If you’ve been following our lead nurturing series over the past month, then you’ve already learned how to nurture the net new leads in your database and move sales leads through the sales funnel. There are plenty of additional lead nurturing campaigns that you can run depending on your goals, but one of the campaigns that we get questions about on a regular basis is the highly-effective (but often underused) re-engagement campaign, also known as a cold lead nurturing program. Let’s take a look at when this campaign might come in handy, what the timing might look like, and the tone you should take in your drip emails to re-engage the inactive leads in your database.
Prospects receive an average of 10 marketing touches from the time they enter the top of the funnel until they’re a closed-won customer. (Aberdeen Group)
When would you use a Cold Lead Nurturing campaign?
This nurturing program is great if you have cold leads in your database that have gone inactive (and let’s face it, we all have inactive leads in our databases). This nurturing program can automatically find cold leads in your database (say, someone who hasn’t been active in six months) and re-engage with them through nurturing emails. This creates a safety net for you so that no more leads slip through the cracks.
What should the timing look like?
The best way to approach this type of nurturing program is to assume that your leads know who you are, but that they’re not ready to engage with you for one reason or another. Cold lead nurturing allows you to stay in front of them over time, so that when their condition changes, your company is top of mind. Timing for these emails should appear natural, so try mixing up your pauses (remember, stay between six and 45 days!). A few shorter pauses followed by a longer pause is a good strategy here.
What kind of email should you use?
Cold leads have likely engaged with your company at one point in their lifecycle, and therefore need a little more personalized attention than your net new leads. Similar to your Sales Nurturing program, you’ll most likely want to use plain text emails with personalized signatures from a sales or marketing rep.
What should you say?
Again, you want these emails to sound natural. Recommend a resource that you think your leads would find helpful (something more fun and engaging that will really catch their attention), and encourage them to reach out if they have questions. Leave it at that.
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Made it through the entire article? Whew — good for you! Don’t forget to check out our Onboarding Drip Case Study for examples of internal lead nurturing use, and our Complete Guide to Lead Nurturing for an even more in-depth look at the different nurturing campaigns you can run.
