You might feel confident about generating leads, but what steps are you taking to nurture those leads through the sales funnel? Just as lead generation is an important part of the sales process, so is lead nurturing. This is the process of building relationships with leads and providing useful information at every stage of the sales journey.

SEO expert Brendan Hufford says there are many lead nurturing tactics, including email drip campaigns and lead scoring. He notes that the most effective lead nurturing campaigns incorporate a combination of tactics as the lead moves through the funnel.

Want to know how to create a framework for better lead nurturing? Keep reading this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, where we outline Hufford’s steps for an effective lead nurturing strategy.

1. Understand the client experience. When was the last time you thought about how prospects interact with your brand? It’s important to know your sales funnel from beginning to end. Hufford recommends outlining all the steps in your funnel so you can spot opportunities for nurturing leads.

2. Create buyer personas. It’s critical to understand your audience when you want to build meaningful relationships. When developing buyer personas, Hufford suggests including information such as age, gender and geographic location and working in needs, wants and pain points.

3. Plan for cross-channel nurturing. Your leads aren’t hanging out on Instagram or refreshing their email all day. That’s why it’s important to reach out to them through various channels. Choose the top channels for your audience and connect with your leads there, says Hufford.

4. Customize your content. Remember to tailor your content to suit the particular outlets you’re using. For example, LinkedIn is a great place to share white papers while Twitter is best for quick facts or statistics. Hufford says the most important thing is to make your content as personalized as possible.

5. Use the right tools. Don’t just haphazardly create a lead nurturing campaign. To stay organized and to streamline your team’s efforts, look into lead management and automation tools. According to Hufford, these can help you scale up your lead generation and nurturing programs while still offering top-level customer service.

6. Measure your results and adjust your process. Just like any other sales or marketing effort, your lead nurturing strategy will likely need some adjusting. Use your marketing data to identify weaknesses, says Hufford, and then make gradual changes to see if the modifications lead to your desired results. Remember to monitor your campaign regularly so you can optimize all the different components.

There are many ways to nurture your leads and move them through your sales funnel. From content marketing and social campaigns to promotional products and direct mail, lead nurturing can lead to more sales. Nurturing your leads can also solve a variety of problems, including a long sales cycle and low engagement. By staying in touch with your prospective buyers, you can strengthen the relationship over time and begin to build trust.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers

Source: Brendan Hufford is an entrepreneur and SEO expert.

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