B2B sales and marketing all too often neglect lead nurturing: A recent Gartner survey found that 15% of B2B organizations don’t use outreach to keep leads warm (full survey available to Gartner clients). But, providing concise, relevant content along the buyer journey can increase purchase ease and shorten the time spent in the sales funnel according to another recent Gartner survey on technology buying dynamics (full survey available to Gartner clients).
Efficient lead nurture tracks guide buyers through the sales process to their purchase decision. Sales closed from nurtured leads tend to have a higher purchase value compared to those closed from non-nurtured leads. I’ve worked with many different types of software companies, all trying to close as many leads as quickly as possible. I wanted to share the top four pieces of advice I’ve gathered through that work, to help you more effectively engage and nurture your own prospects through their purchase journey.
4 Tips to Build Successful Lead Nurture Tracks
Meet with your sales and marketing teams to detail and build out your ideal buyer persona, lead scoring metrics, and clear nurture track goals. Check out our lead scoring worksheet to start identifying score metrics and methodology.
Craft content and messaging that follows your buyer’s journey through your sales funnel. Build triggers for certain customer actions, such as calls to action within content or website forms, to guide marketing outreach and support sales conversations based on those interactions.
Examples of content types and messaging appropriate for various stages of the sales funnel:
Pre-funnel: Share relevant blog posts and industry stats across your marketing channels
Top of funnel: Send an introductory welcome email and invite them to try a free demo or watch a product overview video.
Mid-funnel: Continue to support buyers’ purchase journey. Schedule outreach to provide valuable, engaging content such as eBooks, webinars, and white papers. Be selective with the content you provide to avoid overwhelming buyers with irrelevant details or complex product information.
Bottom of the funnel: Share customer testimonials, case stories, and customer reviews as a final emphasis to buyers that your product will fit their needs as well as it fits your current customers’ needs.
Continue to build an efficient and effective lead nurturing strategy by downloading our Lead Nurturing Kit.
- Personalize nurture outreach to increase email response rates by including the contact’s or their company’s name in the email subject line, or select additional content to provide based on past engagement. Treat every lead as a unique sale and prospect opportunity, and remember that not every lead sees the same challenges, needs, or falls within the same funnel stage.
Stay on top of buyer actions and feedback to ensure your outreach effectively meets your prospects’ needs. Regularly review nurture track performance data and take note of stages that receive greater engagement or unsubscribe rates. Adjust your lead nurture tracks and messaging accordingly, as often as necessary to maximize results.
Businesses that excel at lead nurturing can generate 50% more sales-ready leads at a 33% lower cost. Ensure you craft a clear and measurable strategy to nurture leads to save your team time and money while converting those leads into sales.
Follow these reviews response tips to increase the impact of customer reviews.
Evgeni Pavlov
Evgeni Pavlov is a Senior Business Development Executive for Gartner Digital Markets. He specializes in helping software vendors successfully optimize, develop, and grow their digital marketing efforts across all channels. In his free time, Evgeni loves traveling and being a crazy foodie and cooking enthusiast. Connect with Evgeni on LinkedIn.