Let us start by understanding what lead nurturing is. This is the principle of qualifying the leads that you have got in the door and moving them down the sales funnel. Perhaps they are new subscribers, or they are not yet in the right position on the purchase decision timeline, or they simply need more reasons to trust your company.
You should do something extra for these subscribers, but in order to do so, you need to know who they are in terms of demographic information, and where they are along the timeline of the buying decision. Most people do not know that they need a certain product, until they receive the adequate reasons and persuasive messages which show them how their life can change for the better.
Let’s see how you can hurry your subscribers down the yellow brick road to becoming clients.
1. Segment, define and analyse
Now, if you see your audience like a computer generated image of a crowd of faceless bodies, then you should probably not be in business. Your clients are people with a background, a career, a family, hobbies, and needs. You need to identify what your clients have in common, what interests or demographic characteristics they share, and you can begin to understand why they may need your product.
By creating various models of your audience, defined by these common characteristics, you can understand what type of messages they respond to and how to develop communication strategies that they will find attractive.
2. Find out what motivates your audience
People who follow bio cooking blogs want to embrace a healthier lifestyle. People who follow fashion magazines have a rich social life and want to dazzle at every event they attend. What motivates your audience to follow you on social media, share your blog posts and subscribe to your newsletter? Why would anyone read your messages? Find the answer to these questions, and you will understand what makes your subscribers tick. This gives you the right clue to the next step in your lead nurturing program.
3. Offer a valuable freebie
People don’t subscribe expecting to receive sales pitches in every email. In fact, people dread being subject to an avalanche of sales pitches. So replace your request to buy your product with a nice freebie, such as a useful e-book, a webinar, or a how-to video. What will that do for your sales funnel? It will whet people’s appetite for one. It will make them feel good about receiving something interesting and of value for free. They will trust you more because they understand that you value them as people, not as walking wallets.
4. Plan your communications ahead of time
You need an action plan for your emails, newsletters, blog posts, and social media posts. If you are just stabbing in the dark, people will notice it. The human brain has a great ability at spotting plans, patterns, and unfolding sequences of events. In the same manner, it can detect when there is no pattern or unfolding sequence. If you cannot create a timeline, a build up of your messages, people will ask themselves “What’s the point of all of these?” And they will unsubscribe.
On the other hand, if they receive valuable content which is cleverly aimed at building trust and creating the desire to make a purchase, your sales funnel is working: you have converted a lead into a customer.