If lead generation is like dating, and we’re all out there on the singles scene, most of our effort goes to landing first dates. We do everything we can to catch someone’s eye, fetch up the nerve to ask them out, and work really hard on making a good impression that first time around. We may also have well-meaning friends and families setting us up on blind dates (aka referrals), and we may also run into those people who have heard good things about us from other people and want to get to know us better (aka word of mouth).
(Yes, it’s a neat metaphor, and I’m not the first to notice it, but I digress.)
All of this dating stuff aside, lead nurturing is like getting to know someone better (except in the business context multiple relationships are not only condoned but encouraged!). If you spend all that time and energy getting a “first date”, why would you blow it by not remembering important facts about your prospect on the “second date”? Also, if you’re on that second date, why not take this chance to get to know them a little better?
Web technologies offer us some pretty cool ways of undertaking both of these activities in suave and debonair ways. For example, yes, make them register for a free white paper or special report, but don’t be surprised if they don’t fill out a form with 17 form elements or never come back when they discover that your downloadable content is sales fluff. (Improve the former by only asking for three things: name, phone, email. Period. Make the other thing thing better by not writing fluff and giving away free stuff NO STRINGS ATTACHED even before they get to your white paper–check out this blog and our tripledogs.com home page for examples).
Once they download that white paper, invite them back in a few weeks to sample a longer podcast on the same topic. The key words here are “same topic”–when they register for the free white paper, make sure you record what they downloaded so you can easily leverage that information. When you send out the email for the podcast, ask them for more personal information than you did on the original white paper registration form. Don’t make it mandatory, just see how many folks actually give you that information–these are the folks who trust you a little more.
Follow this up in a week or so with another email giving them another tidbit of content. This time, when they register, don’t ask them for all the other stuff they filled out before. Just ask them to confirm their email address and then ask them an important question about their business that has nothing to do with your sales cycle. For example, ask them to identify the top three most important hot button issues facing their business today. (That’s right, you’re asking them to segment themselves!)
Give it another week or so, then send them another email pointing to a blog, marketing web site, or more of your content that addresses one or more of the hot button issues they identified. You can even remind them in the email: “A few weeks ago, you told us that A, B, and C were your top issues. Here is some information that will hopefully address some of those issues.”
You’re on your way! Just remember to remember whenever you go on a “date” with your prospect.
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