Ways to Convert Your Marketing and Sales Qualified Leads Online

As a marketer, you know that not every lead is ready to buy right now. Some online leads need more nurturing than others, because almost everyone is at a different stage of the buying lifecycle. According to Gleanster Research, 50% of your leads are qualified, but not yet ready to buy. So how do you get them to crossover from leads online to customers?

Developing an effective lead nurturing campaign is essential because according to MarketingSherpa 79% of marketing qualified leads never convert to sales. That is a lot of potential business that is being left on the table, and a simple lack of lead nurturing is the common cause of this poor performance. This illustrates the real value of lead nurturing. I know you may be asking yourself “where do I even start?” Below are three lead nurturing tips to convert.

Premium Content

We have already discussed the importance of providing relevant, useful content for your blog readers, but its value can never be understated. Although a visitor may arrive at your post in search of the answer to a very specific question, the best business blogs are able to hold a reader’s interest, and keep them on the page.

This is only possible when the content that you create is of the highest quality, and is directed at your targeted buyer personas. Providing internal links to related blog posts and information is also a smart idea, as this will give your audience the opportunity to explore the depths of your expertise, and will encourage them to seek out further information from you.

Calls to Action

Sometimes abbreviated as “CTA,” a call-to-action is simply an image or a line of text that prompts your page’s visitors to take action. In some cases, the “action” that you want your readers to take may be to download an eBook, a special offer, register for a webinar, come to an event, etc.

Unfortunately, there are many businesses that don’t actually understand how to compel an audience to respond to the CTA.

Simply slapping “Click Here!” on a flashing, neon button won’t get the job done; you have to earn it.

You’ve got to prove your value to your readers, and then create an exciting CTA copy that will make them feel excited about acting.

How will responding to the CTA help to improve your prospect’s business, save them money, or make things easier for them? Also remember to be clear; whether you are offering a product demo, a subscription to a weekly newsletter, or a white page download, your readers should know exactly what will happen when they click on a CTA.

Landing pages

So what happens once a visitor decides to take action? The best CTAs offer something to your readers while requesting something else in exchange – their information. For example, an individual may need to provide their name and e-mail address in order to receive their free eBook, or the visitor could be filling out transactional information in order to register for a seminar.

In order to properly obtain this information, it’s crucial that your CTA takes people to a dedicated landing page after they click on it.

A landing page is simply a web page a visitor lands on after clicking on a call-to-action. It is the gateway to your remarkable content, providing a customized pitch based on your buyer personas. The more relevant your landing page design is to them, the more likely your visitors will see the value in sharing their information.

Takeaway

All of the components of lead nurturing may seem cumbersome and as marketers we have limited time. Wouldn’t it be nice to simplify the process to convert leads online? Utilizing marketing automation software provides you the tools and resources to generate and nurture leads online. Automation software such as Eloqua, Marketo and HubSpot, simplifies that process of nurturing qualified leads so that they can be automatically passed to sales based on pre-defined criteria.

Remember, according to research, 79% of your marketing qualified leads will not convert to sales. Are you doing everything you can to try to convert more of these online leads?