I’m sure we’ve all heard of marketing automation and the many benefits it can provide you as a marketer, we explored some of the benefits it provides for lead generation in one of our earlier blogs, The power of automation is no secret and but today we’re going to explore how you can use marketing automation workflows to supercharge your lead nurturing programmes while eliminating the need for tedious manual tasks.
All the automated workflows we discuss are relatively easy to set up on whatever marketing automation platform you use and are a great starting point for your marketing team's lead nurturing strategy.
1. First Submission
If a visitor has taken the time to visit your site and fill out a form to become a subscriber, then you need to ensure that you give yourself the best chance of moving them into your sales funnel. The first few messages a subscriber receives from your company can set the tone for future interactions, don’t let it be generic content or your latest blog post!
With the use of automation, you can ensure you can set up a positive nurturing experience from the start. Set up an introductory workflow that provides new subscribers with quality, relevant content early on. Your workflow will be triggered by a subscriber sign up and can include a personalised welcome message and some of your best performing content.
If you’re new to automation this is a great place to start, the workflow is relatively simple to set up and it lays the foundation for more effective lead nurturing!
2. Event Workflow
Events are a great way to engage with your target audience whether they are hosted in-person (remember those?) or virtually. They can also be highly effective in generating leads, to get the most out of your event you can use a couple of different workflows.
Firstly, you can set up a workflow to automate communications to registrants in the run-up to the event. Your trigger will be a new registration, you can then provide a range of targeted content such as an agenda, a list of speakers, some supporting content relevant to the event as well as a reminder the day before. Having this in place can help ensure event attendance.
The second workflow you’ll want to put in place will follow up after the event has taken place. You can provide the attendees with a copy of your slides, provide more relevant information, or ask for feedback. Timely follow-ups can result in high-quality MQLs or signups for future events.
3. Hot Lead Workflow
Following up on hot leads in a timely manager gives you the best possible chance to convert them into paying customers. You can use an internal workflow to ensure your “hot leads” get followed up exactly when they need to be.
Some points to consider when setting up this workflow are the levels of engagement a lead has with your content and the score each will be given, as well as any information the lead has provided which would provide insight into their degree of fit. To ensure you set your workflow up for success, both the sales and the marketing should work together to define the lead scoring criteria.
Once these criteria have been established you can set up a workflow that will inform sales when a lead reaches “hot-lead” status and is ready to be contacted directly giving you the best chance to convert these potential customers.
4. New Customer
When someone becomes a customer there may be some information, they need to receive to ensure they get the best out of your product or service. By using automation, you can deliver this information and start them on the road to becoming loyal, satisfied customers.
If you sell software, for example, you could set up a workflow to deliver a new customer welcome email with information on getting started, followed by some tips on how to get the best out of their new software, video tutorials on features or even ask how they’re enjoying it.
These workflows can save you time by removing the need to reach out to new customers individually and also ensures the customer has a positive experience from the start.
5. Topic-Based Workflow
Topic-based workflows are a great way to deliver relevant content to those that download gated content or view specific topic-based pages on your site. By setting up a workflow to deliver a string of related content after they’ve taken an action on your site you can provide a personalised experience and increase the chance of converting them.
If you’re writing about a large number of topics on your site it might not be feasible to create relevant content and workflows for each of them. If this is the case, select your top-performing topics and design a workflow to nurture with topic-specific content for each until they're ready to buy.
6. Missed Opportunities Workflow
How many contacts are in your database that may be set as “lost” by the sales team for one reason or another? Well instead of letting these contacts take up space in your CRM, set up a workflow that will look to bring them back into the funnel.
Depending on the reason behind the missed opportunity you can set up different workflows. Make sure you’re delivering content that combats the reasons they had to not convert.
If you lost out because of budget constraints, you could set up a workflow that informs them about your latest offers or you could even offer a discount.
If your competitor managed to close the deal before you did, think about setting up a workflow that educates them further about your product or service. Keeping your business in mind when it’s time to renew or replace.
If the product or service didn’t fit exactly what they were looking for, then add them to a workflow to keep them posted on product updates and new features. Next time you contact them they’ll be more informed on your improved offering.
Don’t let a missed opportunity collect dust in your CRM, add automation to your marketing strategy to resurrect your deal.
Are you making the most out of your marketing automation software? I hope this blog has given you the inspiration to go out and try some of the mentioned workflows yourself. Let us know in the comments if you've tried any or have got some more to add. Don't forget to subscribe to our blog to get more marketing automation tips and more!
