Lead nurturing is defined as the process by which relationships with buyers and prospects are fostered over time. A sales cycle consists of multiple steps, from initial outreach to the eventual transaction and everything in between. To say that said sales cycle is intricate would be an understatement; any reputable Internet marketing company will attest to the fact that there are multiple layers involved. One of the most vital components to any sales cycle, no matter what is sold or provided to the public, is lead nurturing.
It’s been said that catching the attention of a prospect is half the battle. Depending on the industry one works in, they will have considerable competition to account for. In other words, if a business builds an audience, it is due to good reason. There is an interest in what this business offers. However, developing interest alone isn’t going to yield success. Lead nurturing should be taken into account. To learn how to nurture qualified leads, not only to further relationships but boost business, here are 5 key points to note.
Know your audience’s goals and challenges. The most successful businesses understand their audiences and the behaviors they uphold. Furthermore, they know audiences to home in on to receive the best results. Determining target audiences is one of the specialties of B2B marketing companies, but they are also adept in learning what they will best respond to. As we will go into detail about later, everything from different points to contact to call-to-action implementation and beyond will factor into this. A clear understanding of one’s audience will pay dividends when concerning lead nurturing.
Utilize multiple points of contact. The best lead nurturing tactics aren’t one-and-done endeavors. Lead nurturing will require multiple points of contact, which can include email newsletters, social media outreach, and other methods of communication. The key to successful lead nurturing is to stay relevant without becoming intrusive. If a prospect feels like their inbox is being spammed or they are receiving mobile notifications in excess, they will be less likely to inquire about your products or services. Thus, contact should be spaced out. For a better understanding of how to use blog posts, press releases, email, and other digital media, you may wish to consult a growth marketing agency.
Implement a call to action. The element that can make or break any marketing strategy is a call to action. A CTA will direct a user to complete a desired step. This can include signing up for a newsletter, following a company on social media, or simply clicking onto a specific webpage. A business may be able to garner several leads, but if they’re unable to convert them to sales, the effort will be wasted. To ensure that this effort pays dividends, businesses should incorporate CTAs into their marketing campaigns. This will help nurture leads, allowing them to build interest in products and services they will eventually invest in.
Ensure that everything built around lead nurturing is responsive. One of the most common mistakes, in regard to lead nurturing, is having one or a few pieces out of alignment. To better illustrate this point, imagine that you have reached out to a lead. Perhaps you directed them to a specific internal page on your website. They may click onto said internal page, only to be met with an error page or redirect. This creates an inconsistent user experience, which may result in a lost lead. The same can be said for other aspects of digital media that lead nurturing is built around, be it a deactivated social media page, an out-of-date whitepaper, or a website that doesn’t respond well to mobile platforms. Lead nurturing is multilayered. Therefore, every component must be accounted for.
Track results over time. Lastly, ensure that lead nurturing efforts are being tracked. This will serve multiple purposes. First, it will determine which methods of communication and types of content perform the best. Case and point, if email proves to be the most effective method of communication, the results you record will reflect this. Second, tracking results will determine where to shift your efforts if need be. Perhaps your results show that infographics garner more engagement than blog posts; in this instance, it would be beneficial to prioritize the former. Any digital marketing strategy, whether focused on social media management, SEO, or branding, should be monitored. This rings true for lead nurturing as well.
About fishbat: fishbat is a full-service Long Island marketing agency. Utilizing the latest technologies and forward-thinking strategies, fishbat is able to create marketing plans that are tailor-made for specific needs and goals. The services that fishbat provides include, but aren’t limited to, social media management, search engine optimization, content marketing, email marketing, and branding. With these, businesses will be able to market directly to their audiences, increasing traffic, engagement, and ultimately, revenue.
