Lead nurturing is the process of building relationships with prospects with the goal of earning their business when they are ready to buy. It is an important aspect of inbound marketing, which is the use of content marketing, social media, and other online communication methods to attract customers attention. The following are key points about lead nurturing:
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Cultivating leads: Lead nurturing is the process of cultivating leads that are not yet ready to buy. It is about helping buyers along in their educational journey.
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Anticipating needs: Successful lead nurturing anticipates the needs of the buyer based on who they are, using profile information and behavior.
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Workflow: Lead nurturing is not just email communication, but a workflow or series of communications, in which each step has a clear and concise objective.
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Relationship building: Lead nurturing is how we make authentic connections with our target customers, learn about the challenges they face, deliver information and resources they find valuable, and earn the right to pitch our solution.
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Benefits: Lead nurturing helps to increase the conversion of unqualified leads to opportunities and drive more revenue. It also helps accelerate active opportunities by giving prospective buyers the information they need to make purchasing decisions. Nurtured leads produce a 20% increase in sales opportunities versus non-nurtured leads.
Lead nurturing is personal, timely, and repeatable. It is an effective strategy for driving sales because it can keep you top of mind for prospects so they come back when they are ready to purchase.