Leads are usually nurtured by mail. The problem however is that only a few marketers can boast about an open rate of more than 20 percent. Whether it is spam filters, old contact information or an unappealing subject line: there are many reasons for low open rates. This is why you should spread the word on multiple channels. Other than open rates of about 20 percent, which, by the way, is a good benchmark, there is another reason as to why a greater number of communication channels is a good idea: other channels such as social networks allow for more or different ways of interaction ("engagement") with audiences than emails. Every interaction with your content gives away more information about the individual user. This in turn allows you to get to know your leads a bit better. You can therefore make more specific offers.
Email can still be considered a valuable tool in marketing. However, in order to get your message to every lead, you should make sure that a single unopened mail is not the reason why a lead drops out of the customer journey.
Nowadays, leads have a good deal of knowledge when they make contact with a vendor. This means that it is important that your marketing feeds them with the right information in the right place at the right time. Nevertheless, this does not mean that you blast the same message on every available channel. Different leads require different information. And not every information is suited for every channel.
Pay attention to these three lead nurturing basics:
- Customer Journey: What are the individual steps a lead has to take on the customer journey? It is important to map out the whole process before it starts. Only if you know where a lead is going you will be able to pick him up at the right spot.
- Lead personas: Do you have an image of your clients? Personas will help you to map out the customer journey and to optimize your content. You need to know who you are communicating to in order to be successful!
- Lead scoring: How do you know that a lead is ready to buy? When is the best moment to engage a lead in a sales conversation? Lead scoring will deliver answers to these important questions.
In realizing your multichannel strategy, marketing automation software is of tremendous help. The software keeps track of the progress a leads makes in the customer journey. Only if you know how far a lead has come along you can offer the right content at the right time. However, keep in mind that it is better to guide a lead towards a purchasing decision instead of flat-out advertising to him. Therefore, create original, appealing content for all stages of the customer journey.
