Posted by: Amanda Rick, Senior Account Coordinator

Only 66% of businesses who use Groupon report a profit. Yet, according to the popular company, approximately 95% of these businesses would advertise again and new companies are clamoring to be listed. Have businesses stopped caring about profit margin or is there something larger at work here?

Online coupon sites, such as Groupon and LivingSocial, offer daily deal discounts for local businesses through their websites, email and mobile applications. Because the sites have a pre-determined purchase quantity, users feel a sense of urgency to grab the specials before they’re gone and to share the deal with their friends. And those purchasing the deals are not the only ones who benefit. These sites offer popular platforms that don’t charge companies to list deals; they simply take a percentage of the sales.

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.

“It’s budgeting time…. Marketers are being held accountable to results, and their budgets depend on that. Organizations that have added online lead generation to their marketing mix now have the tools to manage this level of accountability, but the tools are not enough. A results-based approach to budgeting takes measurability to the next phase: intent and predictability.”

Read 90octane partner Sam Eidson’s article on BtoB Magazine‘s website, Online lead generation budgeting: A results-based approach, for valuable tips that can help you get the most out of your 2011 budget.

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.