Nurturing leads

In this book, 1 do the footwork for you and present you with actionable information on what channels and strategies are available and how to assess them for your own unique business situation. And because lead generation should never end with lead acquisition, 1 present you with strategies to improve your lead nurturing and scoring techniques to make sure you send only the most qualified leads to sales, who then can close more deals. And because this book provides you with strategies to measure your efforts, you get to look like a rock-star marketer in front of your C-suitel... 

So through lead nurturing, systematically sending emails that move a lead closer to a purchase, you can help turn your lukewarm leads hot. And by assigning leads scores based on how closely they fit your buyer profile and where they cire on their buyer journey, you know exactly when a lead needs to be sent to sales. You don t want a hot lead that is itching to make a purchase going cold because no one is calling him. 

Recycled Sometimes a prospect won t actually become a lead yet. She may have downloaded a few ebooks, but when she s Ccdled by sales, she is not ready to buy. Instead of leaving that potenticd future lead in a black hole to dry out and die, you Wcint to make sure she is recycled into your lead nurturing databeise. That way, you can continue sending your prospect relevant and educational materials in hopes that one day soon she will indeed become a viable lead. 

Sales lead If the lead is truly qualified and he heis had a good conversation with the inside sales team, he is passed on to an Account Executive (AE). The AE also speaks directly with the lead and heis seven days to either turn the lead into a true sales lead, or send him back to m irketing for lead nurturing, where marketing adds that lead into a ceimpaign to re-engc e him over time. 

Do you have a lead scoring and lead nurturing program ... 

An email service provider inherently has less functionality than marketing automation. The main function of an email service provider (ESP) is to send emails. Mostly batch-and-blast, ESPs are good if your business is highly focused on email communications. They also provide basic metrics attached to your email efforts. However, note that they do not provide functionality for lead management (lead nurturing and lead scoring), and they do not provide the depth of metrics that marketing automation platforms can provide. 

Figure 7-6 illustrates using bullets to break up text and draw the eye. This example is from the Marketo website and explains the company s lead nurturing functionality. Note how key features jumps out. The page uses bullets and bold type to draw attention to the key benefits of their lead nurturing software. These benefits also serve as keywords for what your visitors could be looking for. 

Small MeckumBusiness Global Enterprise Resources About Marketo LEAD NURTURING... 

Marketo lead nurturing software helps you continue the dialogue with prospects... 

I expect to go to a pe e that has a headline about marketing automation, such as Meirketing Automation Success Center. If I go to a peige that says lead nurturing softweire, I might be a tad confused. 

After you have syndicated content leads in your databcise, your follow-up plan is critical. Many of these leads download your cisset and never think about your company c ain. By engaging them through lead nurturing, you can introduce them to your company and lead them through your sales funnel. 

Now that you have your event leads in your marketing automation system, add them to a lead nurture track. You can create an event-specific nurture track that, over time, sends leads correspondence relating to the event such as slide decks, blog posts, and any other content you created. 

Milestoae Accalarated lead nurturing shows heavy inteiesl S 9/20126.53AM... 

Emaitciicked LinK in Nur Lead Nurturing WeMnar 8J9y20126 49AM... 

Use multi-channel tactics in your lead nurture campaigns... 

The gWmate resource for lead nirtoritrg, whether you re just starting to think about lead nurturing In your business or are looking for ways to enhance and optimize your existing programs... 

When done well, lead nurturing plays a critical role in your organization. Up to 95% of qualif ed prospects on your website are there to research and are not ready to talk with a sales rep. but as many as 70% will eventually buy a product from you - or your competitors. On average, nurtured leads produce a 20% increase in sales opportunities versus non-nurtured leads Are you ready to start nurturing yet ... 

The Definitive Guide to Lead Nurturing is packed with 40 pages of thought leadership, best practices, and actionable advice to jump-start your lead nurturing. 

What is Lead Nurturing Learn about building relationships and trust with your prospects in a way that is both consistent and relevant. 

Lead Nurturing Basics. Even if you are already using lead nurturing, these best practices can help augment your current Initiatives. 

Advanced Lead Nurturing. Examine the nuances and winning strategies for advanced lead nurturing, includes worksheets. 

Calculating the ROI of Lead Nurturing. Prove the ROI of lead nurturing in your own organization by comparing your results to industry averages. Includes worksheets. 

Through lead nurturing, you can provide relevant material that maps directly to each phase of the buying cycle, persona, and interests. Basically, lead nurturing plugs your leaky funnel ... 

Focus your lead-nurturing efforts on your existing database of leads. Just think about how much untapped revenue is in there right now And think about how much money you have spent to get those leads to your database... 

Be aware of how often yon conunnnicate Many mtirketers have problems with lead nurturing because they don t have a holistic view of what they send and how often. Many advemced lead-nurturing solutions enable you to set communications limits so leads won t get blasted. 

---