You’ve run a successful campaign and collected fresh leads. Now it’s time for the hard sell, right? Not quite.
At the end of a content marketing campaign, it’s rewarding to sit back and look at the leads you’ve collected. You’ve piqued people’s interest, so now it’s time to convert them from warm to red hot. But here’s where too many marketers fall into a trap: they mistake ‘interested’ for ‘ready to buy.’
Nurturing sales leads is arguably trickier, and more important, than securing them in the first place. What’s more, you’ll need to qualify which ones are worth nurturing before you can even begin to have a sales-oriented conversation. Here’s how to make the transition.
It may sound simple, but too many firms are slow to follow up on sales leads, or just don’t bother at all. In fact, 71% of leads are never followed up on – a big reason 79% of leads won’t convert to a sale.
When you do make contact, don’t go in with the hard sell. It’s important to build a relationship first. Know where you want to take your lead by mapping your buyer journey, and deliver quality content – like an e-book, whitepaper, or webinar – at every touchpoint. This is not only helpful to your lead, but it positions you as an advisor – a partner rather than a seller.
Teams that respond to a lead within an hour of them getting in touch are seven times more likely to make a sale. It pays to be fast. Use tools, such as automatic lead forwarding, to ensure that the leads you need to qualify go into your inbox as soon as they come in.
Use your first communication to start the nurturing process. Why? Because 30%-50% of leads won’t be ready to buy straight off the bat. Then, as you begin to supply them with content, use a lead scoring system to monitor who’s engaging. This can be an indication that they’re ready for sales to move the relationship along. It’s important to give them enough information to move them down the pipeline without spamming them or overwhelming them with your brand. Develop a smart scoring method to help track your progress and highlight which approach works best for your target buyers.
It’s important to understand why leads sign up for your content. Are they interested in your product, or could they have another reason to download your materials? Do they have an immediate need for the solution you provide, or would they be best approached in the future?
This is why marketing shouldn’t pass all leads straight to sales, even though 61% report doing so. Generally, STEM-sector equipment has a long buying cycle, with nurturing often taking months, if not years, because of the specific requirements in this field. According to ResearchGate’s recent Commercial Insights report investigating lab group buying dynamics, equipment requires more pre-purchase research and planning than consumables. As such, marketers need to start their process early. Our report found that items over $10K require up to a year of research, while items under $1K require 1-2 months. This means tailoring communications and messaging through the purchase funnel to better influence buyers. Watch our webinar to find out more about how to do this. Finally, qualifying contacts and understanding their motives not only streamlines the nurturing process, but also improves the customer relationship.
Very few leads are receptive if they think they’re being sold to immediately, so take time to warm them up first with relevant high-value content. And it’s worth qualifying leads, as not to waste anyone’s time. Both your customers and your sales teams will thank you. And it will bear fruit: nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than those who buy immediately, so it pays to play the long game. Remember, it’s not a race: be patient, be proactive, and you’ll be successful.
Are you a digital marketer looking to connect with scientists and researchers? Contact us today to learn how we can help you achieve your business goals by reaching and activating your target audience online with ResearchGate’s content marketing tools.
