How to Follow up with Online Leads

Once you have digital marketing campaigns in place and start receiving notification of fresh leads, the ball is in your court to nurture these relationships. In order to effectively nurture your online leads, be sure to follow these steps:

Start a Conversation

When has anyone liked to wait? In the digital age, consumers are looking for immediate gratification and quick answers to their questions. You have spent time and money generating valuable leads and now the time has come to make sure the hot leads are touched first. How do I determine if a lead is hot or cold? Depends on how the lead came to your attention. If they filled out a "Schedule a Tour" form on a real estate listing, you know the interest level is high. Whereas, if they filled out a generic "Get More Information" form, the interest level is probably lower and warrants a warm or cold rating depending upon further vetting.

Diversify Your Outreach

Variety is the spice of life and the way to grab the attention of your target. Make sure to try initiating contact several times via email, phone and text before you consider trashing the lead. As illustrated in the chart below, there is a tendency to rely too much on calls. Some people may never answer a phone call from an unknown number and others may only check their email on a mobile device once a day. By diversifying your outreach, you give yourself every opportunity to make a connection with the lead.

Develop a Step-by-Step Process

Establishing a defined follow-up plan for your team can ensure that everyone is on the same page and no lead gets left behind. The following graphic from the Content Marketing Institute shows that the most successful businesses employ a detailed content marketing strategy.

Examples of a plan can include a 5-day, 7-day or 10-day outline of a mixture of calls, emails, texts. Remember: it is easy to set-up email marketing campaigns. These are scheduled marketing emails based on triggers that you determine and save you from the dreaded task of emailing leads one-by-one!

Example 5-day Follow-up Plan for Leads

Track Your Communication

There is no need to be generic; include notes for calls, emails, texts, as well as a log that highlights important information about the lead. Do they have a dog? Do they have children? These attributes will play a factor in what purchases are made.

When to Trash

While a lead shouldn't be abandoned after only one or two outreach attempts, it is important to qualify a lead as early as possible. Do they have the means to make a purchase? Do they have trouble making decisions? How soon do they need to sell/move? If during vetting you find that the lead is not qualified, but might be in the future, be sure to filter them into a different bucket for later outreach.

To view the original article, visit the Chime Technologies blog.