Lead Nurturing: 5 Tips to Secure More Sales in 2022

The journey from prospect to sale is an adventure of discovery for lead and salesperson alike. The prospect is discovering the company, product, or service, and the salesperson is discovering the prospect and learning how to engage in a way that’s personal and effective.

Lead nurturing is the part of the sales process that’s very intentional and focused on building relationships through targeted content, marketing outreach, and direct communication. The goal is to educate and engage, leading to strong business relationships and a sale. 

Without an effective lead nurturing strategy, you will waste valuable time and energy putting your efforts in a myriad of different directions with limited, if any, significant success. 

We like success around here. We’re gonna assume you do, too. So we’ve compiled a few of our top tips for effective lead nurturing, because success looks good on everyone.

Why is Lead Nurturing Important?

Sales and marketing is an ever-changing industry, but one thing has remained consistent for years: lead nurturing is one of the most important tasks for companies to be successful, but it’s also one of the most difficult. 

74% of businesses report that converting leads into customers is their highest priority item. Lead generation is useless if you don’t then make the most of every lead and the dollars put into acquiring them. The return on investment just isn’t there if you can’t bring a lead down the sales funnel and close the sale.

This is why lead nurturing is so important. The relationship building and “wooing” process is required to get your leads to say yes.

So what are a few ways to increase the return on your lead nurturing efforts and make more sales?

5 Tips to Boost Your Lead Nurturing Strategy

1. …Actually HAVE a Lead Nurturing Strategy.

We wish this could go without saying, but far too often businesses fail in their lead nurturing efforts because they didn’t take the time to lay the foundation of a strategic plan. 

Or perhaps there IS a plan, but a lack of communication between departments causes confusion. No one knows who is supposed to take on certain steps in the process, and leads fall through the cracks. 

Either way, the results are the same: leads, sales, and revenue, all lost. LOST, I tell you! 

To avoid this, consider aspects such as :

• What automation/sales and marketing tools you will use to track metrics and record data
• What department/team member will take ownership of which tasks
• How you score your leads and optimize your outreach
• What platforms/communication methods you will focus on
• How to implement a consistent brand voice and tone
• How to best target leads at whatever stage they are currently in the sales process

For the sake of your company, your teams, and your bank account, do the grunt work of laying down the foundation of a solid lead nurturing plan. You won’t regret it if you do, but you DEFINITELY will if you don’t. 

 2. Personalize, Personalize, and Then…Personalize.

Building a relationship during the lead nurturing process requires careful research and a whole lotta personalization. You aren’t reaching out to a robot…you’re reaching out to unique, individual companies and people. 

One of the most effective ways to build relationships that lead to sales is to personalize your outreach. Whether that’s through targeted content or leaving a comment on LinkedIn, that personal touch can make all the difference. 

How can you effectively personalize your lead nurturing efforts?

• Research your prospects. Take the time to look into the company, your point of contact, and get a feel for their culture and personality.

• Engage on social media. Not only will you learn a LOT about your lead, but you’ll be able to connect directly and in a way that’s down to earth.

• Use Your Content Strategically. If certain leads have shown engagement with and preference for specific types of content, keep this in mind when creating and sharing new content.

• Create Customizable Email Templates. You can improve your email lead nurturing efforts and spike open rates by creating email templates you can then personalize with information you’ve gathered about your lead, their interests, their problems, and their priorities.

• Welcome Feedback. Whether through direct communication or surveys, asking for and receiving feedback is a great way to learn more about your leads, how you can improve your processes, and what works and what doesn’t.

To really implement this effectively, we have to shift our focus off of just making the sale and focus on the potential client themselves. What is best for the client? How can we truly help them and meet their needs? 

When you change the dynamic of your sales experience to be truly customer-centric, the lead knows they are more than just a box on your checklist. And in a sea of “salesy” marketers and less-than-transparent communication methods, you’ll build trust and stand out as a company that truly has the customer’s best interests in mind.

 3. Offer Value.

Lead nurturing involves proving your value to your audience. With the advancement of technology, almost every potential customer comes to you having already researched their needs, the industry, and the pros and cons of certain products or methods. Many leads already have an idea of what they want and you have to prove that you are the one to meet their needs.

Establishing yourself as an authority in your space helps seal the deal as your leads feel comfortable trusting you with their business. 

• Respond to leads quickly. This shows you are knowledgeable, on top of your game, and can provide immediate answers to questions, objections, or inquiries. 

• Become a thought leader. Provide high-quality content showing your expertise in your industry. This could be as simple as an informative LinkedIn article, or more in-depth, such as a piece published in a business magazine. 

• Keep content relevant and up to date. Optimize and update your content (new and old) to achieve better rankings on the SERP. Getting your content on page 1 of the search engines is a huge win for establishing authority.

• Create video content and consider starting a podcast. Lead nurturing requires taking the lead through many touch points, and having extra channels featuring informative content means more chances to gain an audience with your prospective customers.

• Highlight Case Studies. Cater to the skeptics in the crowd with some well-crafted case studies showing the impressive results you’ve helped create for your current clients. 

 4. Harness the Power of Real-Life Interactions.

It’s undeniable that the majority of lead nurturing tasks are accomplished in the digital world. But there’s marketing magic to be found when you engage in real-life interactions. If you’re serious about building relationships (the heart of lead nurturing), there’s nothing that can replace meeting up IRL.

• You can communicate faster and more efficiently. No back and forth emails or comments lost on social media. The dialogue is instant and direct.

• The atmosphere is more casual and human, creating a space that encourages openness and authenticity. 

• You get to know your lead better and understand their passions, goals, and personality.

• It fosters a bond that goes beyond “just business” and establishes trust—THE foundation for creating loyal customers.

Even if you can’t physically meet up with your lead, prioritize real-person contact whenever you can. A phone call or Zoom meeting goes a long way when implemented as part of your lead nurturing process.

 5. Get Sales and Marketing on the Same Page.

Tension or confusion between your sales and marketing teams can derail all of your lead nurturing efforts faster than a seagull can swipe a chip off the beach. (And that’s pretty dang fast.)

In a perfect world, your teams work together to nurture leads and bring in sales, but the truth of the matter is that often there is a gap between the two that swallows up leads.

Between data reporting, researching, contacting leads, engaging and nurturing, building campaigns, crafting pitches, etc…your teams have plenty of work on their hands. Often there are cross-over tasks that aren’t specific to one department or another, and tension arises when neither team wants to take on more work or thinks the task is more suited for the other team. Plus, all the extra busy work takes time away from the real work of marketing and sales, costing you leads and potential streams of revenue. 

Working with a sales experience provider like Squeeze can be just what your company needs to get your sales and marketing teams back on track and performing the way you know they can. By taking on those tasks that bog down your departments, your teams are free to do what they were actually hired to do, resulting in happier employees, optimized business processes, and more qualified leads that convert.

Lead Nurturing Made Simple

Lead nurturing is multi-faceted and time-consuming, requiring a company to play the long game while working multiple campaigns all at once. You can free up an incredible amount of time and energy by simply outsourcing the majority of your lead nurturing tasks to a sales experience provider. 

That’s exactly what we do here at Squeeze. With our industry knowledge and high-quality, US-based teams, we take on the lead nurturing process and funnel qualified leads directly to your teams, so all your salespeople need to do is close! 

Plus we offer performance-based plans, so you’re not locked into a contract, and your success is our driving motivation.

You’ve got nothing to lose, and a lot to gain. We’ll prove it to you. Contact us today for a proposal and let’s start making the most of your leads!