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Why This Strategy Is Essential

First, let’s start with the facts about your website traffic. 

It’s a fact that the MAJORITY of your website visitors do NOT convert to paying customers on a first visit regardless of how they got to your website (i.e. Google search, link in an email, social media, etc). This is not your fault, it’s just consumer behavior. 

People don’t convert on a first visit to your website for various reasons - they were interrupted, they need to do more research, consult with a significant other, and dozens of other reasons. And the timeframe from a prospect’s first interaction with you to the time they purchase is called the sales cycle. Each industry is unique from this standpoint. Some sales cycles last a day, others are months long. 

So, what do we do? Let these site visitors leave, never to be seen again?

No! 

That’s where this strategy comes into play. Our goal is to convert as many as possible of your website visitors who left without buying, calling you, or submitting a form. 

And here’s how we do it…

Examples of Successful Lead Magnets in Various Industries

The ideas for lead magnets are almost endless. 

Here’s an example of a lead magnet on my own site:

On the right-hand side, I provide a “Download Now” button to receive this free Workbook. When someone clicks the button, the below popup shows. 

After someone enters their first name and email, we automatically send them the pdf guide. 

And at this point, we’ve got something in their hands that they wanted and is valuable. We’ve built trust and started a relationship with them. So now we need to continue to deliver value to them over time and work on converting them to a paying customer. 

What Is An Ideal Lead Magnet for My Customers?

To determine the best format for your lead magnet, consider your objective, target audience, and niche focus. Here are a few popular formats:

Step-by-Step Process to Creating an Effective Lead Magnet

Now you could stop right here with your lead magnet. We’re certainly better off now than we were without any lead magnets or lead generation tactics. And certainly, you will close more sales now. 

But to seal the deal over the entire sales cycle timeframe and skyrocket leads and sales, you must move to lead nurturing. 

Stay with me here…

It's crucial because it helps you maintain engagement with leads who aren't yet ready to make a purchase, preventing them from slipping away or turning to your competitors.

And a lack of lead nurturing can result in lost opportunities and wasted marketing efforts, as valuable leads may not convert into customers if they don't receive the right information and support at the right time.

What Are the Key Components of an Effective Lead Nurturing Sequence?

Lead nurturing typically takes the form of emails and/or text messages that deliver more valuable content over time. Some of these sequences can go on for weeks. Here are a couple of examples for you. 

Lead Nurturing Example #1

A 16-day email lead nurturing sequence. This sequence was for a giveaway that people entered via a form on the website. After they provided their information in a form on the website, we delivered a series of valuable emails. What the chart below shows is alternating time delays (green circles), followed by an email (green squares). In this lead nurturing sequences we delivered 6 emails over 16 days. 

So at this point, we have significantly increased the likelihood that we’ll convert some of these website visitors to paying customers. 

Lead Nurturing Example #2

Here’s another example of a lead nurture sequence that is 120 days (17 weeks) long! A continuous feed of helpful content that addresses the prospect’s pain points and needs. 

This sequence is for a mortgage broker who captures leads from a downloadable PDF guide on his landing page - all the leads are funneled into this sequence of emails dripped over time. 

Each email delivers valuable information for mortgage buyers and helps them with a pain point or need. At the same time, in each email, there are options to convert these leads into paying customers. So while we’re delivering valuable content that the prospect needs, we also make sure to include appointment links, links back to the website, click-to-call phone numbers, and more. 

What to avoid in lead nurturing sequences: What you don't want to do is pitch your services constantly. Nobody wants to be sold. Strive first to provide value, then the selling and closing becomes easier. 

Without these lead nurturing sequences, chances are high that we’d never hear from most of these prospects again. But now we have them. Now, we need to build rapport, trust and deliver value to them with lead nurturing. 

And it is this area where most businesses bleed lost sales. They focus on traffic strategies with Google Ads, Social Media, and other traffic-generating strategies, but do nothing to capture leads from this traffic and build relationships. 

Apps and Technology You Will Need

Opt-ins for Capturing Contact Information:

If your website is on WordPress, there are many optin plugins. Two that come to mind are Optin Monster and Thrive Leads. I have used both and both are tools I highly recommend. 

Lead Nurturing - Marketing Automation Solutions

Here's a list of marketing automation platforms that are well-suited for small and medium-sized businesses, ranging from simple email platforms to more advanced and robust solutions. I have used a couple of these and the rest I’ve known about for some time.

Advanced and Robust Platforms:

More Simple, Less Robust Platforms:

Summary

In conclusion, implementing these unstoppable lead-generation techniques and utilizing lead nurturing, you can significantly boost your growth and success.

By carefully selecting the right tools and strategies, you'll be able to engage your target audience, nurture leads, and convert them into loyal customers.

Your Next Steps

Marketing automation uses software to automate marketing and operational tasks that frees you up to focus on other things.

