Like any B2C marketing professional, you have probably imagined that the concept of “lead nurturing” is only suitable for B2B sectors. With the arrival of new platforms such as marketing automation, B2C marketers are beginning to understand that it is beneficial to implement nurturing programs for customers.
B2C marketers add customer nurturing to their marketing program because it helps them sell more effectively to their customers throughout their lifecycle, by delivering the right message at the right time and to the right person. The ability to continue having a conversation with them throughout their lifecycle encourages them to move on to the next stage (for example, making a purchase).
Setting up a customer nurturing program is a good way for your business to achieve all your overall objectives. But for your customer nurturing program to be successful, you must first determine your objective.
To build an effective nurturing program, start by taking stock of your current management of customer processes. By asking the right questions, you will not only discover opportunities for improvement, but the information will play an essential role in defining the workflows.
So, let’s start by asking these 4 questions about your current management of customer lifecycles:
How many new customers do you have per month and where do they come from?
Understanding the scale and source of your customers helps you determine the capacity of your customer nurturing program. You can obtain this information by creating a statistical report with your customer management tool.
The number of new customers impacts the number of segments to create and the frequency of your communications in your nurturing strategy, since you need to speak to several types of audience at different times. Knowing the source of your new customers helps you determine the type of campaigns you need to create.
What is the range of products you offer?
Some companies sell very homogeneous product lines; others offer a multitude of products and services. The diversity of your offer plays a decisive role in the number of campaigns in your nurturing program, in addition to the messaging and offers strategy.
What are the main audience groups that make up your customers?
What is the difference in age, gender or location among all your customers? To what extent do these groups need different messages?
The greater the number of different groups, the more likely it is that you will need to follow distinct journeys for your campaigns to be relevant and effective.
Describe your customer journey. How are customers handled, distributed and managed today?
Knowing where you want to take your customers in their lifecycle helps you steer your nurturing programs in the direction where they will have the greatest impact on your ROI. When you review ongoing communications, determine the lifecycle stages at which you want to move customers forward, and therefore what actions they must take to achieve this objective.
