Wouldn’t it be incredible if everyone who encountered your business made a purchase immediately? Sadly, this rarely happens. However, a robust lead nurturing strategy can significantly increase your chances of converting leads into loyal customers.

Having spent over two decades in sales and marketing, I understand the challenges of transforming initial interest into a sale. Allow me to illustrate what constitutes a successful lead nurturing campaign and provide practical examples. Implementing these strategies can lead to a substantial increase in your conversion rate.

Table of contents

• What is lead nurturing?
• Benefits of lead nurturing
• 7 successful lead nurturing strategies
• 5 lead nurturing examples

What is lead nurturing?

Lead nurturing encompasses the methods used to cultivate relationships with individuals who’ve expressed interest in your offerings but aren’t yet ready to commit. Through strategic lead nurturing, you can guide individuals through your marketing funnel, transforming their initial interest into a conversion.

Lead nurturing guides people through your sales funnel. Lead nurturing campaigns are diverse, employing various channels to connect with potential customers. While email reigns supreme, other avenues like social media, traditional mail, and even the occasional phone call can be effective. Any interaction that strengthens your bond while prospects weigh their options can enhance your chances of securing a sale.

For instance, imagine someone participates in a consultation with your team but doesn’t immediately book a service. In the following weeks, you send follow-up emails, mail a postcard with a coupon code, and reach out via SMS to schedule the service. These actions collectively form your lead nurturing strategy.

An example follow-up email as part of a lead nurturing campaign.

Benefits of lead nurturing

Let’s explore how a lead nurturing strategy can contribute to a higher sales closure rate.

Fostering business relationships

According to a PWC survey, over 90% of respondents indicated a preference for purchasing from businesses they trust. Furthermore, a similar number expressed willingness to recommend such companies to others.

A well-structured lead nurturing campaign provides an avenue to share valuable tips, social proof, and compelling content that bolsters a lead’s confidence in your company.

Enhancing brand awareness and recall

Have you ever wondered how many times you need to encounter an advertisement or logo before it becomes memorable? It’s widely believed that it takes an average of seven touchpoints for a potential customer to remember your brand, logo, or products - a concept known as the rule of seven.

A well-defined lead nurturing strategy enables meaningful interactions after someone requests information or saves a product to their cart. When the time comes to make a purchase, your brand will be at the forefront of their mind.

Educating your ideal customers

Modern buyers have access to a wealth of information. A Google study revealed that 53% of shoppers conduct research before buying. Simultaneously, transparency is becoming as crucial as price and quality for many.

Businesses providing the most comprehensive information often emerge as winners. This is precisely where lead nurturing excels. By sharing insights about your product sourcing or the meticulous steps taken to ensure a spotless service area, you empower your leads. A well-informed lead is more inclined to choose your solution.

Boosting conversion rates

These benefits collectively drive the ultimate goal: enticing more leads to become paying customers. Nurtured leads are known to make 47% more purchases than their non-nurtured counterparts, underscoring the effectiveness of this approach.

7 strategies for successful lead nurturing campaigns

Lead nurturing is not a one-size-fits-all approach. A clothing retailer will employ different strategies compared to an enterprise software consultant. Consider these highly effective lead nurturing ideas as building blocks for crafting your tailored strategy.

1. Targeted emails

Email marketing is a powerful lead nurturing channel. Its ease of automation, cost-effectiveness compared to ads, and unparalleled flexibility make it invaluable for virtually any company or product.

However, bombarding leads with random emails can be counterproductive and annoying. Here’s how to maximize your email nurturing efforts:

• Segment your list: Group leads based on their behavior (e.g., clicking on a product page, watching a video), engagement (e.g., opening the last email versus ignoring it), or their stage in the customer journey (e.g., new lead versus returning customer).
• Personalized relevance: Craft personalized emails containing offers and information directly relevant to each customer. Leverage your knowledge about their birthday, interests, and shopping habits to enhance relevance.
• Captivating headlines: Write concise and actionable subject lines to ensure high open rates.
• Strong CTA: Include a clear call to action that guides your lead’s next step, whether it’s making a purchase, watching a video, or claiming a discount.
• Mobile optimization: With 70% of emails being opened on mobile devices, ensure your emails are optimized for quick loading and easy readability on smaller screens.
• A/B testing: Continuously test different versions of your CTA, subject line, and offers to identify what resonates best with your audience and drives the most clicks and conversions.

2. Retargeting ads

Retargeting ads effectively nurture leads by repeatedly presenting your offerings as they browse the web. Ever clicked on a product page and later encountered ads for that same product on other websites? That’s retargeting in action.

These ads work by tagging individuals who visit your website or enter your marketing funnel. These tagged leads are then shown your ads automatically on websites within a specific advertising network (like Google’s Display Network).

When setting up remarketing campaigns, adhere to lead nurturing best practices to avoid overwhelming your audience. Ads should be strategically placed and not overly intrusive.

3. SMS marketing

In certain situations, SMS marketing - reaching your audience through text messages - is an ideal lead nurturing strategy. This is because SMS requires explicit opt-in, ensuring that your recipients are genuinely interested leads.

SMS marketing’s effectiveness stems from several factors:

• Cost-effectiveness: Compared to other advertising forms, it’s relatively inexpensive.
• Direct communication: A text message doesn’t get lost in the clutter of an inbox, unlike emails.
• Customer preference: 89% of customers prefer text communication over calls with businesses.
• High open rates: Text messages boast impressive open rates, often reaching as high as 98%.

