Raise your hand if lead generation is one of your biggest challenges. If your hand is held high, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Lead generation has become a major hurdle for business-to-business marketers in companies of all sizes.
In fact, data from the Lead Generation Strategy Research Summary Report by Ascend2 found that two-thirds of marketing professionals view their lead generation strategy as “somewhat successful.” About 21% said that they thought their strategy was “not successful” at all.
Lead generation is a challenge for marketers because it’s become increasingly difficult to attract today’s buyers. Thanks to the Internet, prospects have become more educated and inundated by hundreds of marketing messages—all of which has made them more discerning of brands.
Let’s face it; buyers are few and far between. Therefore, when prospects display any sort of interest in your brand, it’s critical that you keep them interested. This is where lead nurturing comes into play – or the process of feeding qualified leads engaging content that helps educate them.
The goal of lead nurturing is to nurture potential buyers and push them further and further down the funnel until they are ready to buy. In other words, you want to stay top of mind so that when prospects are ready to buy, your company is positioned to be a potential frontrunner.
Successful lead nurturing is only possible if your program delivers high-quality content at the right time and the right place, which is often easier said than done. Try these ways to better nurture leads:
1. Know Your Buyer
When you don’t know your buyers’ preferences, motivations, and needs, it’s difficult to drive the behaviors you seek. Be sure to gather detailed data about your buyers throughout every touch point. What’s more, it’s important to understand exactly how your prospects buy; for example, what channels they use to research products.
2. Keep Messaging Consistent
Brand messaging should be consistent across all of your marketing channels. Nurturing email copy, for example, should be consistent with the messaging on your various landing pages. If there are holes or inconsistences in your messaging, then consumers will be confused and immediately turned off.
3. Content Should Tell, Not Sell
Content is the fuel that drives a successful lead nurturing program. Rather than create content centered around your brand and its products, develop content that focused on your customers. Content should speak directly to your prospects’ needs and challenges. More importantly, it should be mapped to various different stages of the buying process.
4. Keep It Simple
Don’t bombard your prospects with loads of content. Content shouldn’t be intimidating; rather, it should be used to “gently” nurture and push prospects down the funnel. The last thing you want to do is come off as pushy or desperate.
5. Implement Technology
If you’re dealing with a large number of incoming leads, then you might want to consider implementing lead nurturing technology. Marketing automation, for example, allows you to create, launch, and manage lead nurturing campaigns across various channels. This way no prospect slips through the cracks.
Lead nurturing is a critical part of any marketing strategy. Don’t let business opportunities get away because you don’t know how to nurture leads. After all, no business is in the position to turn down a prospect. Implement the tips and tricks above and improve your lead nurturing program—you’ll be happy that you did.