What is lead nurturing?
The definition of lead nurturing is really quite simple, it's about developing relationships with your leads and nurture them through the buying process.
That's the short version of course, because there's a lot more to it than that, so let's go into a little more detail.
It's often the case that at least half of the leads in a company database are not yet ready to buy anything. Regardless of how you got your lead, whether it was by giving them a free guide, through a webinar you held or some other activity, there are hundreds of ways to generate leads. At the end of the day, the fact is that just because they gave you their information doesn't mean they're ready to give you their money. If you expect them to, it's naive and can actually lead to them rejecting you before you even get a proper chance.
Lead nurturing - what you need to do
Your leads are valuable, so take care of them - one way to do this is through lead nurturing! Your leads want information. They don't want to feel pressured into pulling out their wallet before they're ready! If you push them, you risk losing them forever.
When you first contact a lead, instead of going straight to the point, just take a softer approach. Few leads will be excited by a phone call from you saying, "Hey look at these great products we have! Buy something! " Not to mention none.
No, instead, you should take a more humble and attentive approach. Instead, you should send them your marketing material that gets them interested in what your company does and why they might want to work with you. It's important to know where your leads are in the buying process so you send them relevant, targeted content and not content that will scare them away because they simply aren't far enough down the sales funnel.
Why is lead nurturing important?
You cannot go directly from lead generation to conversion. That's simply not how it works, unfortunately..
Lead nurturing is a far more sustainable strategy, not to mention the financial benefits. Studies have shown that companies that actively work with lead nurturing achieve up to 50% more sales at 33% lower costs. So the return on investment is much better when the marketing team works on lead nurturing before the sales team gets their hands on it.
This is why lead nurturing is so incredibly important to include in your strategy. The time it takes to nurture your leads is nothing compared to the ROI you will see because of it.
