From Leads to Customers: Tips on Effective Lead Nurturing

Business is all about relationships, that’s a fact. Success can sometimes thrive on connections that are nurtured and cultivated, and the same happens in the marketing landscape, where relationships need attention to grow and stay strong.

As marketers, we are constantly looking for ways to develop personalized relationships with customers and prospects at every stage of the sales funnel. This quest for personalization is driven by the recognition that today's consumers, inundated with choices, demand more than just a transaction.  

Prospects are looking for more meaningful and tailored experiences, this is where lead nurturing stages become one important tool in your marketing efforts. Let’s explore what it means and how to effectively use it to gain real customers!

What is Lead Nurturing?

One of the main challenges for marketers is when someone first interacts with your brand, and they might be interested in buying, but not quite ready to make a purchase. That’s where lead nurturing rises.

According to Salesforce, lead nurturing is the process of developing and maintaining relationships with customers at every stage of their journey, usually through marketing and communications messaging.

An effective lead nurturing program centers around actively listening to the requirements of prospects and delivering answers that will eventually:  

• Build trust
• Increase brand awareness
• Create a strong connection until prospects decide to make a purchase.

‍How Does Lead Nurturing Works?

Not every prospect or lead may be prepared to make a purchase immediately, however it's crucial to recognize their potential value.  

Research conducted by SiriusDecisions reveals that, of the 20% of leads pursued by sales representatives, a significant 70% may not meet the current qualification criteria. However, dismissing these leads as unimportant would be a misstep.  

Here's why: Out of the 80% of prospects who may not meet your criteria today, a substantial portion will go on to make a purchase within the next 24 months. When that time comes, you'll want your company to be prominently featured on their shortlist of preferred choices.  

Now that you’ve seen the data, the question arises: How can you nurture leads?  

Hubspot suggests that the process of nurturing leads involves purposefully engaging your target audience by offering relevant information, supporting them in any way they need, and maintaining a sense of delight throughout every stage of the buyer’s journey.

One of the main reasons why your customers aren’t growing could be that you are not nurturing them. Nurtured leads tend to make 47% larger purchases than leads that aren’t nurtured. Now it’s time for you to convert those new prospects into customers.

Let’s gets started with our best practices for you to step up your sales game and get closer to your audience  

5 Tips on Effective Lead Nurturing

To establish a successful lead nurturing strategy that fosters personalized relationships with your potential customers, it's essential to consider the following key elements:
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1. Lead Scoring to Track Performance

Lead scoring helps determine when and how to engage with each customer using timely and relevant communication. This involves assigning a numerical value to various customer actions, such as opening an email.  

To create an effective lead scoring model, collaboration between sales and marketing teams is crucial to map out the customer's purchasing process.

2. Content Marketing to Engage Your Leads

Content plays an important role in your strategy as it persuades and guides customers through the sales funnel. Content can take various forms, including written, audio, or visual content.  

Examples of content frequently used in lead nurturing campaigns include newsletters, product updates, database emails, and other cross-channel communications.

3. Multichannel Distribution to Expand Your Audiences

Expanding your reach and maintaining connections with leads can be achieved by diversifying your communication channels.  

This can involve distributing marketing actions through:

• Social media channels  
• Advertising platforms
• Website forms  
• Landing pages  

• Direct email  

And many more.  

4. Marketing Strategies Alignment for Wider Success

When sales and marketing align, lead nurturing becomes more effective, boosting customer retention rates.

To optimize lead nurturing, pinpoint the key moments in the buyer's journey for transitioning prospects between teams. Establish a Sales and Marketing Service Level Agreement (SLA) to formalize collaboration, outlining shared expectations, responsibilities, and goals.  

This SLA ensures both teams are accountable for converting leads into satisfied customers.

5. Automation to Boost Your Nurturing Strategy

Marketing automation platforms enable your team to develop flexible, adaptive communications at scale by forming a lead nurturing strategy.  

Through the establishment of a lead nurturing program, you can cultivate enduring relationships, elevate clickthrough rates (CTRs), and enhance the likelihood of customer conversions. All the while, you're also nurturing brand advocacy.

Among our recommended platforms you can find: Marketo, Hubspot, Mailchimp, ClickUp.

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If you're eager to embark on the journey of lead nurturing tactics, Lean Marketing is your trusted partner in marketing staff augmentation.  

We possess the expertise, resources, and skilled professionals needed to navigate and excel in these strategic endeavors. Your success is our mission, and we're ready to collaborate with you to build and implement effective lead nurturing strategies that will drive growth and strengthen your customer relationships.

Ready to connect?