Welcome to the world of lead scoring! If you’re tired of guessing which leads to chase and which ones to ignore, this is for you. We’ll explore an easy and practical way to use first-party data for scoring your leads. That means no snooping around or buying fishy data. Just using what your visitors and customers willingly give you.
Let’s simplify the whole thing. Lead scoring isn’t sorcery. It’s just creating a system to decide which people are most likely to become your next loyal customers.
Contents
What is First-Party Data?
First-party data is gold. It’s info you collect straight from your audience. No middlemen.
- People fill out a form? That’s first-party data.
- They visit certain pages on your website? That’s first-party data.
- They open your emails or click a link? Yup, still first-party data.
This data is accurate, privacy-respecting, and free. You earn it by building relationships and offering value. So why not use it to figure out who’s ready to buy?
Why Should You Use It for Lead Scoring?
Because not all leads are equal.
Some visitors download your ebook just because it’s free. Others click through six product pages and check your pricing. Whom do you think is closer to buying?
First-party data lets you know who’s hot and who’s just browsing. You can stop wasting time and focus on the right people.
A Fun and Simple Lead Scoring Model
Here’s where it gets practical. Let’s build a lead scoring model together using your first-party data.
Imagine you give points to people based on what they do. The more serious they seem about buying, the more points they get.
Step 1: Choose the Behaviors That Matter
Start by listing the actions you care about. Here’s a sample:
- Visited your pricing page
- Opened your email
- Downloaded a guide
- Filled out a contact form
- Attended a webinar
Every one of these actions shows intent. Some actions are stronger signals than others. So now…
Step 2: Assign Points to Each Action
Give each of those actions a score. Think of it like a game.
- Visited pricing page – 5 points
- Opened an email – 2 points
- Clicked inside the email – 3 points
- Downloaded a resource – 7 points
- Filled contact form – 10 points
- Attended a webinar – 8 points
You can adjust these scores over time. The key is to start somewhere.
Step 3: Add Profile Data
It’s not just about what they do—who they are also counts.
Use details from form fills (remember, still first-party data) to add or subtract points.
- Job title is Decision Maker – +10
- Company size is in your target range – +5
- Email is personal Gmail/Yahoo – -5
- No phone number provided – -3
These extra fields help your score reflect both behavior and fit.
Step 4: Set Thresholds
Now that you’re scoring behavior and profile, set tiers. Like this:
- 0–20 points: Cold lead
- 21–40 points: Warm lead
- 41+ points: Hot lead 🔥
Once someone crosses into “hot” territory, your sales team gets notified. No more wasted follow-ups. Just focused, delightful conversations.
Don’t Forget About Timing
When behaviors happen matters too.
Someone who clicked your email today is warmer than someone who clicked it last month. Update your scores based on recent activity.
Some platforms do this automatically (think HubSpot or ActiveCampaign). If you’re doing it DIY, consider resetting old behavior points over time.
Tools That Can Help
Sure, you can build this with a spreadsheet at first. But if you want to scale up, here are some handy tools:
- CRM platforms like HubSpot or Salesforce
- Email platforms like Mailchimp or ConvertKit
- Marketing automation like ActiveCampaign or Drip
These tools automatically track behavior, assign scores, and trigger actions.
Tweaking Your Model
Your first model doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s like growing a plant—just get the seed in the ground!
Every month, look at:
- Which leads converted?
- What behaviors did they show?
- Which profile traits mattered most?
Then tweak your scoring weights to fit. It gets smarter the more you use it.
Gotchas to Watch Out For
This stuff is powerful but not magical. Keep these in mind:
- Don’t over-score simple actions like email opens. They’re easy to fake.
- Keep it transparent for your sales team. If they know how scoring works, they’ll trust it more.
- Don’t set and forget. Keep learning and adjusting as your audience changes.
The Big Payoff
Scoring your leads with first-party data is like having a GPS for sales and marketing. You’ll know where your leads are in the journey and what they need next.
Instead of blasting emails or making cold calls, you’ll be reaching out at just the right time. That means more closed deals, happier customers, and less stress for your team.
And all it takes is listening to the data your users already gave you.
