A guide to building trust and rapport with your prospects 

Top of funnel leads are those who have shown some interest in your product or service, but are not ready to buy yet. They may have downloaded a free ebook, signed up for a webinar, or visited your website. They are still in the awareness or consideration stage of the buyer journey, and need more information and education before they make a decision. 

Nurturing these leads is crucial for your business, as it helps you build trust and rapport with your prospects, and move them along the sales funnel. According to a study by DemandGen, nurtured leads produce, on average, a 20% increase in sales opportunities compared to non-nurtured leads. Moreover, nurtured leads make 47% larger purchases than non-nurtured leads. 

So how do you nurture your top of funnel leads effectively? Here are some recommendations that you can implement in your marketing strategy. 

Build an effective lead scoring engine 

Lead scoring is a method of assigning a numerical value to each lead based on their behavior, demographics, and engagement. It helps you prioritize your leads and focus on the ones that are most likely to convert. It also helps you segment your leads and tailor your messages to their needs and interests. 

To build an effective lead scoring engine, you need to define the criteria and the points for each lead attribute. For example, you can assign points based on the lead source, the pages they visited, the content they downloaded, the email opens and clicks, the social media interactions, and so on. You can also assign points based on the lead's industry, company size, job title, location, and other relevant factors. 

You can use a marketing automation tool to automate your lead scoring process and integrate it with your CRM system. This way, you can track your leads' activities and scores in real time, and trigger the appropriate actions based on their score. For example, you can send them a relevant email, invite them to a demo, or alert your sales team to follow up. 

Don't send leads to sales until they are ready 

One of the biggest mistakes that marketers make is sending leads to sales too early, before they are qualified and ready to buy. This can result in wasted time and resources, and lower conversion rates. According to a study by MarketingSherpa, 61% of B2B marketers send all leads directly to sales, but only 27% of those leads are qualified. 

To avoid this mistake, you need to establish a clear definition of a sales-ready lead, and align it with your sales team. A sales-ready lead is one that has a high lead score, has expressed a clear pain point or need, has shown interest in your solution, and has the authority and budget to make a purchase.  

Once you have a clear definition of a sales-ready lead, you need to implement a lead handoff process that ensures a smooth transition from marketing to sales. This process should include a clear communication protocol, a lead nurturing SLA (service level agreement), and a feedback loop. You should also use a CRM system to track and manage your leads, and ensure that both teams have access to the same data and insights. 

Use different pieces of content for different parts of the buyer journey 

Content marketing is one of the most effective ways to nurture your top of funnel leads, as it helps you educate them, establish your authority, and build trust. However, not all content is created equal, and not all content is suitable for every stage of the buyer journey. You need to use different pieces of content for different parts of the buyer journey, and match them to your leads' needs and interests. 

The buyer journey consists of three stages: awareness, consideration, and decision. In the awareness stage, your leads are looking for information and solutions to their problems or challenges. In the consideration stage, your leads are evaluating different options and alternatives to solve their problems or challenges. In the decision stage, your leads are ready to make a purchase and choose a vendor. 

For each stage, you need to create and deliver content that addresses your leads' questions and pain points, and guides them to the next stage. For example, in the awareness stage, you can use content such as blog posts, ebooks, infographics, podcasts, and videos to educate your leads and raise awareness of your brand. In the consideration stage, you can use content such as webinars, case studies, white papers, and comparison guides to showcase your value proposition and differentiate yourself from your competitors. In the decision stage, you can use content such as testimonials, reviews, demos, and free trials to persuade your leads and overcome their objections. 

Play the long game 

One of the most important things to remember when nurturing your top of funnel leads is that you need to play the long game. According to a study by Forrester, only 3% of buyers are in market at any given time, meaning that they are actively looking for a solution and ready to buy. The other 97% are either not in market, or in market but not ready to buy. 

This means that you need to be patient and persistent with your lead nurturing efforts, and not expect immediate results. You need to provide consistent and relevant value to your leads over time, and maintain a relationship with them until they are ready to buy. You need to understand that lead nurturing is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that can take weeks, months, or even years. 

To play the long game, you need to have a clear lead nurturing strategy and plan, and measure your results and progress. You need to define your goals and objectives, your target audience, your content and channels, your frequency and timing, and your metrics and KPIs. You need to test and optimize your lead nurturing campaigns, and learn from your data and feedback. You need to align your lead nurturing strategy with your sales cycle and buyer journey, and adapt to your leads' changing needs and preferences.