Lead nurturing is the process of developing relationships with prospects at every stage of the funnel, whether they’re just learning about your promo company or they’re ready to buy. One study shows that 80% of new leads never turn into sales, making lead nurturing all the more important.
Sopro’s Daniela Rufolo says lead nurturing isn’t just about sending automated email sequences but rather it’s part of something much larger. Lead nurturing involves using thought leadership to build trust, using targeted content to engage prospects and creating space for open conversations.
Rufolo says there are 5 golden rules of lead nurturing, which we highlight in this issue of PromoPro Daily.
1. Align your sales and marketing teams. This can be tougher than it seems. Rufolo says it requires sales and marketing to share the same view of every step of the customer journey and to share common goals at each of these steps. She says lead nurturing without sales involvement or enough marketing input toward the top of the funnel is like trying to dance with 2 left feet. It’s harder than it needs to be, can be embarrassing and won’t end the way you’d hope.
2. Identify and address every stage of the sales cycle. Once sales and marketing teams are aligned, you can paint a complete view of the customer journey. At its simplest, a journey involves the prospect moving from a need for general promo info to more tailored and specific guidance. Rufolo recommends using buyer personas to determine exactly what type of information is most useful to each audience at different touchpoints.
3. Automate to personalize and segment. While automation isn’t critical to lead nurturing, it can make things easier and more effective. When sales and marketing teams use the same CRM and automation tools, they’ll benefit from greater transparency and alignment. Rufolo says automation also allows for greater personalization when it comes to communication.
4. Keep on track with tracking. Data helps you understand your customers, Rufolo says, but it should also help you understand how well your lead nurturing strategy is working. Without a foundation of metrics and KPIs, your data isn’t working for you.
5. Optimize. Use the data you gain to improve your understanding and response to it. For example, you can collect prospect information from smart forms and as they engage more with your content, you can collect more information from them and further nurture them.
Lead nurturing comes down to good communication. Sales and marketing teams need to be on the same page so they can better help, educate and inspire prospects. When you apply the golden rules of lead nurturing, you can foster deeper connections and guide prospects through the sales journey.
Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Daniela Rufolo is a contributor to the Sopro blog. Sopro is a B2B lead generation and sales outreach service.
