When it comes to lead nurturing, we often get asked what type of content is best for each stage of the prospect journey? The answer to that is it largely depends on your industry and company. However, in this day of marketing automation and lead nurturing, there are some rules of thumb when it comes to alignment of content development to the prospect journey. So, we have put together some parameters as you plan your lead nurturing strategy.
New Lead Engagement
A new lead has filled out a form! Great!
Now what?
After all, a new lead is rarely ready to sit down and have a meeting or a consultation. Most of the time, they are just looking for information. For a new prospect, who, for example, may have downloaded a piece of content, you may want to consider:
- Personal email thanking them with a “how can we help” message or even provide them a quick option to call you
- Educational drips can be a simple series of timed out emails that provide more information related to the content they downloaded with an option for more information
If you have a long sales cycle, you will need to stay top of mind with your prospects. This is where some of the following pieces of content can come in handy:
- Blogs and eNewsletters highlighting your thought leadership
- Whitepapers
- Videos
- Infographics
- Webinars
- Relevant industry news
Mid-Funnel Education
Once you determine a prospect has entered the middle of your sales funnel, you’ll want to further solidify why they should do business with you. In many cases, your prospects are seeking out more specific information and looking to understand why you are better than your competitors.
If they are seeking more product details, it is important to focus that information around your personas and their barriers to adoption. Here, you can create content that addresses those concerns in the form of:
- Datasheets
- Case studies (especially if they highlight a similar pain point or industry as your prospect)
- More in-depth white papers
- Testimonials from customers that are similar to your prospect
Also, in this stage, you may want to consider a competitor drip series. This can be specific series that highlights why you are a better fit versus your competition. These can take the form of:
- Side-by-side comparisons
- Competitive infographics
- Third party reviews
Close the Deal
As your prospect enters the bottom of the sales funnel, you may need to provide them with content that reinforces why you are the right choice and solidifies your authority. This can include:
- Recent press releases and news coverage
- Industry reports that highlight your expertise
- Highly trafficked content from your website
In some cases, and depending on your industry, a well-timed promotion can get prospects over the last barrier. So, you may consider a limited time special or highlight some additional features or upgrades that you are offering only to them.
Key Takeaways
Again, these are some general ideas around content that can be used in various stages of the sales funnel as part of your lead nurturing strategy. While creating all this content, it is important to map out the next steps for your prospects. Doing so will guide your call to actions, any automated triggers, as well as what information you will need from the prospect to pull them through your funnel. If you would like to learn more about lead nurturing, marketing automation or more, please call us at 303-300-2640 or contact us online.
