Bringing dead leads back to life in the new year

The importance of nurturing leads generated last year

Lead nurturing is an essential part of any marketing campaign. By establishing a good relationship, you can increase your chances of creating a loyal customer and closing the deal. It is possible to achieve outstanding sales results in Q1 when you move forward and stay ahead of your competitors.

While some may use January as a chance to relax after the holidays, it is crucial to stay productive. Set up goals, obtain new leads from conferences, up-sell customers, and increase the click-through rate on your outreach emails.

Additionally, it is vital to focus on the leads you have connected with over the past year. Existing customers are a valued resource throughout the seasons, as they can help you make connections, give referrals and promote up-selling and cross-selling when there is downtime.

Ringing in the new year

People’s mindsets and goals often change in the new year. New diets and resolutions, for a short while, take priority over everything else going on, so checking in on your leads is imperative. Rather than focusing on the first week back to work, set up appointments with your contacts after the second weekend. Then, when January comes to an end, your calendar is ready when your prospects have had a chance to get back up to speed. By scheduling these meetings early, you’re on your way to obtaining positive effects on your sales process come the end of Q1.

Effective strategies for Q1

Q1 is an active time of the year for B2B advertisers. Here are 4 things to help you start Q1 strong.

1. Intent

There is a lot out there stating that intent data is a significant driver for success, but the question remains how to apply it in the best way possible. Include what matters in your message and leave out the fluff.

2. Personalization

Sometimes marketers get personalization wrong and treat it like a checklist instead of a conscious decision around who and what. Personalization efforts should go beyond basic merge fields and involve carefully creating customized experiences to obtain meaningful results. In the end, it is about what your audience wants and not what you think they want.

3. Scalability

Every touch does not need to feel like it is worth a million bucks. Small marketing teams, especially teams with small budgets, can make the mistake of thinking that additional resources and money will solve everything. The right approach and knowing how to allocate your budget can make all the difference. Validate where it makes the most sense to invest and automate the rest to increase the scalability of a team and its programs.

4. Offers

Which ones are a hit, and which should you ignore? Scalability and offers go hand in hand. As you scale up digital advertising and content, it is crucial to determine which offers matter to an audience and what media works best for the offer at hand. Create content based on specific media and what you want to achieve on those channels.

Display retargeting

Retargeting, or display retargeting, can be helpful for B2B companies. Display retargeting is advertising to a consumer who has previously expressed an interest in your service or product. Retargeting ads work by using pixel or list-based display ads to reach someone who has already visited your website or contacted your business.

Retargeting increases awareness about your company and re-engages with your prospects while keeping your brand in mind. It draws attention to your brand and expands your company’s reach in the digital atmosphere while nurturing your prospects. Visitors you retarget are 70% more likely to convert, so be sure to get the most out of your retargeting options.

Doing things in a timely manner

While following up on a regular basis is a must, you don’t want to be an annoyance. There is a difference between communication that serves as a gentle reminder versus one that shouts, “buy this now!” Thus, it is best to determine the next steps in your current communication. For example, if you have a call with a lead, let them know before the call ends that you will call them back next week to see what they think. Therefore, when you follow up, they will be prepared. 42% of prospects are more inclined to purchase if the sales rep calls back at a specific, previously agreed-upon time.

However, be diligent about the number of attempts you make if you are still trying to contact your lead for the first time. Did you know that 80% of sales require five follow up calls, yet 44% of sales reps give up after only one? Plus, 75% of buyers expect 2-4 calls before a company stops trying. If you’re contacting your lead via email and have had no response, directly ask them why in the following email. Contact our experts at DemandWorks Media for some helpful email templates that you can use.

Creative promotions

As we enter the new year, leverage your promotions. Valentine’s Day, or any major holiday, is not just for e-commerce businesses to benefit. Everybody loves creative promotions! Leverage incentives or special offers to get leads to sign on during this time of year. While this might not always be an effective strategy for your company, use Q1 to nurture past leads while expanding your efforts to reach new prospects already planning their Q2 strategies.