Lead Nurturing: How to nurture leads in B2B until the deal is closed

What is Lead Nurturing

Lead nurturing is the long-term engagement of potential customers who are not yet ready to make a purchase but have shown an interest in the company or product (e.g. downloaded an e-book, visited the pricing page or requested a demo).

The aim is:

To remain ‘top of mind’ throughout the decision-making process.
To provide the right information at the right time and in the right context.
Identify purchase readiness using data (lead scoring).
Increase conversion from MQL to SQL and from SQL to customer.

Typical channels and tools:

Email sequences (e.g. a 5-part series following the download of a case study)
Retargeting campaigns (targeting segments based on journey stage)
Marketing automation (e.g. automated email following a repeat visit to the price list)
Personalised content (e.g. a white paper for CFOs vs. a video demo for technical staff)

Why Lead Nurturing is important for B2B companies

Better use of the acquisition budget
Every unconverted lead without nurturing represents a wasted investment in PPC, SEO or events.
Higher conversion from MQL to SQL
According to Forrester, companies with effective nurturing generate up to 50% more qualified leads at 33% lower costs.
Shorter sales cycle
Thanks to properly targeted content, leads can more quickly clarify their needs, arguments and required functionality.
Better customer experience
The lead receives relevant and useful information, not unsolicited spam. They perceive the brand as a partner, not as a ‘pushy salesperson’.
Greater trust across the entire purchasing committee
Nurturing engages various roles – sales, technical and financial – thereby reducing internal resistance to the purchase.

Practical application and examples

Webinar funnel
A lead registers for a webinar. Afterwards, they receive a series of 4 emails: a recording, a related case study, an ROI calculator and an offer of a consultation. 21% of nurtured leads request a sales meeting.
Scoring and campaign triggers
A visitor visits the pricing page three times during the week. They reach a score of 80 points and the system automatically assigns a task to a sales representative and triggers an email with an implementation example.
Segmented newsletter
: The newsletter for technical roles contains white papers, whilst the one for management features business case videos. Open rate 38%, CTR 12%.
Retargeting by journey stage
Visitors to the pricing page see a LinkedIn ad titled “How client XY achieved ROI within 3 months”. Traffic to the microsite doubles.
Lead hand-off alert
Upon opening an email titled “How to calculate the TCO of a solution”, the lead is classified as an SQL and the system notifies the sales representative via Slack.

5 tips for effectively nurturing leads

Map the journey
Identify the questions a lead asks at each stage and offer answers – not a product pitch.
Use automation, but write in a human way
Automate triggers, but maintain a tone as if a real person were speaking.
Implement lead scoring
Score both activity and firmographics. This will help you identify when a lead is ready to move to the sales stage.
Segment by role, company and behaviour
A CTO wants datasheets; a sales director wants case studies. One size does not fit all.
Regularly analyse and adjust sequences
Track open rates, CTR, reply rates and the impact on the pipeline. Nurturing isn’t ‘set and forget’.

Related terms

Lead Scoring – a system for assessing a lead’s readiness.
Marketing Automation – technology enabling the scaling of nurturing.
Buyer Journey – a map of the customer’s decision-making process.

Further resources

Summary

Lead nurturing allows you to stay in the game even weeks or months after the initial contact. It helps convert prospects into customers through valuable content, personalisation and data. If you want to build or improve your lead nurturing programme so that it delivers real business results, please do not hesitate to contact us.