Writing a Lead Nurturing Email? See My Essential 7 Tips to Get It Right

“Lead nurturing is like gardening,” says Banish Angural, founding father of Banish Media. “It’s about time, relevance, and a good surroundings to count on the expansion from the seeds you will have sown.”

And as a B2B marketer, I couldn’t agree extra. B2B services take time to promote. It’s tough to take a prospect from not understanding about your organization to creating a sale with out warming them up.

That’s why lead nurturing emails are one of the crucial efficient methods to boost your gross sales funnel and e mail advertising and marketing technique, lower advertising and marketing prices, and enhance conversions. On this put up, I’ll stroll you thru what I discovered from talking with advertising and marketing consultants, one of the best practices for lead nurturing emails, and the way to write them successfully.

Desk of Contents

The Benefits of Lead Nurturing Emails

• Lead nurturing results in extra gross sales. Corporations that use lead nurturing efficiently generate 50% extra sales-ready leads at a 33% decrease price (Marketo).
• The ROI of lead nurturing is so excessive as a result of you possibly can tailor your messaging to the shopper. In any case, there’s a motive the simplest e mail advertising and marketing methods are segmentation (78%), personalization (72%), and automatic e mail sequences (71%) (HubSpot).
• Lead nurturing emails join your buyer to your product with out laborious promoting. Half of shoppers buy from advertising and marketing emails month-to-month (Salecycle).
• Automated emails on triggers with excessive intent typically convey the best ROI. Deserted cart emails have triple the conversion price of different automated emails (E-mail Software Tester).

How does lead nurturing work?

In my expertise, lead nurturing is all about constructing and sustaining relationships with potential clients who aren’t fairly prepared to purchase. It’s a option to keep top-of-mind and supply ongoing worth — in order that when the lead is able to buy, your model is the primary they consider.

In that sense, Paul Stainton, director of content material and website positioning at AgencyAnalytics, thinks of lead nurturing emails as “strategic touchpoints to interact prospects and remind them why they linked together with your model within the first place… Consideration spans are quick, and it is simple for potential results in overlook why they initially confirmed curiosity in your organization.”

The method begins when a lead first interacts together with your model, whether or not that’s by signing up for a publication, downloading a whitepaper, or attending a webinar.

At this level, they’re usually on the high of the advertising and marketing funnel, simply starting to find out about what you and your organization provide. And from there, a sequence of focused emails helps information the lead by way of the funnel.

(Tip: When you’re unfamiliar with lead nurturing, we encourage you to take our free lead nurturing course.)

Are lead nurturing emails efficient?

Nurtured leads make 47% bigger purchases than non-nurtured leads. Additionally they produce a 20% enhance in gross sales alternatives (on common). So, briefly? Sure. Lead nurturing emails have confirmed to be extremely efficient at shifting potential clients by way of the gross sales funnel and finally driving conversions.

As an example, Stainton observed that some customers had been signing up at no cost trials however not finishing a key onboarding step wanted to totally make the most of the platform. To handle this hole, he began “sending a easy reminder e mail urging customers to discover these options, which resulted in a 15% enhance in consumer activation.”

Equally, Joe Kevens, director of demand technology at PartnerStack, shares that the model normally sends its leads “emails like ‘5 straightforward steps to construct a companion program’ containing a ‘Partnerships 101: The Final Partnerships Guidelines’” as a part of its lead nurturing e mail sequence to assist them construct their companion basis and set them up for achievement.

General, I observed a couple of commonalities among the many entrepreneurs I spoke with. Your lead nurturing e mail wants to attain three separate objectives concurrently to be efficient:

• Get your prospect’s consideration.
• Be personalised to the way in which they discovered your model.
• Educate your prospects on options and advantages they won’t concentrate on.

What’s a lead nurture e mail marketing campaign?

A lead nurture e mail marketing campaign is a sequence of focused emails despatched to leads over a time frame with the aim of shifting them nearer to a purchase order resolution. It’s a strategic warming-up tactic that’s typically personalised and optimized with the aim of constructing relationships and belief with potential clients who’ve proven curiosity in your model.

That stated, because the phrase nurturing implies, you usually don’t ship a single e mail. It takes a couple of emails to attain the objectives I listed above. So entrepreneurs, right here’s how you are able to do simply that:

Lead Nurturing E-mail Sequence

A lead nurturing e mail sequence is a sequence of emails which are routinely triggered when the lead takes a sure motion. For instance, as soon as a buyer provides an merchandise to their cart, a lead nurturing e mail sequence might embody a purchase order reminder, a limited-time provide, or a listing of comparable merchandise they might like.

I’ve discovered that the extra segmenting and personalization you possibly can add to a lead-nurturing e mail marketing campaign, the higher it’ll carry out and the extra conversions you’ll get.

Now that you just perceive how lead nurturing matches into your funnel, I’ll dive into some greatest practices.

I’ve discovered that lead nurturing emails take time to optimize. It’s difficult to place collectively an e mail sequence that can convert at a excessive degree the primary time round. As with all advertising and marketing initiative, testing is the way you see what works greatest. And when you discover a working method, you possibly can apply it to all of your e mail campaigns.

