What is a marketing qualified lead (MQL)?

A marketing qualified lead (MQL) is a lead that is distinguished from other leads by certain characteristics and activities. However, it is too early to follow up on such a lead. A contact with this lifecycle stage has the potential to become a customer, but needs to be made even warmer through lead nurturing.

When is someone a marketing qualified lead?

When someone becomes an MQL depends on your target audience. First, the lead must meet a certain profile. After all, the lead must fit your organization.

By creating a buyer persona, you get a clear picture of your ideal client. Next, you gather information from your leads through forms. This way, you get a better picture of the needs of your leads. If the characteristics match those of your buyer persona(s), then a lead is attractive enough to become an MQL.

For example, if you sell expensive software, you might decide that someone who describes themselves as a college student cannot become an MQL.

In addition to the profile of your leads, behavior is very important. You are looking for a certain level of interest from the lead. This interest is evidenced by interaction with your content. Think page views, email clicks and document downloads. We measure this behavior with lead scoring.

With lead scoring you set, for example, that someone only becomes a marketing qualified lead when he or she has filled out a form at least three times and meets a number of other criteria such as a minimum number of visits to your website and/or clicks in your emails.

Marketing automation software enables lead nurturing and lead scoring. In addition, the software allows for unlimited scalability of the process.

Difference from sales qualified lead (SQL)

A marketing qualified lead (MQL) and a sales qualified lead (SQL) have a lot in common. These two lead stages follow each other: a lead first becomes an MQL and then an SQL, but only if the lead meets your SQL conditions, of course! You can read all about it on our page about Sales Qualified Lead.

Marketing qualified lead in HubSpot

So the moment when someone becomes an MQL depends on your business and on your target audience. It is important that you define this clearly for yourself.

HubSpot 's software allows you to automatically assign MQL status to a lead that meets the requirements of a marketing qualified lead. You accomplish this through a workflow in HubSpot.

In the enrollment criteria of the workflow, you enter all the requirements (conditions) for an MQL. As an action, you choose 'set contact property value'. Here you choose contact property 'lifecycle stage' and set marketing qualified lead as 'new property value'.

For a detailed explanation, take a look at the user guide HubSpot has written for this.

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