Great news – you’ve got an effective inbound digital marketing strategy in place and it’s generating a large volume of leads. But how do you convert those marketing qualified leads into sales qualified leads? That’s where a well-developed lead nurturing strategy comes into play.
In fact, only around 10% of your inbound marketing leads will be ready to convert immediately, which leaves 90% of your prospects requiring a lead nurturing. A well designed lead nurturing strategy will have an amazing transformative effect on the results of your inbound marketing strategy. No inbound marketing strategy is complete without a robust method for turning on-site visitors into lucrative prospects.
What are the most effective digital marketing tactics for nurturing leads?
1. Adopt a multi-channel approach
Gone are the days where your lead nurturing strategy could rely on sending out a single email drip campaign to a generic mailing list of prospects. Today, effective digital marketers are always implementing new lead nurturing tactics and technologies beyond the confines of any one single channel. With marketing automation platforms now more powerful than ever, tech savvy marketers have the capability to executive targeted multi-channel lead nurturing strategies.
The most effective multi-channel lead nurturing strategies comprise a mix of:
- marketing automation
- email marketing
- social media
- paid retargeting
- dynamic website content
2. Be prompt when following up with leads
It may seem self-evident that immediate follow-up calls are beneficial to nurturing leads, but many organisations are still failing to act quickly, with only 37% companies responding to their leads within an hour.
Automated lead nurturing will only get you so far. While tactics such as remarketing ads can help you reach large groups of prospects, a prompt follow-up email or phone call remains the most effective way to convert inbound leads into sales qualified leads.
A timely, and properly researched, call or email to an inbound lead is far more effective than any amount of interruptive marketing. With access to the prospect’s recent browsing behaviour, you know exactly what they want and can define your value proposition according to their needs.
3. Personalise your email communications
While email marketing is sometimes considered passé, many studies indicate that it continues to be one of the most effective tactics for lead nurturing. However, personalisation is crucial to ensuring that your follow up emails are effective at turning inbound leads into sales qualified leads. A study by Accenture found that 41% customers took their business elsewhere due to a lack of personalisation.
There are many ways you can alter your emails to include personalisation. For example, you can send automated emails that are triggered when someone:
- downloads a gated content asset
- Clicks on links in your emails
- Visits a particular page on your website
- Exhibits a high level of on-site engagement
Personalisation combined with behavioural triggered emails allow you to deliver the right messages to the right leads at just the right time.
The most effective method for nurturing your leads will depend on your audience, sector and business goals. However, these three steps are an excellent starting point for developing a complementary lead nurturing strategy to your inbound marketing strategy.