This can include automating everything from:

But most importantly, its main benefit is that it allows you to scale your marketing efforts - leads and sales - without increasing your staff. It's like having a full-time assistant without the expense. 

Additionally, it can help businesses track their marketing progress and measure their return on investment. And it helps quiet the chaos so many business owners experience in running their businesses - sticky notes, reminders floating around in your head. 

Marketing automation can work with any size business. But the right platform is particularly well-suited for small businesses that do not have the resources to maintain an extensive marketing team.

Many different marketing automation platforms are available, so you should select the one that best meets your needs. At 39 Celsius, we have used Keap in our own business for years, along with implementations for our own clients (we are certified Keap Partners. Some links to Keap are affiliate links where we might get a small commission. I do not recommend any products I don't use in my own business). 

In today's competitive business landscape, small businesses must find ways to market their products and services effectively to survive. However, traditional marketing methods are costly and time-consuming, making them impractical for many small businesses. And digital marketing tactics are made exponentially more effective with marketing automation and leveraging lead nurturing, as an example.

Marketing automation offers a solution to these challenges that so many business owners and managers experience.

By using software to automate repetitive tasks like email marketing, social media campaigns, and targeted ads, businesses can free up time and resources that can be better used elsewhere. In addition, marketing automation often leads to more successful marketing campaigns, as it allows businesses to track results and adjust their strategies accordingly. For these reasons, marketing automation is an essential tool for small businesses looking to remain competitive.

Respond To A Website Contact Request

If someone submits a contact form on your site, you can have a message (text or email) automatically sent to that person. And you can make it appear natural as well with a delay of a couple of minutes, for example, before a message is sent.

And perhaps you include a link to your calendar that a client can use to book a call with you. And now, this contact is in your marketing automation platform which also keeps track of all your communications with that person. 

Assign Leads To An Internal Sales Person

When a new lead comes in, you can automatically assign that to a sales rep  so no lead is missed. And if, for whatever reason, that lead is not ready to act now, you can put them into a lead nurture email sequence that will keep the lead warm, so when the prospect is ready you are top-of-mind.

Appointment Scheduling and Reminders

Imagine a world where you never miss a calendar appointment again. That's the power of automation! Free up time on those busy days by having software do everything from scheduling appointments with clients to sending out reminders about an upcoming event or confirming when they were scheduled. 

Ask For Referrals and Reviews Automatically

If you don't have a process for asking for referrals and reviews (i.e. Google, Facebook, etc) you are missing a vital step in growing your business. And like the other tasks we've discussed, it can all be automated. 

Increase Your Social Media Following

With automation, you can automatically send anyone a link to view your latest social post and ask them to follow or "like" your page. Or invite them to join your social group. 

Send A Thank You Note

Automatically create a task for someone on your team to send the client a thank you note.

Never Lose At Phone Tag

Do you find yourself constantly playing phone tag? When someone leaves you a voicemail, follow up with an email and then create a task that reminds you to call the person. 

Send and Receive Important Documents

You have better things to do than chase important documents. For example, let's say you needed a W9 document from a contractor. Automate an email with a link for them to download the document. If that link is never clicked, you can have an automated series of emails that go out until the link is clicked and they've submitted the documents, whatever those may be. 

Marketing automation can be a great way to streamline your marketing efforts and boost your results. However, getting started with marketing automation can be daunting. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

First, make sure you have a clear understanding of your goals. What do you want to achieve with marketing automation? Once you know your goals, you can identify the tools and strategies that will help you reach them.

Next, it's essential to put together a plan. What steps do you need to take to achieve your goals? What tasks will you automate? What metric will you use to measure success? By having a plan in place, you'll be able to track your progress and make adjustments as needed.

Marketing automation software is designed to help businesses streamline and automate their marketing activities. By using software to automate repetitive tasks, businesses can free up time and resources that can be better spent on other marketing initiatives. However, before investing in marketing automation software, it is important to understand how it works and what it can (and cannot) do.

Here are some frequently asked questions about marketing automation:

How does marketing automation work?

Marketing automation software helps businesses automate their marketing activities. The software can be used to segment customers and create targeted marketing campaigns. It can also be used to track customer interactions and monitor results. By using software to automate repetitive tasks, businesses can free up time and resources that can be better spent on running your business. 

Is marketing automation software expensive?

No. At 39 Celsius, we use KEAP which has many options under a $100 per month. If you're using other email service providers like Constant Contact, or Mailchimp, etc, Keap costs only slightly more than these with the ability to automate and grow sales far beyond an email service provider.

In Conclusion:

Marketing automation can be a beneficial tool for businesses of all sizes. It allows businesses to scale their marketing and sales efforts through automation, track their marketing progress, measure their return on investment, and plug holes in their sales funnels (Read our related post here on SEO Funnels). Additionally, it can help businesses automate repetitive tasks, freeing up time and resources that can be better used elsewhere. 

Reach out to me today to discuss your unique needs and how marketing automation can help you grow.