make a purchase. But lead nurturing keeps your leads engaged and builds loyalty while they are shopping around and educating themselves.

Ultimately, lead nurturing improves conversion rates and drives bottom line revenue because it…

• Creates trust and builds relationships
• Helps to move leads further down the funnel
• Keeps your brand top of mind while your leads are doing research
• Accelerates the sales cycle by providing relevant information needed to make purchasing decisions

Lead scoring vs. lead nurturing

Now that you know how lead scoring and lead nurturing both work, let’s clarify what the main differences are:

• Lead scoring works on the backend; your leads don’t know they have a score. Lead nurturing works on the front end; your leads are receiving messages and content from you.
• Lead scoring helps to prioritize leads; lead nurturing helps to educate leads.
• Lead scoring creates audience segments. Lead nurturing uses audience segments

How do lead scoring and lead nurturing work together?

Lead scoring and lead nurturing serve decidedly different functions within the business. And while they can be used independently from one another, businesses get the most out of lead generation when they implement both lead scoring and lead nurturing together. 

In fact, studies show that when used together, lead scoring and lead nurturing increased the number of qualified leads for around 37% of businesses.

Here are some examples of how lead scoring and lead nurturing benefit each other:

• Lead scoring tells you which leads need to be nurtured and which ones are ready for a sales outreach
• Lead scoring helps you identify which leads to be aggressive with and which leads need more space
• Lead nurturing can help to increase lead score and move leads further down the funnel

Improve Your Lead Generation

A lead nurturing strategy without a lead scoring model behind it is like mac without cheese - it might get the job done, but it could be alot better.

If you’re new to lead nurturing and lead scoring and don’t know where to start, WEBITMD is here to help. We’ve been helping businesses of all sizes and industries turn new leads into actionable sales opportunities since 2008. 

Contact us today to start the conversation or download your free Growth Stack Guide below to learn more about our approach.