The proper care and feeding of leads
By: Cassie Marini, Account Marketing Specialist, Phonak
Did you know that there’s a difference between a prospect and a lead? The words are sometimes used interchangeably, but they are actually very different.
A lead is a consumer that still needs or wants more information – these are people who find you online, peruse your website, request additional literature, download whitepapers, call your business with a question, etc., but at the end of the day, aren’t ready to take the next step.
As a business, your goal is to turn these leads into prospects by scheduling an appointment. An effective way to get this done is through lead nurturing. Lead nurturing is about purposely engaging with leads throughout the patient journey, with a goal of earning their business when they are ready to take the next step.
Here’s some food for thought:
- 96% of visitors who come to a website aren’t ready to buy
- 63% of consumers requesting info on your company today will not purchase for at least three months
- Lead nurturing emails get 4-10 more responses than standalone email blasts
An effective lead nurturing strategy helps to grow and sustain a business over time. Along with driving new business, it also helps maintain customer relationships by building brand loyalty and trust.
When building your lead nurturing strategy, here are a few tips to keep in mind:
- Organize Your Database – Your database is full of intel that will help you with your lead nurturing strategy. Taking the time to segment your database into different groups based on characteristics, preferences and patient journey stage will help you build an effective lead nurturing strategy.
- Utilize Email Marketing – Email marketing is one of the easiest and most effective ways to nurture leads. It allows a business to have a direct and meaningful interaction with a lead-based on what they were looking for when they contacted your business. Emails can be prewritten based on where the lead is coming from – like if a lead from a paid digital campaign only provides you with an email address.
- Personalize Whenever You Can – Personalization can be as simple as using a first name in communications, but it can be so much more. New technology allows us to personalize print and digital experiences for a single customer in a cost-effective way. Personalization is a BIG piece of an effective lead nurturing strategy.
- Look into Marketing Automation Software – Marketing automation software is used to automate repetitive marketing tasks, like email marketing, to provide leads with a timely, personalized experience while saving a business time (and, in a lot of cases, money).
- TRACK TRACK TRACK – To achieve success, you need a goal and you need to set benchmarks along the way to achieve that goal. This helps determine if your strategy is over or underperforming. Make sure you’re reviewing your campaign metrics at least once a month.
Remember, lead nurturing is about purposely engaging leads throughout the patient journey. By building a lead nurturing strategy you’ll maintain a relationship and earn their business when they are ready to take the next step.
For more information, check out the Phonak Digital Lead Conversion Management Planning tips and ideas.
Cassie Marini is an Account Marketing Specialist at Phonak US. Cassie has worked within the Sonova family since 2010 and joined the Phonak team in 2020. She’s passionate about small businesses and loves partnering with providers to help them succeed.