sms-text-messaging.jpgIf you are a B2B marketer, you’ve no doubt thought about how you can use SMS text messaging and email strategies to nurture your leads. That means you are a forward thinker and realize that once you have a lead, you need to do everything in your power to retain it. But how do you go about nurturing your leads in a way that will turn them into loyal followers? There are actually a variety of things you can do that will help you turn your leads into loyal customers and that’s what we’re going to talk about today.

Here are five strategies you can use to nurture your B2B leads without breaking the bank.

1. Use Drip Campaigns

Using an email drip campaign can help you effectively nurture your leads. An email drip campaign will help you regularly connect with your followers to keep your business at the forefront of their minds. This method will also allow you to provide them with something of value, such as training, education, eBooks, rewards and incentives that will encourage them to engage with you rather than someone else. And the best part of lead nurturing via an email drip campaign is that it can be automated.

2. Add the Human Touch

Nothing is more powerful than human-to-human interactions. And to prove it, just think about how you feel when you call a business and a real live person answers and assists you. Well, that’s how your leads will feel if you actually pick up the phone and call them. It shows you care enough to take the time and call to find out if they have any questions then answer them.

In fact, Lead Response Management did a study that shows the odds of actually making contact with a lead increases 100 times if you call that lead within five minutes of receiving it. Automation is great, but sometimes you just need to add a little bit of the human touch.

3. LinkedIn as a Lead Nurturing Tool

The next time you receive a lead try connecting with them on LinkedIn. If they signed up for a free trial or requested some information, follow-up on LinkedIn by welcoming them, ask them if they have any questions or if they would like someone to call them.

  • Connect with them on LinkedIn.
  • Then join Linkedin Groups that they are a part of.
  • Share helpful tips and answering questions in the group.
  • Use thumbs up and comments as lead touchpoints

4. Incorporate Mobile With Your Trade Shows

Trade shows are one of the most popular networking tools in almost every industry. And there’s a reason for that. As we mentioned above, nothing is more powerful than human-to-human interactions.

The good news is that mobile has made your trade show efforts all that much more powerful.

  • You can interact with trade show participants in real-time by giving them the ability to enter contests via text.
  • Sending them texts with a reminder that your demonstration is about to begin, allowing them to interact with your products or services through their mobile device.
  • Announcing a prize giveaway to the next five people who visit your booth, etc.
  • And don’t forget mobile video to give your followers a little sample of what you have to offer, which could then entice them over to your space and away from your competitors.

Now you have a list of interested leads that you can continue to nurture using SMS marketing automation.

5. Live Chats Via Instant Messaging Services

Live chatting on an instant messaging service is not something everyone is doing, but it’s extremely effective. It’s almost as effective as talking with someone on the phone. Most businesses are familiar with and use Skype, which is probably the best service for this type of interaction, but you can use any of them you like.

The live chat method via an instant messaging service offers you a direct connection to your prospects and one that will provide you with instant feedback about your products, services and any questions, comments or complaints they might have, which will give you the opportunity to immediately and personally address the issue at hand.

Most live chat software out right now allows you to add a snippet of code to your website allowing you to track their footprint through their buyer’s journey.

  • If a shopper abandons their cart, you can automatically engage them.
  • If a visitor continuously visits your pricing page, you can initiate a campaign to email them decision making content via marketing automation.

This shows you genuinely care and are willing to take the time necessary to build a long-lasting relationship with them.

What’s Next?

How do you ensure that your customer is getting the best mobile experience possible when interacting with your brand? Make sure to share them with us in the comments below. I would love to read them.

Author Biography

Sophorn Chhay is the marketing guy at Trumpia, the most complete SMS software with mass sms messaging, smart targeting and automation. Jumpstart your business by grabbing your free copy of his powerful Mobile Marketing Success Kit. Watch Trumpia’s 5-Minute Demo on how to execute an effective mobile marketing strategy.

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