By Meg Archer, Account Manager

When planning for your next email marketing program, think beyond the catchy subject line and “Welcome” email, consider ways to encourage your lead to take the next step.

You have tested email subject lines and have an intriguing one-liner nailed down, what comes next? According to Ryan Deutsch, vice president of Strategic Services at StrongMail, it is time to start planning an educational lead nurturing email campaign—or a “Welcome Program.”

A typical email marketing campaign begins when a potential lead subscribes to further communication from a company. In response, the company typically sends a “welcome” email. Deutsch argues that a single “welcome” message doesn’t cut it—there needs to be more communication and education for the program to be effective.

Let’s say you join a running club. You don’t say hello to your new running buddies and then never say another word—you chat.  In doing so, you build a relationship based on your common interest in running by sharing tips and personal stories. Deutsch suggests that the same must occur when designing an email marketing program. A subscriber should be coached and integrated with the brand through multiple communications.

Posted by: Erin Wilson, Account Coordinator

Many marketers struggle to find qualified online leads to pass along to their sales teams. In some cases they aim for quantity over quality hoping that a small percentage will eventually convert to a sale. Ideally, marketers should create and implement solid online lead generation programs that help bridge the gap between themselves and their sales teams.

Use the following questions to start thinking about ways you can create or improve your lead generation program.

90octane is included in the newly released Marketers Resource Guide ’11 by BtoB Magazine. The firm is listed under the Top Agencies, Interactive Agencies and SEM Vendors sections. Our business-to-business clients include Gates Corporation, Atlas Copco CMT USA, ITT Visual Information Solutions, Jeppesen and NCM Fathom.

Download the complete Marketers Resource Guide ’11 from BtoB Magazine.

90octane Partner Sam Eidson spoke about Lead Management Automation at the 2010 Integrated Marketing Summit in Denver, CO this summer. Watch part one of the program as he discusses the importance of establishing goals and metrics before developing a campaign strategy. And then visit the 90octane YouTube channel to watch the entire presentation.

You’ll learn about:

• Cultivating trust between your organization and its prospects
• Using a lead calendar to track and measure marketing and sales conversions
• Targeting prospects in critical phases of the buying cycle
• Giving your prospects the information they need to choose the best solution
• Creating a lead nurturing flow to qualify leads
• Scoring leads using implicit and explicit data

Posted by: Gloria Dutton, Senior Marketing Coordinator

When discussing the goals of lead programs with sales teams, we often get one message – volume volume volume. The ‘volume’ mentality has an obvious attraction: at least some of the many leads that come in the door will close. However, when we dig deeper, we all become convinced that volume is less important than delivering quality, closeable leads to sales.

So, what is the process for identifying quality leads before sending them to sales? Lead nurturing programs. They help qualify and guide prospects through the buying cycle by analyzing what offers they are interested in and the specific actions these prospects take. Through learning about prospects, we’re able to target marketing initiatives to be focused on their needs as they gather information and research, evaluate their options and ultimately make a purchase decision.

How do we identify when a lead needs to be nurtured and when they are ready for sales? Start by segmenting by preference. Provide multiple offers on your site requiring registration – everything from white papers and research studies, to pricing sheets and sales contact information.