Lead Nurture Campaign Best Practices To Drive 2x Sales

Lead Nurture Isn’t Organic

Whatever my virtues are as an email marketer, they don’t reside in having the largest or most impressive list.
However, what I’ve always been able to lean on is the engagement of my audience.

I’ve been fortunate enough to work with hundreds of small businesses to help set up automation and streamline their processes.

Each of my clients are a unique case study, and they’ve all shaped my philosophy going forward.

And yet, with almost every client I’ve worked with, one aspect always sticks out as an area that can easily be improved: List Nurture.

Nurture campaigns are a frequently overlooked element because they aren’t sexy or flashy – still, they don’t cost you anything beyond a bit of initial time to implement and yield big wins.

You can pay for new leads as much as you like, but this often isn’t the most efficient use of time or money.

Luckily, it needn’t cost you anything to convert your existing leads.

We often talk about lifecycle marketing, a model that reflects the customer journey from new lead to purchase and beyond.

This covers everything from the first impression of a company to the buying decision, and then onwards towards support and (hopefully) more sales.

The transition from lead to customer is the most significant part of this cycle, yet too many businesses shortchange that step in their funnel or skip it entirely.

A shame, since this is the place where most leads go cold and are ultimately lost, leaving a painful amount of money on the table.

It’s worth noting: Nurture takes intentional planning. Not every lead will buy from you immediately.

Most people need more time, and rushing them to the sale is not a wise strategy in all cases.

 
So nurture is critical – that much we know. But where exactly nurture fits in your funnel can be complicated at first glance.

Today I’m focusing on the journey between the lead capture and first sale.

This typically happens in the follow up after a lead magnet is requested – whether it be delivery of a series of free tips sent out via email drip, or proactively answering questions, or showcasing valuable case studies.

Having these nurture assets in place can mitigate the risk of potential customers disengaging, or slipping between the cracks.

That said – follow up is good, but constantly selling your customer isn’t nurture, it’s being a pest.

Don’t get too wrapped up with your own return, focus on providing value to the customer first.

Anticipating customer needs goes a long way towards alleviating cold feet about purchasing. How you handle prospective objections in your nurture process pays dividends too.

Be sure to share customer success stories, case studies, and continue to build your rapport. Cultivate your status as an authoritative individual that a lead can trust.

As with any funnel, keep each specific nurture sequence tied to a single CTA: one sale, one conversion. Don’t lose focus!

A final rule of thumb pertains to the length of a nurture sequence – I recommend crafting them to be 1.5 times as long as a typical buying cycle.

You want to make sure you’re positioned with top of mind awareness, even if it takes the customer a little while to make their decision.

So remember, be intentional with your nurture sequence and pay attention to the shared experience you’re having with your prospective customers.

That adds up to relational capital that you’ll be trading on when you ask for the sale.

Nurture happens throughout the entire customer journey, at each stage in your funnel, so you need to have processes in place to enhance your relationships at every level.

 

Action Steps

1. Build in nurture sequences for your customers throughout your funnel, but especially between the initial lead acquisition and first sale.
2. Use your lead-magnet as the jumping off point to your nurture sequence.
3. Build in objection handling directly into the sequence.
4. Plan for your nurture sequences to be 1.5 times your typical buying cycle.

 

Result You Will Achieve

Nurture sequences that retain leads, remove objections, build trust, and bring leads closer to being customers.

 
This article is based on an EHQ interview with the mentor.