What is Lead Nurturing?

Definition

Lead nurturing is the process of building and strengthening relationships with potential customers at every stage of their journey, even if they are not yet ready to buy. The goal is to educate and build trust with leads by providing them with relevant, valuable information over time. This positions your company as the best choice when they are finally ready to make a purchase decision.

Examples

• Email Drip Campaigns: A user downloads an e-book and is automatically entered into a 5-part email series that provides progressively more detailed information related to the e-book’s topic, ending with a call-to-action to book a demo.
• Targeted Content: A lead who has shown interest in a specific product feature is retargeted on social media with a case study video of a customer who succeeded using that feature.
• Personalized Outreach: A salesperson notices a lead from a target account has visited the pricing page several times. Instead of a hard sales pitch, they send a helpful, non-promotional article about budgeting for new software.
• Multi-channel Nurturing: A lead is nurtured through a coordinated sequence of emails, targeted ads on LinkedIn, and a timely follow-up call from an SDR.

Advantages/Benefits

• Increased Sales-Readiness: Educates prospects so that when they are finally ready to speak to sales, they are more informed and have a higher likelihood of being a good fit.
• Higher Conversion Rates: Nurtured leads consistently produce better sales results and have a higher win rate compared to non-nurtured leads.
• Builds Trust and Credibility: By providing value without asking for anything in return, you establish your company as a trusted advisor and industry expert.
• Shortens the Sales Cycle: By addressing common questions and objections early on through content, the sales process can be accelerated.

Related terms

• Marketing Automation
• Drip Campaign
• Lead Scoring
• MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead)
• Sales Funnel
• Content Marketing