That stated, listed here are some normal greatest practices that may assist enhance your e mail recreation.

1. Present precious, focused content material that addresses pursuits and/or ache factors.

Your lead nurturing emails must be all about your viewers. Take the time to grasp their pursuits, challenges, and objectives. Then, craft content material that speaks on to these wants.

When you’re nurturing leads who downloaded an e-book on 10 Suggestions for Higher E-mail Advertising, use your follow-up emails to dive deeper into every tip. Share actionable recommendation, real-world examples, and your personal experiences. The extra focused and related your content material is, the extra probably your leads will have interaction with it.

Stainton agrees and emphasizes, “When you can clear up a possible buyer’s primary drawback, they’re much more prone to flip to your organization after they need assistance fixing a extra complicated drawback.”

Professional tip: I’ve observed the largest needle movers in lead nurturing emails are the concepts behind the e-mail — not essentially the copy itself. When you’re a SaaS firm, which may imply testing totally different options in your e mail, as an illustration.

2. Deal with one related subject per e mail.

Much less is commonly extra with lead nurturing emails. I’ve discovered that specializing in one key subject per e mail is way simpler than attempting to cram a number of concepts into one e mail. It retains your emails concise, digestible, and straightforward to behave on.

Plus, it lets you actually dig into every subject and supply worth moderately than simply skimming the floor. For instance, in case your lead downloaded a whitepaper about immutable backups, you already know they is likely to be thinking about some type of information safety.

Your first e mail is likely to be about the way to promote the thought of knowledge safety to your staff. It’d be counterproductive to speak about an irrelevant subject, like VPNs, in case your aim is to promote them on cybersecurity companies.

3. Hold it quick.

Take into consideration the final time you opened your inbox and took the time to learn an e mail for greater than 5 minutes. The reply is prone to be fairly far and few between. That’s why I at all times attempt to preserve emails quick.

Most individuals simply scan their inboxes — particularly if it’s an e mail from a model they’re not conversant in. Knowledge means that your emails must be between 50 and 125 phrases. Goal for that vary, however don’t be afraid to go a bit longer if you’ll want to flesh out a subject.

For instance, some B2B subjects are way more complicated and require in-depth explanations, whereas an e mail for an ecommerce retailer won’t want as a lot copy.

Professional tip: As a reminder, Chad Debolt, founding father of Surchability, says, “E-mail nurturing isn‘t meant to speak about your self…it’s meant to nurture. Folks need you to assist clear up their issues,” so ensure that your language is customer-focused.

4. Make sure the emails progress naturally.

An incredible lead nurturing sequence ought to really feel like a pure, logical development. Every e mail ought to construct upon the final, guiding your leads towards a particular aim or motion. I wish to map out my sequences upfront to make sure a cohesive, compelling narrative.

Take into consideration the place your leads are of their purchaser journey, what data they want at every stage, and how one can progressively transfer them nearer to a conversion.

Use cliffhangers, teasers, and calls to motion to create momentum and encourage results in open your subsequent e mail. By crafting a sequence that tells a transparent, purposeful story, you will preserve your prospects engaged and invested within the lead nurturing course of.

5. Check your emails and observe key metrics.

As entrepreneurs, everyone knows testing is the secret. And lead nurturing emails are not any totally different. What works for one viewers won’t work for one more. That’s why I at all times advocate A/B testing totally different subject concepts.

Past subjects, I like to recommend testing topic strains, content material, calls-to-action, and even the timing and frequency of your emails. Nevertheless, be sure to’re testing one variable at a time.

For instance, you might arrange your e mail sequence to ship emails on daily basis consecutively to 50% of the checklist and each different day to the opposite 50%.

Throughout e mail testing, take note of these key metrics:

• Open charges. Decided by the topic line and preview textual content.
• Click on-through charges. Decided by the “large concept” and name to motion within the e mail.
• Conversion charges. Decided by your provide, touchdown web page, and the way effectively you’ve conveyed your message within the emails.

6. Personalize and phase the emails.

With high-tech e mail instruments, personalization and segmentation are the largest levers you possibly can pull to see one of the best outcomes when used alongside testing.

Generic, one-size-fits-all emails merely don’t lower it anymore. To really resonate and join together with your new leads, you’ll want to personalize your emails based mostly on their distinctive pursuits, behaviors, and stage within the funnel. 

For instance, Lyn Collanto, outreach specialist at KBA Net, personalizes lead nurturing emails this fashion: “If a lead visits our pricing web page a number of occasions however does not convert, we would set off a particular welcome e mail sequence that highlights buyer success tales and presents a limited-time low cost.”

I like to recommend creating a number of automated e mail sequences based mostly on particular actions. Some companies might have extra alternatives than others, however by personalizing the set off level, you possibly can give attention to the precise intent of the lead.

To take it one step additional, you possibly can phase inside every e mail sequence. As an example, if a lead doesn’t open the primary two emails, you may need to ship them down a special path — like emails with extra intriguing topic strains.

Or, in case your leads are opening emails, clicking hyperlinks, and even replying however not changing, you possibly can set off a lead-nurturing e mail sequence designed to beat objections.

