In theory, making sales online should be simple. You create a product, you build an e-commerce site to sell it, you market it to people who want it, and they buy it. Rinse and repeat. In reality, online sales are far from simple. You have to put in a lot of work to find suitable leads and convert enough traffic to make a profit. Sometimes, you’ll get a lot of business via a viral trend, and other times you’ll need additional resources to get by. Lead nurturing is a practical part of content marketing strategies that can achieve significant gains over time. You just have to use the right tools, have patience, and bring in some expert help along the way. So, what is lead nurturing? How does this apply to email marketing, and what else can you do to take advantage of it?
What Is Lead Nurturing?
The notion of lead nurturing can sound counter-productive and unappealing to small businesses trying to make a name for themselves. Direct lead generation strategies are effective at generating interest in a brand and converting higher volumes of traffic. However, this approach can be a little impersonal and too business-focused. Sure, you want to focus on profit and increased sales to get ahead, but not at the expense of consumers. These buyers could become loyal customers who return time and time again because of your products, customer service, and their relationship with your brand. That sort of trusting relationship doesn’t happen overnight. You have to nurture it over time to prove that you’re a company that’s worth their time and effort. When you achieve this, you have people willing to spend more money, share your content online, and recommend you to others.
Lead Nurturing Through Email Marketing
A popular tool for prospect nurturing is email marketing. That’s partly because it’s such a simple concept and continues to get results to this day. In fact, while you might expect email engagement to be lower these days, stats show that 77% of marketers saw an increase in engagement in the past year. Data from Campaign Monitor shows that 64% of small businesses still focus on this approach, and with good reason.
Emails remain efficient and convenient. Users can get alerts if they choose, open the mail in their own time, and decide whether to click the links. They have complete control and consent, which isn’t the case for any targeted social media ads or website pop-ups. If they do decide to click the links and get directed to website content and sales pages, it’s their choice. You’ve nurtured that relationship well enough to give them the right content and build that trust. On the subject of consent, don’t forget to add a double opt-in system for those signing up for mailing lists.
Strategies vary with email marketing, and you have to find the one that works best for you. This may take some trial and error, but it’s worth it. Some companies will send multiple emails a day, although this runs the risk of coming across as needy. Others will send one a week. You’ll find your rhythm. You also have to consider the style of the content and whether to go for personalized emails or automated campaigns. Both work, but it may depend on what you’re selling. Personalized emails with targeted content and the recipient’s name can go a long way in nurturing that trust and building brand loyalty.
Expanding Lead Nurturing Through Multiple Channels
As effective as email lead nurturing can be, it isn’t always enough on its own. The wonderful thing about the current state of life online is that we’re all on multiple channels at once. Email isn’t always our #1 way to learn about products and promotions. That’s where it pays to bring in other tools and diversify your strategy for the best results. Signing up for a content marketing assessment is a great start.
Those email marketing strategies make the most of effective targeted content. You can continue this approach with targeted ads on social media. Social media marketing is often more direct and in-your-face, making it ideal for lead generation. A well-crafted campaign with the right posts can help a promotion go viral and bring in plenty of new business. However, there’s also room for lead nurturing on social media, where you build those long-term relationships. Remember, social media platforms are nothing without followers, engagement rates, and interactions. A strong content marketing strategy will help you put out engaging and compelling content that reaches the right audience. Those who enjoy your posts and like your products will start following you.
That isn’t the end goal. Once you have these followers, you need to nurture that relationship by providing continued value with your posts and interacting with them. Follow them back, share some of their related posts, like their comments, and do anything else you can to make them feel valued. Also, remember to do this through as many channels as possible to broaden your reach. For example, you might find you have a great rapport with your Instagram followers and some in-jokes in the comments. Can you take that further by building a community on Facebook or an avid viewership on YouTube? Some approaches will work much better than others, but you don’t know until you try.
This more wide-reaching approach also means that you need everyone on the same page. Make sure that your social media team, marketing team, sales coordinators, and analyses are in alignment. A strong, cohesive plan with regular reviews and adaptations will go far.
Get A Content Marketing Assessment Today
Analyzing and improving lead nurturing is just part of the process when working with the best content marketing analysts. These professionals can go over your entire marketing plan, find the gaps and areas in need of improvement, and help you improve your prospects. Lead nurturing may be something you’ve overlooked in the past. However, with this expert help and a fresh perspective, you can make social media and email marketing work for your consumer base.
