Marketers don’t need to weigh in on the age-old nature versus nurture debate. For us, it’s all about lead conversion – and there is a right and a wrong way to do so.

But before we break it down, let’s go over some lead nurturing basics:

Don’t contact your leads without permission. Sending them content that they didn’t ask for or won’t find useful will turn them off to your campaign. For example, they are likely to ignore or delete unwanted emails.

Don’t rush the buying process. Some leads may need more nurturing than others, but none of your leads want to feel pressured to purchase anything. You can keep an eye on your lead scoring system to see when your leads are ready for sales.

Do educate them as much as possible before the buying process. As you nurture your leads, try to influence their thoughts about your market, products and services to make sure they are in the right mindset when they are ready to make a purchase.

Now break your lead nurturing campaign in three categories: blogs, emails and social media. Here’s how to make the most out of each channel.

Blogs:

• Use smart calls to action that display different resources to different leads. Brand new blog visitors will benefit from a top-of-the-funnel offer that will educate them, like an eBook, while frequent visitors will benefit from a more middle-of-the-funnel offer, like a case study, that will move them further down the funnel.
• Send distant leads some low-commitment blog content to keep them engaged in your company.
• When a lead responds to a call to action, send them an email with links to related blog content.
• Likewise, include links to useful blog content in other areas of your site.
• Make subtle mention of your products and services in your blog posts – without getting too promotional. Rather than simply saying “all of our products are the best,” link them to a template or eBook related to the blog topic.

Emails:

• Treat your lead nurturing emails like miniature blog posts: one topic with one related call to action. HubSpot recommends that your lead be able to glance at your email and know the value it provides to them within five seconds.
• Follow your lead through the sales funnel by starting with educational content and then slowly including call to actions as the conversation between you and your lead continues.
• Measure your click-through rates to check the efficiency of your lead conversion emails.
• Show your leads that you know something about them. Show an interest in their interests and needs, communicating that you understand them or that you would like to.
• Show them that you have something valuable to offer them. Any company can say they understand their lead’s needs, but it’s the companies who actually meet their needs who are going to get buyers.

Social media:

• Add social networking widgets and social share modules to your lead nurturing and thank you emails. Doing so encourages leads to engage with you. GetResponse reported that email newsletters with social sharing buttons have 115-percent higher click-through rate than those without.
• Add social calls to action, too, like “see what others are saying on Facebook” or “visit our Facebook page to learn more.”
• Share your content on social media sites so that your leads can see it while scrolling their feeds, instead of having to seek it out on your site.
• Encourage each of your employees to have a powerful social media presence. The more employees that reach out, the more people your market will reach. Additionally, doing so offers your leads easy access to support from real sales people.
• Respond to tweets, wall posts and comments as often as you can. This keeps your leads engaged in conversation. Letting sales people talk with leads establishes a connection between the two. Also, welcome criticism. It shows that you care about the quality of your content, not to mention, your lead’s opinions.

Your leads are going to love you in no time.