Much like emails, texts can be used to promote time-sensitive discounts, confirm appointments, or announce new offerings.

4. Nurturing content

Content marketing addresses the need to educate leads as they evaluate their options. This encompasses diverse formats such as blog posts, FAQs, ebooks, and webinars.

Following up with helpful content is a solid nurture strategy. As a multi-channel marketing tactic, content fuels other nurture channels. It can be distributed via email, SMS, or social media.

Ideally, your content should cater to different stages of your marketing funnel:

• Awareness stage: Focus on highlighting and addressing a problem through informative “how-to” content.
• Consideration stage: Showcase how your product or service effectively solves the problem using real-world use cases.
• Action stage: Highlight specific product features and couple them with enticing discounts.

5. Social media connections

Some marketers underestimate the power of social media as a lead nurturing channel. This is often because it can feel less personal compared to emails or texts. However, social media, when used effectively, is a fantastic platform for building trust, especially if you’re already sharing valuable content.

A crucial step in social media lead nurturing is encouraging leads to follow your accounts. This ensures they see your brand, products, and engaging content regularly in their feeds.

Social media is the perfect place to nurture leads with helpful content. Once you’ve attracted followers, focus on boosting engagement. Ask questions, post polls, or host live sessions on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. This brings several benefits:

1. Direct connections: You can interact with leads directly, particularly through comments and replies.
2. Valuable insights: Polls, questions, and overall engagement provide valuable insights into your leads’ preferences and needs.
3. Increased visibility: Social media algorithms favor and reward engagement, boosting the visibility of your posts.

Don’t hesitate to invite leads to connect via direct messages if they have specific questions or leave comments on your posts.

6. Phone calls

Recently, I received a voicemail from a yoga studio I had visited once for a free trial class. The instructor who led the class reached out personally to inquire about my interest in returning. Since she had asked specific questions during the class, her voicemail included personalized session recommendations tailored to my needs.

Using phone calls for lead nurturing can be tricky. Many people, especially younger generations, find unsolicited calls intrusive. Always obtain permission before calling and ensure you add value to the conversation.

The call I received was effective because it was personalized and demonstrated genuine interest. It ultimately influenced my decision to return for additional sessions.

7. Lead scoring

Lead scoring involves assigning a value to each lead based on predefined criteria. This value reflects factors like the value of the product they’re interested in and their likelihood of making a purchase.

A lead’s score determines the nurturing strategies you employ. High-scoring leads might receive more personalized follow-ups, while automated tactics suffice for lower scores.

For instance, Person A provided their email address in exchange for a guide on home lawn maintenance. Person B called and spoke with a representative about hiring crews to maintain three golf courses. Both the product value and the proactive action taken by Person B result in a higher lead score, suggesting the need for more direct follow-up.

Other characteristics also come into play. Factors like the person’s decision-making authority (e.g., head of purchasing) or the lead source (e.g., referral versus a cold website visit) can influence lead scores.

Lead scoring optimizes your efforts by directing them toward leads with the highest potential return.

5 lead nurturing examples

Let’s move from theory to practice by examining real-world lead nurturing examples from companies excelling in this area.

1. Abandoned cart recovery

Abandoned carts are a common pain point for online retailers. Losing a sale at such a crucial stage is disheartening.

True Classic, a menswear brand, tackles this challenge head-on. They immediately present a valuable offer to individuals who browse a product or add it to their cart.

Note the sense of urgency created by limiting the offer to “a limited time.” This combination of value and urgency proves highly effective in converting leads into customers.

2. Milestone celebrations

Not every lead is on the verge of making a purchase. For those with lower purchase intent, maintaining a friendly and consistent dialogue is key.

The following chiropractor excels at this by sending a cheerful birthday SMS with a link to a fun birthday message.

This strategy doesn’t necessitate gathering extensive personal information. You could send a thank-you note on the anniversary of your first interaction or tailor messages to specific industries. For example, an educational institution could send out “Happy Teacher’s Day” emails.

3. Dynamic remarketing

Google’s Dynamic Remarketing Ads personalize lead nurturing by automatically populating ads with products a user has previously viewed.

Consider this example from a retail shoe store.

Travel companies are particularly adept at leveraging this technique.

The goal is to simplify the purchase process for nurtured leads, making it effortless for them to reconsider and complete their purchase.

4. Maintenance reminders

Many aspects of life require regular maintenance - our cars, HVAC systems, and even our bodies. If your business provides such services, automated lead nurturing campaigns are perfect for securing more bookings.

This home services company sends well-timed annual texts to capture leads when they’re most likely thinking about seasonal maintenance tasks.

This tactic also works well for consumable products. If a toothpaste tube or a bag of dog food typically lasts 30 days, sending reminders every 30 days can significantly boost conversions.

5. Social listening

Social listening is a powerful yet often overlooked lead nurturing strategy. It involves setting up alerts for mentions of your brand or relevant keywords on social media. This allows you to join conversations organically and provide valuable input.

Consider this example of social listening in action.

The original poster tagged Viking Wood Splitter, a company specializing in wood-cutting swords. The comments section quickly filled with users expressing interest in these unique swords. The brand actively engaged with these potential customers, answering questions and providing helpful advice.

Start lead nurturing to convert more sales

Immediate purchases are uncommon. Lead nurturing bridges the gap by fostering relationships built on trust, transparency, and valuable information. By implementing the seven effective lead nurturing strategies outlined above, you can convert more of your hard-earned leads into loyal, paying customers.