5 Steps to Effective Lead Nurturing
It doesn’t matter how many leads you get if you can’t convert them to customers. The trip down the sales funnel takes a little finesse from you to ensure that fewer people slip out along the way. A few steps to increase your conversions:
1. Always personalize and customize your messages.
It’s said that a person’s own name is their favorite sound. Address your leads individually and by name in all communications. Learn what you can about them and send marketing messages that fit with their demographics, their buying history, and their current needs. Since, according to Adobe CMO, four out of every 10 marketers fail to do this, this is an easy way to set your business apart.
2. Nurture leads gradually through drip marketing.
Few people make a purchase the first time they communicate with a company. This is especially true for big purchases or ongoing services. According to a study from Gleanster Research, about half of the average company’s leads are qualified but are not yet ready to buy. Start with an introduction to your product or service, then touch back several times over the next few weeks or months. Your messages should gradually lay out why your service is valuable to your prospect and why they should do business with you.
3. Reach out to prospects within 24 hours of them contacting you.
Researchers say that between 30 and 50% of sales go to the vendor who responds most quickly. Chances are good that they are sending out feelers to several vendors. In other cases, the urge to buy might cool by the time you are back in touch. Even worse, they may forget that they ever reached out to you. If you wait too long, you will miss your chance. You should have a process in place to ensure that leads are contacted quickly so that they don’t fall through the cracks.
4. Communicate to your leads through the channels that they prefer.
In these highly connected times, multichannel marketing is a must. Most of us have email, social media, text messaging and other channels available, and we usually have a preference for contacts. Find out quickly which channel your prospects prefer and use that one as the primary way to reach out to them. This can assure that they see your messages and that they don’t find them intrusive.
5. Know when your lead is sales-ready and provide them with your best offer to turn them into buyers.
Using lead scoring software can give you the extra information you need to identify which leads are ready to buy. You can then offer them a deal at the right time that is most likely to appeal to them. This can significantly increase the chances that they will decide to buy.
Putting all of these into effect can, over time, give you a big boost in your conversion rate. This will help you connect with more customers, make your relationships stronger and cut down your cost per customer. Make these additions to your marketing mix to make your marketing team more effective.
Visit Experiture.com to learn more about how we can help you with your lead nurturing efforts.