People are not always ready to buy. That is especially true when you’re talking about IT products and services. For example, when a person visits a website offering IT solutions for the first time, it’s not like someone walks into a grocery store, picks up a few items, and checks out at the counter. Numerous studies found that only about 2% of website visitors convert on the first visit. The other 98% either click on to other sites or spend the next few minutes “window shopping”.

Perhaps, similar results can be drawn from other marketing campaigns. The general observation is that there is a very slim chance for conversion to occur right at the first telemarketing contact or email shot. Hence, we are always advised to avoid elevator pitches at the early stage of B2B lead generation, or push for B2B appointments right off the bat, especially when promoting IT products such as telecom services.

So how can you effectively reach out to those 98% who might just be waiting for the right time to make a huge purchase? The answer is retargeting.

What is retargeting and why is it relevant in generating telecom leads?

Retargeting, also known as remarketing, is a cookie-based lead generation and appointment setting strategy commonly used by e-commerce sites to re-attract web visitors who abandoned the site for some reasons.

While commonly used in online marketing, the concept of retargeting works in telemarketing and email marketing as well, since the very purpose of this strategy is to create a highly-personalized lead generation campaign targeting prospects using relevant and timely messages.

Telecom lead generation is usually a lengthy process since decision makers often take time to compare options before they decide to buy. When they do so, it is important that you are the first one they remember. As a marketer, you need to stay connected with these potential customers through personalized communications via multiple touch points (email, SMS, phone, social media, etc.) This can be done only when you are aware of their needs and current position in the buying process. That is what retargeting is all about.

Think of it like a follow-up campaign, just more targeted and personalized, in contrast to scripted follow-up calls which only add to the burden of irrelevance – a major turn off in marketing.

So, keep your social media marketing campaign active and see how prospects behave – read their posts, know what they like, and find out whom they follow. Watch out for clues and events that make them more likely to become customers, and use what you found to make your next targeted approach.