Did you know that only 27% of B2B leads are sales-ready when first generated. (Marketing Sherpa)
This makes lead nurturing essential for capitalizing on the other 73%. But 65% of B2B marketers have not established lead nurturing campaigns.
So how can a staffing firm nurture sales leads?
- Keep calling.
While the “just checking-in” calls are pretty much a waste of time, follow-up calls to discuss specific business issues, employment law changes, new ideas, or present a top candidate can be quite productive. - Drop by visits.
Although I’m not a fan of unsolicited drop bys, dropping off a thought-provoking article, clever promotional gift, or even goodies like candy can be a great way to keep yourself top-of-mind. - One-to-one email marketing.
This is one of the best ways to nurture relationships, but don’t make your emails only about sales. Share staffing ideas, HR and management insights, case studies, and other content that the recipient will find useful. - Direct message on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Social media is an ideal vehicle for one-to-one connections. If you’re attending a conference and you find a key prospect is also in attendance, direct messaging is a great way to send an invitation to meet. Direct messaging is also good for sharing high value content, invitation to events, and other important news. Just don’t abuse the channel, or your prospect may “un-friend” you! - Email newsletter.
Newsletters are a terrific way to educate, add value, and keep your firm top-of-mind. They key is to keep them short, provide highly useful content, and make it easy for people to reach out to you when they want to connect. For specific ideas on email marketing download Haley Marketing’s Guide to Email Marketing for Staffing. - Top candidate emails.
If there’s one marketing technique in staffing that has a near 100% success rate, it’s skill marketing. And email makes skill marketing easy. Your challenge is to ensure that you’re promoting the right candidates to the right people–and not to abuse the channel or readership will fall. - Seasonal ecards.
One often overlooked form of email marketing is to simply share best wishes when major (or even minor) holidays roll around. - Sales letters.
Personal letters remain on of the most effective forms of direct marketing. When used to introduce staffing ideas, follow-up on a meeting, or just share an interesting article, a simple letter can have a big impact. - Postcards and greeting cards. Yes, snail mail still works. Postcards and greeting cards can be an effective, and even personal, way to keep in-touch and reinforce your value proposition. And don’t forget to send thank you notes for meetings!
- Social sharing.
Share articles, blog posts, videos and other interesting content with LinkedIn groups where the people you want to reach hang out.
Want more low cost ideas for marketing and lead nurturing?
Download Haley Marketing’s Guide to Marketing Best Practices for Staffing
