What is a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL)?

The marketing qualified lead-scoring process

There are different ways to score an MQL. Ideally, sales and marketing teams will work together to identify the criteria for what constitutes an MQL vs SQL. Additionally, they’ll assign a score based on how likely a customer intends to purchase in the near term.

For example, B2B marketers might score an MQL that visits their pricing web page lower on their scale than one that signs up online for a free product demo. Registering or subscribing to events and newsletters online are also good lead-scoring criteria. However, marketers may score those MQLs less than leads that call a 1-800 number to ask for product or service-specific information.

Many sales organizations will use the BANT method, which stands for budget, authority, need, and timing to score each MQL lead (e.g., a score of 1 for least likely to buy and 5 for most likely to buy) based on implicit and explicit data points which are described below.

Retargeting

Suppose a prospect has previously clicked on a lead generation ad and has visited a branded website or landing page to learn more. In that case, marketing teams can use a retargeting campaign to expose them to relevant ads based on their topics of interest (e.g., after landing on a case study page or inviting them to sign-up for a webinar based on a topic they viewed on the website).

The more a prospective buyer comes in contact with a B2B brand, the more likely they will eventually submit their contact information, which is used to nurture the prospect relationship further.

B2B brands that advertise on LinkedIn can use the LinkedIn retargeting pixel, also known as the LinkedIn Insight Tag. This tag tracks visitor data and uses that data for retargeting or to enhance other paid ad or sponsored content campaigns.

Landing pages and lead generation forms

Once a prospect has arrived on a landing page, B2B marketers must create a compelling argument as to why the customer should provide their contact information to learn more about a product or service.

The message should be short, clear, and easy for customers to request information. B2B marketers should include convincing copy and focus on only one specific topic for the landing page. Be sure to offer an incentive, such as a free research report or ebook, to entice leads to share their name, email address, and phone number.

Finally, include a strong call to action or CTA, like “download,” “sign up,” or “subscribe.” Adding social proof in the form of a customer testimonial is also recommended. Refer to LinkedIn’s guide to learn more about landing pages.

Many sales organizations also try to gather information about the lead’s level of influence in the contact form by asking for their role or title and the industry they are in. Some will try to understand the lead’s budget range for purchasing their product or service. However, neither is mandatory and the fewer fields required for form completion, the more likely a prospect will be to share their contact information.

Email and content marketing

After a lead fills out a lead generation form or signs up for an industry webinar or event, marketing teams will establish contact via email marketing (e.g., newsletters or blog updates) – assuming they have opted in to receive communications from their company.

Marketers will then begin sending prospects high-quality content that drives them deeper into the sales funnel – answering common industry or solution-based questions that remove any fear, uncertainty, or doubt about purchasing their product or service.

Ideally, the marketing MQL will eventually reach the highest lead score to be transferred over to the sales team for outreach and to set up a discovery call. The time required to nurture and convert an MQL to an SQL depends on where a prospect has entered the purchase funnel when they first connect with a brand. It also depends on how that lead is first scored. It can take as little as a few weeks or months to a year or two to close the deal, depending on an MQL’s internal decision-making process.

Review LinkedIn’s lead generation guide to learn more about nurturing an MQL throughout the sales funnel.