According to Marketo, nearly 50% of leads are not ready to buy. So, that means it’s extremely important to understand where your potential leads are in their buyer’s journey. You can’t promote certain content to your leads until they are ready to see it. Otherwise, it’s just wasted time and resources.
In order to have a more efficient lead-nurturing system, it’s important to set up automated lead workflows. With proper workflows in place, you can expect higher return from your automated marketing program.
Set up your automated lead workflows using these 4 categories:
#1 Subscriber Workflows
The first place to touch base with new leads is when they subscribe. This can be as simple as having an automated workflow that sends out a thank-you email once they subscribe. It also may be helpful to include them on any top-of-funnel workflows that would allow them to learn more about your business and what you can offer.
Tip: Be careful not to get too excited and send too many emails. No one likes getting bombarded with a slew of emails after they sign up. They signed up to learn more about you, not have their inbox engulfed by too much content. If you want to continue to work this lead down the buyer’s journey, don’t scare them off by being overly anxious.
#2 Hot Lead Workflows
As you develop your automated workflow system, you will have the option to set points for everything a potential lead may do, such as open emails, download new long forms, or subscribe to new workflows. Once your business decides how many points are permitted for each category, it should give you a general idea of when a lead becomes “hot”.
A hot lead is someone that is further down the sales funnel. They have opened your emails, downloaded your ebooks, and have visited your website on a regular basis. It’s very important to keep that interest high by sending them the right kind of content.
You wouldn’t want to send someone that consistently visits your website general bottom-of-funnel content. You need to strike while the iron is hot. These leads are ready to be approached.
#3 Cold Lead Workflows
You may have heard that 80% of leads never turn into sales, but just because a lead has gone cold doesn’t mean you should give up on them. They had interest in the past; otherwise, they wouldn’t be on your potential leads list in the first place. Ask yourself: Why did they go cold? Did a situation change? Did they find another vendor?
Find the answers to these questions to determine what kind of content to send. Remember: It just takes one strong piece of content at the right time to reel them back in.
#4 Customer Workflows
Once someone has become a customer, don’t just move them into the win column. Instead, continue to keep them coming back for more. Continue to show them all your company can do, because in most cases, most leads don’t buy into everything you have to offer from the start. They normally dip their toe in the water to see if they like the results you provide before they fully commit.
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4 reasons you’re losing customers
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You need to encourage them to continue to believe in your brand. Whether your goal is for them to increase their business with you or to promote your business to another business in need, always try to stay top of mind with your customers. You never know where new business may come from.
Understanding where your potential leads are in the buyer’s journey makes sales much easier. Be sure to give them the right content at the right time to move them down the sales funnel. Setting up the proper lead workflows takes the stress off daily monitoring and can keep you top-of-mind with potential clients.
Do you still have questions on how to sort your workflows? Do you know what kind of content to give them at each stage? Feel free to contact Marketing Essentials for your free 30-minute consultation to get the most out of your lead-nurturing workflows!
