Silverpop, a provider of on-demand Web-based software solutions serving the online relationship marketing needs of enterprise-level organizations, has released a report named “Benchmark Study of Lead Management Practices” after a detailed study on technology and publishing plus financial and professional services.

 

Silverpop analyzed data from 250 business-to-business companies to uncover key measurements of successful campaigns.

 

The study evaluated about number of questions, on average, marketers can include on a Web form before prospects are likely to abandon it and result showed that it was not the number of questions that mattered as much as how long it takes the responder to answer them. Time is the difference between a lead and a lost contact.

 

This comprehensive report also reveals about the average database size and lead growth rate and response rates to lead-nurturing emails.

 

"The forms that were able to be completed quickly – say within one to two minutes or less – were most likely to be finished, while those that took longer were more often abandoned mid-way through," said Bryan Brown, director of product management and development for Silverpop's Vtrenz solution. "The number of required fields appeared to have little impact on completion rate."

 

He said that "update" forms populated with pre-existing data the company had already collected from sales leads were completed at a rate 20 to 25 percent higher than new-lead forms. Brown recommends that marketers create forms that are simple, clear and brief, with fields that can be completed without any hesitation.

 

"Customers who receive a sales call within hours of indicating they're ready to talk will be much more impressed with your program than if they sit for days without a contact," Brown said.

 

Study shows that prospects appreciate being kept informed. They expect answers, and are more than willing to respond to a marketer's relevant messages. Email lead-nurturing programs that generated the highest click rates were those that sent emails to prospects at least three to four times a month, compared to lower-performing programs that sent just one message a month.