Lead nurturing is a vital aspect of the sales process. It’s kind of like tending to a garden – with commitment and care, you can help your leads bloom into fruitful business relationships. Research shows that companies that succeed at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales-ready leads at a 33% lower cost.
It takes time and consistency but lead nurturing can yield many benefits. When you nurture your leads, you build trust and rapport, which can position your promo company as the preferred choice when prospects are ready to buy.
Freya Ward, the global sales director at Headley Media, says nurturing leads can take many forms, and any brand exposure counts. Want to refine your lead nurturing strategy? Read on. We share Ward’s best practices in this issue of PromoPro Daily.
- Keep the momentum going. Speed is of the essence in lead nurturing, Ward says. As soon as you get someone’s details, follow-up with a thank you or welcome email.
- Follow up frequently, but don’t overdo it. You want the momentum, but you don’t want to overload your new prospects or send them irrelevant information. In the early stages of your sales funnel, she says you might send your promo newsletter and an occasional asset, and then based on their behavior, begin to send them more relevant content.
- Focus on them, not you. Before you communicate with your lead, ask yourself: What’s in it for them? According to Ward, every communication should answer a business need of theirs. If it doesn’t, you’re not providing them with value or helping them move through the funnel.
- Develop your lead nurturing messaging. Ward recommends leading with education-focused content. The goal is to provide value, whether you share a promo study or case study. Once the prospect gets further down the funnel, you can begin to talk about sales.
- Set up lead scoring. According to Ward, lead nurturing and lead scoring go hand in hand. Lead scoring allows you to sort your prospects according to how warmed up they are, based on their behavior. You can assign points to each lead based on all kinds of things, from demographic information to email open rates to how often they hit a certain page on your website.
- Keep your database fresh. Ideally, you’ll always have a steady stream of new leads. Ward recommends including both outbound lead generation and inbound marketing techniques to generate demand.
- Prioritize customer retention and happiness. Finally, remember that lead nurturing doesn’t end once you convert a lead into a client. You should continue nurturing your clients and focusing on how you can deliver maximum value. Take time to think about what’s it’s like to work with your promo company and look for ways you can improve.
Lead nurturing might seem like an extra step in an already-busy day, but the effort can pay dividends. Not only are you cultivating potential clients, but you’re laying the groundwork that will keep bringing in profits over time.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Freya Ward is the global sales director at Headley Media, a specialist lead generation provider for B2B technology companies worldwide.