If you’re a marketer who’s serious about lead conversion, chances are you may already have lead nurturing campaigns in place to manage soon-to-be customers through the decision-making process. And if you don’t, you definitely should think of establishing one, especially since studies show that top companies who implement lead nurturing campaigns see 38% more conversions than their competitors.
However, establishing automated lead nurturing is just the first step toward improving your success rate. If you already have a program in place, you might notice there are some campaigns performing better than others. Or maybe you think there is potential for your results to improve more than they already have. Whether you’re seeing success or are still struggling to see results from your lead nurturing campaign, there’s always room to make them even better.
That leads me to my next point. Your lead nurturing campaigns should never be a static effort, and must be updated to match any new goals or obstacles your company faces. For example, your company may come up with new features, your customers may experience new problems or issues, and you always need to keep an eye out for what your competitors are doing. But that just begins to cover a few things that you need to take a note of when enhancing your campaign.
Are you ready to make your nurture campaigns even more successful than they already are? Here are five ways you can improve your current and future lead nurturing campaigns for even better results.
1. Always Be One Step Ahead of Your Competitors
Although we may have an understanding of our customer persona and what moves individuals to take action, we don’t always hit the nail on the head with our campaigns. These gaps in engagement don’t only mean a missed opportunity for us, they also give our competitors a chance to swoop in and make our leads fall head over heels for them.
That is why you should always be vigilant of what your competitors are doing, what is working for them, and what isn’t. Make a note of all of this and find a time to modify your campaigns so they address any new concerns or findings. Or, if there is a particular tactic that is leading to more engagement for your competition, think of a way in which you can incorporate it into your lead nurturing campaigns and do it even better.
2. Segment Your Customers for Improved Lead Nurturing Campaigns
A good rule of thumb is to not have just one nurture campaign that you send out to all of your prospective customers. Keep in mind that different leads start at various places, and have different motivations, interests, and problems to solve. And nowadays, there are on average approximately 5.4 buyers involved in B2B deals, so you’re often reaching out to different types of people. For that reason, you should segment your customers and develop several campaigns to match their particular needs.
Taking this small step can lead to huge results. Research shows marketers have seen a 760% increase in revenue from segmented email marketing campaigns. This is because segmentation enables you to send the right message and tools to your prospective customers.
It also allows you to personalize your emails. All this leads to better relationship building and results. In fact, studies show personalized email campaigns have a 50% higher open rate than those that are not.
Does segmenting your lists sound overwhelming and tedious? You should consider a marketing automation platform to help you do this efficiently and effectively.
Email Deliverability: Test & Optimize to Hit the Inbox
3. Ensure Your Content Fits The Customer Journey
When it comes to personalizing your campaigns, the content you send is just as important as your subject line. When choosing what content to feature in each email, think about who your customers are and what type of information they might need at each step of the decision-making process. If they are just becoming acquainted with your business, you’ll probably want to highlight a few of your competitive advantages in your first email. Whereas if your customers are at the bottom of the funnel, think of sending them tools and information that can help you seal the deal.
On top of sending the right type of information, you should also be aware of sending it in a format that appeals to your leads. Not all your customers have time to read an e-book, but chances are there are many that wouldn’t mind sitting down with a cup of coffee and scrolling through a few pages. That is why you should aim to create a diverse content library to tell your story.
4. Make Sure You Have a Strong CTA for Every Step of the Customer Journey
You can’t expect to convince your leads to convert with just one email. Not only that, but many buyers are not willing to talk to a salesperson until they are more than halfway through the decision-making process. Therefore, you need to provide them with frequent communication and calls to action to motivate them to schedule that call or meeting.
After all, your goal in a lead nurture campaign is to help your leads become informed and keep moving forward toward a final decision. That being said, your CTAs should correspond with their current spot in the customer journey. The last thing you want is to lose them because you’ve asked them to look at information or talk to your sales team before they are ready to.
For example, if this is the first email a lead is receiving from you, you may want to start by inviting them to watch a video, visit a landing page or view some other type of content that provides more in-depth information. If it’s your last, emphasize a time to view a demo or chat about your offerings over the phone – ask your leads to do something that will allow you to directly engage with them.
5. Optimize Your Campaigns for Deliverability
Your lead nurturing campaigns are only effective if they are seen by your prospective customers. That is why optimizing your emails for improved deliverability and engagement is a crucial step.
For campaigns that have already been established, take time to look at your open and delivery rates to determine if they’re making it to your customer’s inbox, or just ending up in the spam folder. You can also perform A/B testing and check if there are certain subject lines and CTAs that are getting more engagement from your leads. If so, consider replacing those that are performing poorly with something new to see if that entices your prospects to keep clicking through. Revising your content should be a routine step if you want to continue to improve your lead nurturing efforts.
If you’re in the process of developing a new campaign, here are a few tips for how to optimize your content for email deliverability.
