Generating leads is one of the main goals of practically all companies that start to invest in Inbound Marketing. But unfortunately, not all of them think about the next step: turning the lead into a customer.
Most of the time, the lead is stuck at the base, receiving materials from time to time, but never becoming an opportunity for the sales team. And your sales team needs those leads to hit goals.
Since there is no success in Inbound without conversions, it is necessary to have a good understanding of concepts such as lead nurturing and driving them through the sales funnel. After all, it is these actions that will transform good opportunities into real business. Furthermore, failing to perform these steps would compromise the entire investment made.
That’s why I’m going to teach you what it takes to turn inbound leads into customers and not get in the way of this process that can be so profitable. Sky Marketing itself followed the concept of inbound leads and has been able to generate a huge number of sales.
It’s very easy to be fooled by an increase in lead generation, but the truth is that it doesn’t necessarily mean that sales will be made.
On the contrary, there is a path to be followed to transform Inbound leads into customers, which consists of:
- nurture the generated leads;
- lead them through the sales funnel ;
- know the time and the right way to approach them;
- close the sale (nothing is resolved until the deal is finalized).
Let’s start by talking a little bit about what is involved in efficiently nurturing leads and how to do that in practice?
Step 1 – Nurture your leads
The lead nutrition is basically to keep alive the interest of those who consume the content that your brand produces. In what ways can this be done?
I’m going to teach you 3 elements that contribute a lot to efficient nutrition, so you’ll be able to prepare these people for a future purchase.
1 – Personalized content
Today’s consumer is all the time looking for information that is relevant to their decision-making process to invest in dha multan , and they do it unconsciously.
But, just any kind of information is not enough. The competition is fierce, and providing personalized content that speaks directly to the persona’s needs is the only way to keep them engaged.
But what does this customization mean exactly? First, we are talking about presenting materials that are of interest to the persona, that add value to their life.
But, going a little further, this can extend to the content format. For example, there are those who prefer to watch a video or view an infographic instead of reading blog articles.
2 – Constant communication
Constant communication is essential to keep prospective customers interested. Have you ever thought about sending an email promoting your new eBook after six months without showing up?
In such a situation, it is likely that the lead has already cooled off, that is, it has forgotten its brand and is no longer interested in what it has to say.
In other words, that person who could one day be classified as a potential customer turns away from the purchase and may even become interested in a competitor of yours.
Therefore, establish a continuous and constant flow of nourishment, so as not to let the relationship that was so difficult to start die.
3 – Automated process
In order to carry out the nutrition process correctly, it is very important to have automation tools. This will not only make your work easier, but also make it more complete.
Through marketing automation, it is possible to establish email flows, segment mailing lists according to subscriber interests and needs, and measure the engagement of each one.
Automation is also essential for sending commercial emails! Read more here.
It is from this that those who are engaged are guided towards the purchase, while other tactics are applied to “recover” the interest of the less active.
However, it is important to highlight that nutrition will only work if the lead step in the sales funnel is respected, and we will see how to do this below.
Step 2 – Structure the sales funnel
The sales funnel is a simple and effective way to determine how close a person is to becoming a customer, and how best to talk to them.
Below you can observe the 3 steps of this funnel in order to understand what they mean and what kind of content should be produced for each one:
Top — the discovery
The top of the funnel is where there are the greatest number of people, who are still at the beginning of the purchase process.
This audience already knows they have a pain to resolve, but they still have no idea what it is, exactly, and they ‘re figuring out the problem at hand.
Therefore, the type of content to be used at the top of the funnel needs to be more general in order to clear the persona’s doubts, and this is not the time to mention the product.
Some good options for funnel top content are:
- blog posts that introduce the topic to the public and clear their first doubts;
- videos that attract attention and create anticipation for more information;
- informative and easy-to-understand info graphics ;
- newsletters that increase engagement with content and attract more readers.
Middle – the consideration
The middle of the funnel is already the part where the personas understand well what is the problem to be solved, and look for the best solution for it.
From there, the content needs to be more in-depth and focused on the solution your company offers, but still without trying to sell it directly.
At this stage of the funnel, bet on the following materials:
- more extensive blog posts and videos on persona issues;
- e-books that are of practical help for the reader to deal with their pain;
- newsletters focused on taking the persona to the bottom of the funnel.
Background — The time to decide
The last step of the funnel includes leads who have already decided the type of solution they want, but still want to compare the options available in the market.
The idea is that leads leave this stage only to become customers. For this to happen, the content needs to be conversion-oriented, such as:
- rich materials (e-books, webinars) focused on showing that your product is the best for leads;
- case studies that present actual results obtained by other customers;
- product demonstration.
In the case of the demonstration, there is also direct contact by the seller, which will make all the difference in the final convincing process.
3rd step – Approach correctly
Using the sales funnel and a solid lead nurturing process, your company will be able to find great leads.
But knowing the right time and way to approach the lead is critical, even if the lead is ready to hear a proposal about your product or service.
And in front of that, important questions arise, like: how do you know if the time is right? Who should be in charge of the approach? How long will the contact with him take?
See what will help answer these questions:
Make use of Remarketing
Vendarketing, integration of sales and marketing sectors of a company, greatly favors the process of nutrition and conducting leads through the funnel.
Right at the beginning of the planning, an agreement is made between the teams, called the SLA (Service Level Agreement), to define the responsibilities of each one.
This agreement establishes, for example, which leads the marketing team must nurture (MQLs) and when they become the responsibility of the sales team (SQLs).
In addition, the process of contacting each lead is decided, and goals are defined to ensure the company’s growth.
Don’t delay getting in touch
Once a person is ready to buy by converting to a main page or emailing you, don’t take too long to approach them. The more time that passes, the less likely you are to be successful in the sale.
Also, don’t ignore the possibility that a competitor will approach you first. After all, she is considering different options in the market.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that there are “guaranteed customers”. Instead, pick up the phone and get in touch to discuss a proposal that works for both of you.
Invest in follow-up
Finally, the follow-up deserves to be highlighted here, as it is an illusion to think that all deals will be closed in the first meeting.
Depending on your market niche and various other circumstances, it may take several meetings before the sale is made.
So, be patient, don’t fire all your ammo at the very first meeting in order to speed up the process.
Simply convince the lead that this is the right choice by being proactive, well prepared, and not wasting time, but also without pushing the sale or appearing desperate.
Some say that Inbound Marketing is dead, but that’s not true. All it takes is patience, attention and solid planning, both to turn a lead into a customer and to reap the other benefits it can bring to your company, and this is exactly how the sales in rudn enclave increased.
By following these steps, all the effort made will translate into positive results and you will have finally created a real sales machine!
This post was produced by the Rock Content team, the greatest specialist in Content Marketing in Brazil. If you liked this post and want to know more about Inbound Marketing, check out their blog.
But, if you want to learn how to run an efficient inbound process in your company, you can count on our consultants.
And don’t forget to download our eBook to track your indicators every step of the funnel.