7. Keep constant together with your model.

Do not forget that your lead nurturing emails are an extension of your total model. They need to really feel cohesive and in keeping with the remainder of your advertising and marketing supplies, out of your web site to your social media posts.

Use colours, fonts, and imagery that align together with your model pointers. Write in a tone and elegance that feels genuine to your model voice — whether or not that’s pleasant and informal or skilled and authoritative. Consistency helps construct belief and credibility together with your leads over time.

That stated, displaying your persona in emails may help make you extra memorable, constructing connections quicker. The extra real and human your emails really feel, the extra probably your leads are to attach with them on a private degree. It’s one thing I like to recommend you check.

Now that you already know what makes an ideal lead-nurturing e mail, I’ll information you thru the method of making one. Let’s dive in.

1. Determine a function.

Earlier than crafting your e mail, take a second to think about its function throughout the total lead nurturing sequence. Ask your self: What do I need this e mail to attain? Is it meant to coach the lead, encourage them to take motion, or provide a particular resolution to their drawback?

I’ve discovered that having a transparent, centered function for every e mail helps me create extra compelling content material that resonates with the reader and strikes them nearer to conversion.

Professional tip: Riccii Terro, advertising and marketing supervisor at Intellek, recommends you attempt to visualize the entire image at this stage as a result of: “Tailoring the messaging and content material provided to particular teams based mostly on their business, function, or stage within the shopping for cycle is essential.”

2. Personalize the greeting and topic line.

In my expertise, personalization could make a world of distinction in e mail engagement. As an example, you’ll need to tailor topic strains to how your leads work together together with your model. In the event that they signed up for a lead magnet about content material advertising and marketing, your topic line might be “The key to Google’s 2024 replace…”

I like to think about the topic line as a promise — what worth will the reader acquire by opening this e mail? This inherently builds curiosity and can get your prospect’s consideration.

Professional tip: Try this information on the way to leverage segmentation to take your personalization efforts to the subsequent degree.

3. Tackle ache factors.

After getting their consideration, it’s time to handle potential ache factors together with your resolution. Put your self of their sneakers and ask:

• What retains them up at evening?
• What obstacles are stopping them from attaining their objectives?
• How will you body your e mail to indicate that you just perceive their drawback and might actively clear up it?

4. Embody testimonials.

Whereas not each lead nurturing e mail would require social proof, you must embody it whenever you’re actively promoting. It’s contextual. Sharing success tales or testimonials from happy clients helps leads envision how your services or products can profit them.

For instance, you might embody a number of quick testimonials. Or you might write a complete story-based case research e mail that reveals how certainly one of your clients solved the precise drawback potential clients are going through together with your resolution.

5. Share a information bomb.

I at all times try to incorporate at the least one aha! second in every lead nurturing e mail. This might be a stunning statistic, a thought-provoking perception, or a precious piece of business information.

In advertising and marketing, you need to persuade the prospect to consider their drawback in your phrases. This shifts your prospect’s perspective and positions your model as the appropriate resolution to the issue.

For instance, let’s say you’re in a cybersecurity agency and determine to ship out an e mail protecting information safety. In that case, chances are you’ll cite statistics about how X% of companies know information safety is a matter, however solely X% are efficiently avoiding threats by utilizing your organization’s distinctive resolution to guard information on the highest ranges.

6. Use a CTA.

Each lead nurturing e mail ought to have a transparent, purposeful CTA that guides the reader towards the subsequent step of their buyer journey. When crafting your CTA, ask your self: What do I need the result in do after studying this e mail?

Is it to schedule a demo, obtain a useful resource, or just have interaction with one other piece of content material? Make certain your CTA is distinguished, unambiguous, and aligned with the general aim of the e-mail sequence.

7. Embody an unsubscribe button.

Whereas it may appear counterintuitive, you at all times need to embody an unsubscribe button. As a marketer, I’d at all times select a lean, 5,000-person e mail checklist that’s actively engaged and able to purchase over a 50,000-person e mail checklist that’s not.

Plus, together with an unsubscribe button retains you in keeping with authorities and ensures your deliverability price is excessive.

8. Comply with up and optimize.

Lead nurturing is an ongoing course of, and there is at all times room for enchancment. That’s why I constantly monitor key e mail metrics like open charges, click-through charges, and conversions to establish areas for optimization.

If an e mail isn’t performing in addition to anticipated, I’ll experiment with totally different topic strains, CTAs, or content material angles.

Lead Nurturing Emails Are Important

Lead nurturing emails bridge the hole between preliminary curiosity and last conversion. And sometimes they will construct belief, set up credibility, and information leads towards a purchase order resolution throughout the two factors of preliminary curiosity and conversion.

Efficient lead nurturing saves time and assets by specializing in probably the most certified leads. It lets you phase your viewers, personalize your messaging, and ship the appropriate data on the proper time.

When your lead nurturing technique is completed accurately, it’ll assist you entice extra of the proper clients whereas filtering out the incorrect clients.

Editor’s word: This put up was initially revealed in December 2021 and has been up to date for comprehensiveness.