You’ve spent so much time working on generating new leads for your business. Maybe they’ve signed up for your newsletter or downloaded a valuable eBook, and they’ve given you their name and email address in exchange.
But they’re not ready to buy yet. So what do you do next?
Lead nurturing is all about providing helpful, high-quality information that addresses their pain points, offers solutions, and helps them make an informed purchasing decision. When done with careful consideration and relatability, lead nurturing is an effective method of conversion.
Here are some of the lead nurturing tactics I’ve used myself that actually work.
Segment Your Leads Based on Intent
Prospects are not always at the same stage in their buyer’s journey when they become a lead. Depending on how they became a lead, they may just be starting to gather information, or they may be actively comparing your business to your competitors. Segmenting your leads into their intent helps you tailor your messaging to them at their current buying stage.
- Use a CRM such as Hubspot or Salesforce to segment your leads into lists based on intent. Sort them based on your business’ buying journey stages.
Personalize Email Drip Campaigns
Email marketing is still one of the most valuable marketing tools available, and uses an asset you own: your email list. Followers on social media can disappear along with the platform if it should ever be shut down, but your email list is something you’ll have in your pocket forever.
- Develop a series of email workflows for each segment based on the lead’s stage of buying, past interactions and activities with your business, and any data you’ve gathered about their pain points and challenges.
- Create an email sequence containing between five and seven emails that are related to the lead’s stage and how they became a lead in your funnel. These emails should contain answers to common questions and objections, offer solutions, and highlight your expertise. They can also include testimonials or case studies where relevant.
Be careful not to overwhelm your lead. Gauge their level of interest and match your email frequency and length. If they’re at a stage where they’re just gathering information, don’t overwhelm them with daily emails containing every product you offer. Rather, send the emails sparingly and keep them to short bursts of high-value content.
Automate Behavior-Based Triggers
Leads take various actions throughout their buying journey with your business. They may be something as simple as opening an email from a campaign or clicking a link, or something more invested such as downloading a free guide or attending an online workshop. Each one of these actions can create great opportunities to engage the lead further.
- Take a look at your current assets and marketing efforts to determine where you can implement behavior-based triggers.
- Example #1: If a lead visits your pricing page multiple times (such as 3 times) you may wish to email them a limited time special offer or a free trial. In this case, the lead is showing you through their activity that they are close to making a buying decision, and the immediacy of your automated offer can take them off the fence and convert them to a real buyer before your competitors do.
- Example #2: If a lead clicks on an email link about “Hydraulic Cylinder Repairs”, you should add them to a segment for equipment repair prospects. Then you may wish to send them additional resources such as a troubleshooting checklist or a “common problems” guidebook. This lead may or may not be ready to book an appointment, so sending any additional information will help them decide to book with your business when they’re ready.
Multi-Channel Nurturing
Email inboxes can get awfully cluttered, and sometimes your content is lost in the daily grind of work and other communications.
- Use a combination of email, social media and retargeting paid ads to break through the noise. The more frequently your leads see your business in multiple places, the more likely they will remember you and retain the information you’re providing.
Treat Leads Like VIPs
Exclusive content tailored to specific leads can set you apart from your competition. Your email subscribers may be rewarded for providing you their email address with exclusive content, or repeat buyers can be offered advanced access to new products or a value-add bundle.
So many businesses focus on offering discounted rates or special offers to brand new customers, while loyal buyers are neglected. Treating your existing leads like VIPs will not only increase engagement and perceived value in your business, but also build deeper relationships and loyalty with your buyers.
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This is by no means an exhaustive list of lead nurturing tactics, but the methods noted have been highly successful in my past efforts. Converting your leads into buyers takes careful consideration for their needs and how your business provides solutions.
Lead nurturing is more than moving leads through a funnel. It’s about solving problems and building trust.
