If you want to be successful in lead generation, you’ll need a top-notch plan to nurture the leads and ensure a future sale. Of course, it isn’t cheap to get leads so the last thing you want is to be wasting potential sales. Essentially, the more you can convert the better you’ll be.
Here are four useful tips to nurture your leads:
Act quickly
The quicker you are to respond to fresh leads, the more likely you’ll be to convert them. One of the major problems companies face is letting the leads go cold, simply because they fail to make contact in a timely manner.
An easy way to deal with this is to set up an auto-responder, so the customers at least feel like you’re engaging with them. This then gives you a little more breathing space before making further contact in the future. Thank the customer for signing up or showing an interest in your product and provide links to important information they could find interesting.
In some instances it’ll be crucial to contact the lead immediately, especially if they’ve mentioned the need to speak with a salesperson.
Research shows that conversion rates are boosted 100 times if you call within five minutes as opposed to 30 minutes. So acting quickly is very important.
Plan and prioritise
Email send outs are one of the best ways to gather fresh leads, but used inappropriately and they can also see you with more unsubscribes than click-throughs. There can be a fine line between what a customer deems as important information and junk mail, so always research your database and send emails exclusive to certain categories.
For instance, if someone had shown an interest in solar panels, they’re unlikely to want to know about the latest bedroom design tips. Meanwhile, an email highlighting the potential savings with solar panels may go down a treat.
This requires close work between the marketing and sales team to determine what qualified home improvement leads would look like. Marketing will be responsible for nurturing the lead, giving the sales team a better chance to seal the deal.
Utilise social media
Social media isn’t just for friends to keep in touch on Facebook and your company can significantly benefit by reaching out and keeping in contact with both old and new customers. With social media, you can give yourself a platform to communicate with potential leads and ensure your company is easily found.
LinkedIn is a good place to start and immediately establishes you as a professional company. Meanwhile, Facebook and Twitter are great for testing ideas and creating conversation. You can run competitions and easily keep customers up-to-date with all the latest information.
Strategic planning
You’ll have customers who are at a different stage of the process, so it’s important to plan ways to engage with each section of your consumer database. Personalised emails are a great way to do this, but make sure to always offer fresh content and information. Don’t simply recycle old news.
For customers unfamiliar with your services:
- Blog & social media posts
- E-books & whitepapers
- Webinars & videos
For customers who are considering similar services:
- Case study
- Customer testimonials & success stories
- Data sheet with comparisons
For customers who are looking to purchase:
- Live demo and consultation
- Free trial & estimate
- Promotional discount