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Generated hundreds of B2B leads? Good job – that’s not easy. But the quest doesn’t end there.
With so many other options available at the click of a button, it’s becoming increasingly harder to convince these leads to stick around and become your customer.
Just because people have subscribed to your website or followed you on social media, doesn’t mean they’re anywhere near ready to buy from you. They require attention, consistency, and nurturing.
Lead nurturing is a way of engaging with a specific segment of your target audience to keep them interested and push them to convert into customers. Lead nurturing is achieved through providing relevant information at each stage of the buyer’s journey – all while positioning your brand as the most safe and suitable choice to help them meet their needs.
Ever been told you have the attention span of a goldfish? Actually, it’s even shorter than that.
Since the millennium, our attention span has decreased by a third, from 12% to 8%. The attention span of a goldfish is a handsome 9%.
We have the digital revolution to thank for this. With so much information being fed to us at lightning speed through our devices, it’s become increasingly hard to hold our attention before getting distracted.
It’s easier than ever for B2B customers to carry out their own research online before buying a product or service, making for a much longer sales funnel. A bit of a pain when you’re trying to sell to them. 80% of new leads never convert into sales, so once they enter that funnel, don’t just assume they’re in for good and will end up buying from you.
The Annuitas Group also found that nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than those who’ve been neglected. So show a little love.
As mentioned, today’s B2B customers prefer to navigate their buyer journey independently, rather than surrendering to the first advert they see.
You might not be able to hold the customer’s hand at every stage of the buying journey, but you can use your sales content as signposts to direct them further down the sales funnel.
For this to work, your sales and marketing content needs to be spread across a number of different channels. When nurturing B2B leads, you should utilise targeted content on the following channels to spark engagement and build your presence on their radar:
You never know where potential customers are hiding. And within each of these channels is the potential to reach new and different audiences. For example, those who aren’t active social media users may instead discover you through a blog post. Or those who don’t check their emails might be avid podcast listeners.
By being present on multiple channels, you can capture someone’s attention more frequently, allowing you to nurture them as a lead by providing valuable content on whichever channel they prefer or are most active on.
To execute a multi-channel nurturing strategy effectively, your sales and marketing teams need to be well-aligned and working in tandem to meet the same goals.
Now that we understand what channels we can use to reach these leads, it’s time to think of how we can maximise our presence on them. Here’s our top six lead nurturing tactics to keep your leads engaged.
Personalisation is a real catalyst for conversion. Only the greatest marketing techniques make you feel like you’re interacting with a human, not a company. Personalising your content can make all of your customers feel like your only customer.
The best part? It’s not a tricky thing to do. Giving your content a human touch can be done quickly and easily using information already accessible to you. Things like using someone’s name and leveraging any other data about their location or lifestyle will all go a long way to making them more receptive to your pitch.
Customers dedicate a lot of time to internet research to avoid making a purchase they’ll regret. You’ve probably got a wealth of knowledge, information, and experience to help them make an informed decision – so why not give it to them in an email?
Sharing your own company and industry knowledge will give you credibility and help nurture your leads towards that all-important conversion.
There are three main phases of the buying journey where you have the opportunity to make an impression:
Don’t risk waiting to nurture your leads when they could find the answers they need elsewhere immediately.
Gone are the days of leaving three days to call after a date. When nurturing leads, the shorter the time between a lead showing any interest in your company and you reaching out to them, the more likely you are to build a meaningful relationship with them.
Everyone has pain points. Luckily for you, you can leverage them to create selling opportunities. By figuring out how a lead’s pain point relates specifically to your product, you can instantly provide them with a solution. Ask yourself “how exactly does my product make life easier for my leads?”
Once you understand these pain points, you can angle your sales content to show off your solution. By linking your guides and how-to articles in your nurturing emails, leads will appreciate your generosity and reliability as a service provider.
You’ll never be able to successfully nurture your leads if they aren’t interested in your product in the first place. If they’re just not engaging with you, it might be that you’re bringing in leads who aren’t from your target audience.
Here’s a few ways to measure customer interest in your product:
Nurturing isn’t just for new leads. You can nurture those leads who’ve lost touch or gone cold in the past. Think of it like reacquainting yourself with an old friend – it’s been a while since you spoke, but after a nice catch-up your relationship bounces back!
If you notice any dormant subscribers, try dropping them a quick email to ask if they want to still hear from you. You could also throw in incentives or discounts to influence a positive response. These leads might just need a gentle reminder that you’re still there, and to jog their memory of why they were interested in you in the first place.
Lead nurturing is a necessity when it comes to B2B sales. Especially in this constantly advancing digital age. With so many channels of communication, it’s crucial to hold your leads’ attention as they navigate their way through their own buyer journey.
By feeding your leads personalised and relevant content – on different platforms at each stage of the buying journey – you’ll find yourself placed at the forefront of their minds.
Outbase simplifies the B2B lead nurturing process for you. Our platform makes the most of your content across all your channels to make sure you’re sending the right message, to the right people, at the right time.
See for yourself how Outbase can skyrocket your sales.
