I'm getting a lot of questions about how to get started with a nurturing program. Bravo to those marketers who are actively reaching out to get started!
I thought it might be useful to present 3 steps for evaluation that will help you create a baseline for building an effective nurturing program.
First - About your customers:
- Who buys from us?
- Why do they buy from us?
- What do they need to know to make a purchase decision?
- Who influences our buyers?
- What could stop them from choosing to buy?
- Is one kind of customer more ideal than another? Why?
- What's your best foot-in-the-door sale?
Second - Evaluate your prospect database:
- Who's in it?
- Did THEY opt in or did YOU opt them in?
- How do the prospects in your database match up with what you know about your customers?
- How are you getting more prospects to opt in?
- When's the last time your database heard from you?
- What topics have they responded to?
- What's your opt out rate?
Third - Audit Your Website:
See my recent blog post about how to audit your web pages.
- How much information on your website matches the answers to the questions in the About Your Customers step above?
- What can be improved?
In case you're wondering, the reasons for auditing your website are to ensure that the messaging you're already sharing is in alignment with prospect needs. You also want to make sure that your nurturing programs are reinforced by your website content, not in conflict with it.
Nurturing programs are about so much more than just a continuous touchpoint program for prospects. They're about creating a consistency in brand and content and inviting interactions that reinforce and strengthen the choice of your prospects to continue to engage with you. Not to mention that a holistic presence will enhance your prospects' perceptions of your company's credibility and expertise for solving the problem at hand.
