Lead nurturing is a consistent, meaningful communication to a prospect over a given period of time, regardless of the stage they’re at in the buying cycle. Not everyone looking at your website or prospect you speak with will be ready to make a purchase. In this day and age customers expect to be able to research their options thoroughly before considering a transaction.
This means there is a period of consideration between initial contact and final purchase, which presents an opportunity for influence. Often, content marketing is used to capitalise on this opportunity. This period of influence is often referred to as the optimum lead nurturing zone, even though lead nurturing is very much applicable to all stages of the buying cycle.
More often than not, companies will use content marketing to exert influence during a lead nurturing campaign. By educating your prospects with meaningful information in your field you are establishing yourself as a respectable expert. If you focus your content on solutions to challenges the probability of your content being valued is significant.
Content marketing can include whitepapers, reports, webinars, blogs and more.
The 10 Reasons:
1. On average, companies that nurture their leads experience a 45% lift in lead generation ROI over those companies that do not. (Source: MarketingSherpa)
2. 79% of marketing leads never convert into sales. Lack of lead nurturing is the typical cause of this poor performance. (Source: MarketingSherpa)
3. Nurtured leads produce, on average, a 20% increase in sales opportunities versus non-nurtured leads. (Source: DemandGen Report)
4. Companies with mature lead generation and management practices have a 9.3% higher sales quota achievement rate. (Source: CSO Insights)
5. Lead nurturing emails get 4-10x the response rate compared to standalone email blasts. (Source: SilverPop/DemandGen Report)
6. Nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads. (Source: The Annuitas Group)
7. Companies that excel at lead nurturing generate 50% more sales ready leads at 33% lower cost. (Source: Forrester Research)
(Lead nurturing when implemented correctly generates a 50% rise in sales ready leads at 33% lower cost).
8. 61% of B2B marketers send all leads directly to sales; however, only 27% of those leads will be qualified (converted). (Source: MarketingSherpa)
9. When marketing automation is used to nurture prospects, companies experience a 451% increase in qualified leads. (Source: The Annuitas Group)
(451% increase in qualified leads).
10. About 56 percent of marketing automation users rated their demand generation performance as in line, above or far above expectations. This compares with just 41 percent of non-marketing automation users.
Forming a lead nurturing campaign takes time and the results are often not recognisable immediately either. However by not implementing a plan you are not only losing many potential leads but worst case scenario you are actually pushing people away.
If you’re still reading this and you don’t have a lead nurturing strategy then what are you waiting for?
Go educate your prospects and build trust with your leads. Your sales team and customers will love you for it!
Call the Sales Accelerant team TODAY on 0845 3058145 or Email Us and experience the sales approach difference that makes the difference.
