The Complete Guide to Inbound Lead Nurturing [2022]

Inbound lead nurturing is the process of building relationships with potential customers in order to guide them through the sales channel and convert them into a client. Create points of contact  with a prospect and provide them with relevant or valuable content. This could be items such as market research reports, whitepapers, eBooks, etc. During this process, it is important to listen to the needs of each lead, while communicating how your product is a good solution.

On average 50% of your leads will not be ready to buy the first time you engage them. This is why implementing a Lead Nurturing strategy into your broader sales strategy is so critically important to your efforts to increase revenue. A report from Demand Gen shows that companies implementing lead nurturing programs increased their sales opportunities by 20% when compared to those that didn't.  

Without incorporating a lead nurturing system into your business you are allowing potential revenue to slip through the cracks. Think about it: Leads present in your system have already expressed interest. If they haven’t yet converted to a paying customer, the obvious next step is to catch their attention and show them exactly why they should work with you.

The Buyer’s Journey

is a visualization

of the process that buyers go through before completing a purchase. It is important for salespeople to understand the mindset of a buyer at each stage. Doing so will allow them to provide a support system of information and promotional content to aid the buyer along the lead nurturing process.

The Three Stages of The Buyers Journey

Awareness

Here the buyer is aware of a problem that they are experiencing and is searching for ways to solve it. The main need here is informational in nature. For this reason the salesperson should provide them valuable informational content that helps educate the buyer on the issue they are experiencing. Educational assets such as whitepapers, videos, guides and eBooks are examples of valuable content the buyer will appreciate you providing.

Consideration

At this point the buyer will have a firm understanding of the problem they are experiencing. They will now begin to research possible solutions to their problem and compare the available options. With access to the internet, consumers are more informed than ever on the product solutions offered by you and your competition. It is your responsibility as a salesperson to understand where your solution falls in relation to the competitive landscape and provide the consumer with resources that help them decide if your solution is correct for them. The resources provided should become more personalized to the buyers specific needs, this can include items such as case studies and samples. 

Decision

The buyer has developed a strong understanding of their problem and the solutions available to them. Now all that is left is to compare the solution providers and pick the one that best fits their needs. The key here is to understand what objections the buyer may have to your solution and to ensure that you have a unique selling proposition to differentiate yourself from the competition. Your strategy at this stage should allow the customer to experience your product / service through offerings like trials and demos. 

Understanding the buyer's journey is integral in developing an effective lead nurturing strategy. By stepping into the shoes of the buyer, sellers can better empathize with the customer, quell objections, and position your firm’s solutions in an effective manner. 

Lead Nurturing Channels 

While email is the standard, and an incredibly powerful channel, lead nurturing doesn't just happen through email campaigns. Your ability to reach prospects stems from a number of channels.

Social Media

Work on engaging potential customers by posting valuable content on your social media accounts. For example, posting polls, educational content, and other high-value offerings are great ways to inspire confidence in your audience. In addition, being active on social can push your brand out to people that are not responsive to emails. 

Retargeting campaigns 

With the help of Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, or Facebook retargeting you are able to show ads to people that have previously visited your website. This is an integral tool in the lead nurturing process, as it helps your brand gain traction with the customer and in turn, increases customer loyalty. 

Website content 

It is extremely important  to build out the content on your website. This content can include items like blog posts, eBooks, information about your company and team, or promotional offers. Your website should thoroughly explain what your business has to offer, providing valuable information to prospects.

Email marketing 

The bread and butter of lead nurturing is email marketing. Studies show that emails are the most personalized and preferred channels across all demographics. Ideally, your emails should be set up to target each level of prospect individually, with content consisting of follow-ups, blog posts, promotional offers, and other informational content.

Events and Webinars 

In-person or online events are a great way to meet your leads, learn more about them, and develop brand equity. Additionally, prospects that are willing to come and see you in person or online are more inclined to follow through in the sales process. Focusing your marketing and communications efforts on converting these leads will result in the highest ROI of all these channels.

The Lead Nurturing Process: A Five Step Strategy

Step 1: Build a Customer Segment Profile

All businesses serve a variety of customers, and each unique segment has its own demographics, pain points, and motivations. When building out a lead nurturing strategy, a one size fits all approach will not work. Since each customer segment is different, they need to be nurtured differently. By creating a profile of your target segments, the salesperson will be able to create a personalized offering to each lead and in turn provide more value in the initial touchpoints.

Step 2: Show your value

Creating value for the customer early in the sales process creates a feeling of goodwill and shows the customer that you care about their success. A value offering could consist of a market research report, eBooks, webinars, etc. Instead of telling the customer that your product works, show  them it works. 

Step 3: Create an effective User Experience (UX)

Formulating a good User Experience (UX) takes time. Once your campaigns are up and running, monitor them regularly to identify areas of friction. The interactions and behaviors of customers inside the pipeline will give you insight into which areas need improvement. This is a continual process, but over time you will be able to develop an optimized UX.

Step 4: Plan the nurturing process

One of the key components to the lead nurturing process is timing. Knowing when to reach out to customers and when to lay low can be what makes or breaks your system. Again, this will vary depending on the segmentation of your customers. Test a few different strategies and figure out what works for you.

Step 5: Automate communications

Creating an automated welcome campaign is an effective way to reach out to as many leads as possible in a timely manner. This can be done with industry tools like Mailchimp and HubSpot. However, it is important to not over-automate your communications with customers. People prefer to talk to real human beings, and more importantly it shows that you care about your customers. 

Optimize Your Lead Nurturing Strategy with Further Insights

Lead nurturing is a complicated and time consuming process, but is an integral part of a fully optimized sales channel. As noted above, 50% of leads are simply not ready to buy right away. So operating with an unoptimized lead nurturing campaign means that you are letting potential revenue slip through the cracks. With the information we’ve provided, and by following the steps we’ve outlined in this article, you will be better positioned to increase your lead conversions, and in-turn increase revenue.

If you’re looking to fast-track this process and start converting more leads, click the button below and let’s get to work!