Leads that are not nurtured quickly wither away and dry up. Not good in any economy, but especially harmful in a poor one where marketing budgets need to stretch further and every lead counts.
For this reason, lead nurturing is more important than ever. More and more businesses are actively engaging in lead nurturing because they want to capture the 80% of leads that slip through the cracks. Each one represents a missed opportunity and worse, serious money left on the table.
A lead nurturing campaign offers businesses of any size an effective way to convert more leads into sales. Here are 5 compelling reasons to join in:
Allows quick contact
A 2010 study reported by InsideSales.com found that 35%-50% of sales go to the company that made contact first. The older the lead, the less likely that you will successfully convert that lead to a sale.
Builds your authority
The lead nurturing process includes the sharing of authoritative content that builds trust and credibility. When a prospect visits your site, your blogs, white papers and videos draw them in. Remember, most people don’t know much about you when they first make contact. This is the way to make a good first impression.
Helps you stay on top of communications
Once you’ve built a list of interested prospects, lead nurturing keep them engaged. Over half of all sales are made because the business stayed in touch through a scheduled series of communications, such as an automated email marketing campaign. This ensures that you are the provider people think of when it comes time to purchase.
Segments your leads
Email segmentation makes it possible to divide your list into sub-groups so that you can send each group custom content that includes information and offers relevant to them. After all, not all of your leads have exactly the same needs and interests.
Boosts referrals
Lead nurturing tends to self-propagate, meaning that your existing leads often expand into new leads through word-of-mouth recommendations. If your emails and other communications become a valuable resource, they are likely to be shared with co-workers, colleagues, family and friends.
Don’t let valuable leads slip through your fingers! Lead nurturing, when carefully planned out and incorporated into your overall marketing strategy, offers an opportunity to capture the buyers who might otherwise get away. Automate the process to make it simple, and you’ve got a cost-effective way to get more bang for your marketing buck.
