Earlier this year, we talked about generating and converting leads using social media content, but that’s just one part of the puzzle! Converting those leads into clients is the next step, and while this requires a little strategic thinking, it doesn’t have to be stressful. Interactive content can help you nurture and retain leads, and keep things moving in the right direction. Keep reading to learn more about what that means for your brand!
What is lead nurturing?
When we talk about lead nurturing, we’re referring to the process of developing relationships with your prospective clients at every stage of the sales funnel. Throughout this process, your goal should be to anticipate and understand the needs of your target audience and provide them with reliable information and a solution. You can do this by offering relevant content, aiding them in their decision-making, and giving them incentives to choose your brand.
What is lead retention?
It’s not unusual to generate a large number of leads and end up having many of them go cold. Lead retention is the process of recognizing all that untapped potential and reactivating those cold leads. When you take the time to understand where these leads come from and why they didn’t pan out, you’ll begin to recognize that in many cases it’s because the timing just wasn’t right. But circumstances change! A polite reminder about who you are, what you do, and how you can help will often be enough to reopen a conversation with a previously cold lead.
Why is it important to nurture and retain leads?
Although you can’t force a lead to become a client, you don’t want to just cut them loose forever, either. Their willingness to buy into your brand may not always coincide with your readiness to sell, but there’s still value in nurturing that developing relationship. Let’s face it—if you don’t do it, there’s almost always a competitor willing to jump in and do it instead!
The key to keeping leads engaged lies in your ability to grab their attention and maintain it. That might sound simple but it actually takes some trial, error, and skill to nail down. We’ve highlighted some effective ways to do so below.
Keep your audience informed and educated about your brand
An informed lead is in a position to make better decisions. Offering genuine insight over marketing ploys is an excellent way to educate your audience and earn their trust. Once you’ve generated a lead, you have the opportunity to offer lots of relevant content to them, depending on what stage of the sales funnel they’re currently in. This will give them a reason to engage with your brand and increase the chances of conversion. Attracting cold leads with information on something they may be interested in is also a great way to reactivate them!
Make your leads feel important
As convenient as it would be, you can’t just generate a lead and expect them to magically convert into clients on their own. Following up at every level will give your leads a sense of importance, and that may be just enough for them to maintain some level of interest in your brand! Customizing interactive content can be a great way to do this.
For example, suppose you have a handful of leads who have shown interest in orthodontic treatment for adults. You can easily target them with a poll that asks “Would you consider braces as an adult?” or an infographic outlining the treatment options available to adults. This serves a dual purpose—it provides your wider audience with reliable information and can also help leads decide on the next step they want to take with you.
Offer your leads rewards and incentives
Earning rewards and loyalty points is a valued aspect of the consumer experience. Reaching out to current or cold leads using giveaways, contests, or other rewards attracts their attention, giving you a chance to engage with them and stay on their radar. Offering potential clients special incentives can also increase their interest in your services and help further their trust in your brand. In turn, you’ll be able to gather their user-generated content to further develop your brand’s image and strategies for nurturing and retaining those leads.
Listen to your leads
Collecting honest feedback is a crucial part of any interaction with potential and current clients. Bad user experiences are more likely to be shared than good; in fact, 95% of customers will tell others about a negative interaction with a company compared to only 87% who share their positive experience. This one factor can have a big impact on your business, so it should never be taken lightly.
User feedback lets you know how satisfied a lead is with the interactions they’ve had with your brand so far. This provides valuable information to help you decide what’s working in your approach and what isn’t. It also makes potential clients feel heard and understood, which can be a powerful motivator. You can gather feedback in a variety of ways, but interactive content like forms, polls, and surveys are easy to produce and use.
Go beyond selling your services
There’s one thing that most successful businesses have in common—they don’t just sell a service or product, they create an entire experience for their clients. Your brand should aim to go beyond merely selling services and pushing products to actively adding value for leads and clients. After all, a lead is unlikely to continue engaging with your content if they aren’t getting anything out of it! Providing them with relatable content they can trust to add value to their life gives them an incentive to regularly engage with your brand.
Viewing every lead as a potential client, even the cold ones, will give you the leverage you need to meet them where they are. This allows you to nurture the relationship and eventually convert them into active customers. If you aren’t sure what kind of content you should be offering to sway leads, our creative team is here to help! We’ll be happy to work with you to develop interactive content that will make your leads take a second look and stick around long enough to become loyal clients.
Kyle Fagala, DDS, MDS
Co-Founder, Neon Canvas