In business, there is no such thing as an impulse buy. Perhaps when you;re wandering around the grocery store you might suddenly grab that chocolate bar or can of soda that catches your eye. But when it comes to big, company-wide buying decisions, these things take time.
If you are trying to sell a B2B product or service, customer acquisition is a tricky job. You will have plenty of enquiries and website clicks from potentially interested parties looking to make a purchase at some point in the future, but convincing them to part with their money is no mean feat. They will be considering other companies, and weighing up the pros and cons of your particular offering. They may need more education or persuasion before they make up their mind.
The stage between first contact and final purchase is known as the nurturing phase. You are guiding a prospect, or lead down the sales funnel towards a purchase. It is a delicate job, requiring a fine balance. Too pushy, and they will go elsewhere. Too soft, and they will um and ah indefinitely into the future.
Effective lead nurturing will not only gain you more customers, but those you acquire will be more loyal and trusting towards your company. It increases your customer retention, and will help you to drive profit and business success. So to set you off on the right track, here are a few lead nurturing strategies to get behind.
Create buyer personas
Who is your ideal customer? What is their job role? What are their needs and wants? What are the challenges they face on a daily basis? What sort of person are they? If you can’t answer all of these questions, it’s time you took a look at your buyer personas. Your buyer personas are the profile of your target customer, the person who makes the decisions when it comes to buying your product. There may be a few different personas that are relevant, but take the time to craft them and really hone in on the person to whom you are focusing your efforts. This will allow you to create the perfect marketing content and sales messaging to really hit home.
Provide value
When trying to nurture a lead, you don’t want to be too salesy. No one likes to be pestered, so if you drive your messaging too hard, they will walk away and find another option. Instead, you should provide value. Rather than telling a lead why they should buy your product, provide them with educational and informative content that helps them solve a problem. This could be in the form of a blog post, how-to guide, or instructional video. This will keep them engaged with your company, and ensure they come back for more.
Use multiple channels
The more channels you use to communicate with your leads, the better a relationship you can forge. Perhaps your first contact was through an email exchange. This doesn’t mean you have to keep talking through your inboxes. Give them a phone call, connect on LinkedIn, or get them to follow you on Instagram. You could even meet face to face with a particularly engaged lead. Using a dedicated sales and lead management software enables you to maintain communication as well as keeping track of all interactions they have had with your business. It provides a measurable method for nurturing prospects and leads down the sales funnel and can increase customer acquisition by an enormous margin.
