Lead nurturing is the process of developing a business relationship with customers and guiding them toward a conversion. This begins at the top of a marketing and sales funnel and continues even past an eventual conversion at the bottom of it. A lead is a potential customer who has given initial information (such as an email) to a business, which the business can then use to follow up with the customer and present targeted content.
Lead nurturing strategies
Lead nurturing strategies differ slightly depending on a lead’s location in the funnel:
Top of the funnel (TOFU) leads will receive a lot of content that’s probably somewhat broad. They’re just being introduced to the brand. Engaging, informative content like videos and infographics, along with regular blog articles, can help draw TOFU leads further down the funnel. The goal for a top-of-funnel client is to initially make them a lead by getting their contact information while also focusing on developing their trust.
Middle of the funnel (MOFU) leads need further convincing about a business, brand, and products. Continued content, specifically targeted emails, and maybe an occasional conversation with MOFU leads are methods of nurturing potential customers who are evaluating the business and product.
Bottom of the funnel (BOFU) leads are now very familiar with the company and product. They’re considering making a purchase but are also considering competitors. Giving free product trials to leads who are about to convert and listing examples of other customers for whom it was a success are some common methods of nurturing the narrowed selection of BOFU leads.
Nurturing leads takes time. One of its biggest components is customer relationship management (CRM), which involves multiple steps of communicating with leads. Customer relationship management for leads includes:
- Tracking each lead in a database and recording interactions with them
- Creating buyer personas so that businesses are prepared to serve each customer well
- Sending leads personalized emails based on clicks and page views
- Implementing marketing automation to save time and send leads regular content
