You work hard to generate leads for your sales force or
admission staff. New contacts are entered into a database and, ideally, your team will
begin sending out marketing messages and calling hot prospects. Yet most B2B
relationships take time to develop, and sales or admissions don’t happen
overnight. Leads will turn cold if not engaged regularly. This is why lead nurturing is a concept more organizations are
paying close attention to.
Lead nurturing recognizes that grooming key contacts to
become eventual customers or referral sources is an evolutionary process. Organizations nurture leads by demonstrating that
they are a trusted resource, a source of valuable information, a place to turn
to when a community member has questions—and is looking for solutions (i.e., the products and services you offer). E-blasts
from your marketing department remind leads that you have solutions available.
Lead-nurturing activities demonstrate why they should be paying attention.
There are many ways to nurture leads, but one of my favorites
is custom e-newsletters. These include content that is valuable to the reader, such as insights
on new legislation or an interview with a top thought leader. The marketing
message is admittedly subtle; the goal is to engage readers and create a
favorable association with your brand. Yet this is a powerfully effective way
to turn cold leads warm, keep hot leads engaged, and maintain meaningful
conversations with your current customers/referral sources, who are always
being solicited by your competitors. With a custom e-newsletter you can monitor who is opening and reading your material, allowing you to track which contacts your staff should be paying particular attention to.
Content creation used in lead-nurturing activities need not be a daunting task. In any field there are experts in "custom media" that can help you deliver the correct message that readers/leads will find useful and valuable. As we say in publishing, content is king: Rely on an organization with editorial experience and industry knowledge to create meaningful, valuable information to maximize your lead-nurturing activities. A third party can be an extension of your marketing, sales, and admission team, who may not have the time, experience, or resources to successfully implement lead-nurturing activities.
Lead nurturing is another way to rise above the noise in the community. Your company stands out as more than just another organization blasting marketing messages periodically; you provide valuable information, regardless if someone is a customer. And the next time a prospect needs the type of product or service you provide, you will be much higher on her list.
