The third step of Lifecycle Marketing involves using the leads you capture to provide targeted information and motivate prospects to take action.

The powerful strategies introduced in the first two parts of our series on Lifecycle Marketing helped you capture contact information from prospective leads. The steps you take next are crucial. It’s time for your carefully-planned informational inducements to do their work. This is a step most people forget. They don’t follow up in a timely manner. Studies who it takes 7 touches to turn a lead into a customer. 85% of business owners out there stop after 1 or 2 tries. Shocking, right? People are afraid to hear “no” when the 5th or 7th time might actually turn into a “YES!” because you were the only person to follow up that long.

Your emails, whitepapers, webinars and videos must feed your prospects with the information they expect. They should also create trust and offer motivational nudges that encourage prospects to become your clients and customers.

You know your own business and current customers better than anyone. All resources that you create should incorporate that knowledge and experience. Show prospects that you’re ready and able to help them achieve their goals.

Best Foot Forward

The content you provide to prospects is your introduction to them, so make that first impression carefully, and give them the information you promised when they gave you their contact information. Take the steps below to build their trust and move them toward forming a relationship with you:

• Follow through on your promise – Get started immediately to provide the information your prospects signed up for. If it’s an email series, for example, get that first email to the prospect ASAP. Continue by scheduling the rest of the emails so they arrive on a regular basis. To automate this task, use Infusionsoft to stay on schedule and on target.
• Don’t overwhelm your prospects — When scheduling delivery of your marketing materials, provide some breathing room. If your schedule is too frequent, you risk annoying — rather than nurturing — prospects. Give your audience some space, and your information will be eagerly anticipated, instead of being marked as spam and ignored.
• Feed prospects well, but leave room for dessert – Use an onion-peeling strategy to deliver your message. Make each bit of information you deliver informative and useful, but use links to other information. Lead them to videos, whitepapers and other content on your website and social media venues. Always leave prospects hungry for more.
• Always be closing – Include a call to action in every contact with prospects. Keep these low-key, but every email or other informational package you deliver should ask your prospects to take action and become customers or clients. Any prospect may make a decision to commit at any time, so make sure every “touch” includes a link or other method do that immediately. An opportunity missed is lost business.

Proper Care and Feeding of Prospects Leads to Conversion

Lifecycle Marketing is a step-by-step process, with each step designed to generate new business for your company. The powerful magnets you create encourage your internet visitors to provide their contact details. Using that connection to provide dynamic information builds trust and leads to the fourth step in the process, which we’ll cover in the next part of this series: Converting Sales.

P.S. Why not fully automate the entire follow up process with Infusionsoft?

Next Up: Convert Sales