In 2017, you’re looking for new ways to find and keep those precious leads you’ve worked so hard to acquire. You may have heard the term “automated lead-nurturing workflow” in the past, and now, you’re interested in the benefits it can provide. While it’s true that having an automated lead workflow can save you time, money, and work hours, using it improperly can actually have the opposite effect.
________________________________________
Are you losing customers? Are you committing one of these four digital marketing mistakes?
____________________________________________
What is an Automated Lead-Nurturing Workflow?
Put quite simply, using automated workflow software is a way for marketers to automatically send out content to attract new leads. You can schedule emails, social media posts, and more. You can even have the software remind you when you need to follow up with specific leads. It will even keep track of where each lead is in the sales funnel.
If automated workflow software is so great, why isn’t everyone using it? Well, depending on their experience with it, some may see it as a waste of money because they’re not getting the results they expect. However, those with an unfavorable view of automated lead nurturing have made one or more of the following mistakes.
4 Common Automated Lead-Nurturing Workflow Mistakes that Can Cost You Leads
1) You Don’t Know Your Persona
We here at Marketing Essentials love to drive home the importance of having a strong persona. There is a good reason for that: How can you find the best customer for your product or service if you don’t have the proper customer in mind when creating your marketing strategy? This is easily the most skipped step when it comes to creating your inbound marketing plan.
You may be able to automatically send out emails and social posts, but if you aren’t directing them to your ideal customer, what’s the point? An automated system can only do so much of the legwork. Set it up correctly, and you’ll see a higher return on your time and monetary investment.
2) You Haven’t Set a Goal for Your Workflows
The only way you will see true results is by setting goals and tracking your progress. You’ll need them for any type workflow you may be attempting, and you won’t get far without them. Without goals, it’s nearly impossible to set a monthly game plan.
Speaking of monthly plans, another great reason to set goals is to make adjustments to your program as you move forward. If you notice that you are hitting your goals with your social media, but not with your email campaigns, investigate and, if necessary, adjust your tactics. Keeping an eye on where the numbers fall each month—and making adjustments accordingly—will vastly improve your results.
3) You Forget to Follow Up
While an automated workflow system will do the majority of the work for you, such as sending follow-up emails and reminders, you still need to follow up with potential leads one on one. The only way you can truly lead someone down the sales funnel is to make personal connections with those leads along the way.
Remember: Even if a lead works their way down the sales funnel and, at the bottom, decides not to buy from you, don’t throw that lead away. Keep in contact with any lead that may turn into a sale. Just because they didn’t buy from you today doesn’t mean they won’t have future interest in your services.
Make sure to use automated workflow software properly. Continue to touch base with those leads using information that may be of interest to them, and set that reminder to reach out again in the future. Every touch counts, automated or not.
4) You Don’t Have an Inbound Content Strategy
Failing to put an inbound content strategy in place is one of the biggest mistakes people make when using automated lead-nurturing workflows. While you may have a general idea of the type of content you want, if you have never actually taken the time to sit down and map out your strategy, your content—and your goals—may meander. Strategy should be the foundation of all your marketing efforts, and without a strong foundation, your entire plan could collapse.
With a proper strategy in place, you can easily guide your potential lead down your sales funnel. Research your persona, and decide what kind of content that person or business would like to see. Are you providing answers to their questions? Are you hitting their pain points? Plan all of this out before you even think about hitting the gas on a new automated lead-nurturing workflow.
Moving Forward Toward Success
These are just a few of the issues that we’ve seen marketers run into in the past. If you want to have a strong start with your new automated lead-nurturing workflow system, make sure to avoid these 4 major mistakes. While it may take time before you see results, starting with these examples in mind, you should be off to a promising beginning.
Do you still need help?
If you still have questions concerning your new workflows, feel free to contact us. If you have additional questions on inbound marketing, be sure to register for your free 30-minute discovery call. Let Marketing Essentials fill in those unwanted marketing gaps.
