Inbound leads represent only the tip of the iceberg of potential loyalists. However, a new inbound lead doesn’t mean they’re in a position to purchase. Buying decision patterns are varied, and the type of product or service you’re offering makes a difference, too. The procurement process of business clients adds complexity, making lead nurturing even more important to break down, understand, and deploy.
Learn more about lead nurturing and how to integrate it into your process, no matter your industry or target audience. When you do, you’ll enrich your brand, increase customer retention, and attract loyalists, all while improving your bottom line.
1. Deploy the Power of Personalization
The more personal a brand’s promotion is, the better the customer response. Just like it feels good for someone to remember your interests and preferences, the same holds true with customer relationships.
Parlay the power of personalization into your lead nurturing strategy to achieve the best results. However, when you’re thinking about leads, it can be tough to know where to start. Use your existing customer information to define a baseline for what’s most effective for your target customers.
Your CRM for small business tool retains an array of customer-specific data that can support the development of personas. These personas categorize similar customer features and behaviors that can help you identify how best to target valuable leads.
You might learn that customers purchase similar sets of products or repurchase at a similar frequency. Use this information to suggest new items to existing customers through their channel of choice. If a regular salon client is nearing their appointment, reach out with a personalized text with a new offer. A well-timed appointment reminder and pre-reserved chairside manicure offer may be just the excuse they need for a little pampering.
2. Lure Potential Clients With Targeted Content
Although information is abundant online, one common theme holds true — specificity is lacking. This market gap creates an opportunity for your brand to develop targeted and tailored content specific to your customers’ needs. Wide-reaching articles need not apply here. Tailored content allows you to drill deep into niche markets, needs, and issues, which further reinforces your brands’ relevancy.
If you sell all-natural, hair care products, it can be easy to assume that your customers know how to use them. However, the formulations and ingredient differences of natural products often necessitate changes in application and efficacy. This detail may be second nature to you, but customers accustomed to traditional products may need additional help.
Value-driven content for natural product novices may proactively share their features and benefits, and even the concessions natural products require. This transparent approach to the art of persuasion results in feelings of greater transparency and trust. By self-identifying both benefits and differences, customers can have better expectations as they continue on their buying journey. You can also use this conversation to tee off more focused and personalized touch points as you nurture new leads.
3. Plant Curiosity Seeds Across Channels
Utilize your targeted content to request data from potential customers. Exchange valuable information or offers for customer names and email addresses. After a successful exchange, deliver the value-add that was promised.
If you’ve offered a coupon code, do more than just deliver the details; add value along with an email already expected to generate high open rates. Pair your code with product suggestions based on what you already know.
If your potential customer was reviewing clay pomades, you can make some assumptions about their interests and goals. Providing styling tips and techniques that help natural products like yours work best. This tactic adds value before a purchase is made while identifying your product as the obvious choice.
Photos, videos, and step-by-step guides further reinforce your claims as do reviews by happy customers. Use social proof strategies within these value-additions, showcasing customer-provided photos and feedback. You can also leverage cookie data to curate your leads, using browser history to prioritize sponsored ads across channels.
4. Nurture Lead Interest With Timely and Relevant Follow-Ups
There’s a balance to strike when it comes to timing your touch points. Review your most recent sales funnel patterns to determine what has worked best in the past. Then, bounce this against leading research on customer preferences and your CRM data.
Review suggested post timing from social media channels, too. Their content planning and advertising insights spaces reveal high engagement points across your audience. Use these behavioral patterns but remember to always focus on customer needs. A sales strategy that puts the businesses’ needs first is sure to fall flat, no matter how much is invested in each touchpoint.
Test potential timing cadences to determine what works best before overhauling your entire process. Use automation and customer actions to further nurture that relationship. This can offer a more customized experience truly based on customer choice. If the customer in receipt of your coupon code email opens it, that action signifies the level of engagement. Use actions to drive paths for your customer journey based on opens, clicks, time on the page, and cart status. These individual actions can help you refine and curate a more relevant and effective nurture strategy that leads to sales.
Build Loyalty Through Relevancy
By understanding how your brand relates to your potential customers’ needs and interests, you can identify relevant interaction points. Through targeted content, multi-channel touchpoints, and personalization, you can naturally integrate into their lives. Instead of over-selling, lead nurturing allows you to present your offering as a solution to your customers’ self-identified problem. Your brand will emerge as the preferred choice thanks to your targeting strategies focused on your customer’s pain points.
