7 Essential lead nurturing email templates to convert your leads
Today, buyers are taking more time to make a purchase decision, resulting in longer sales cycles. That makes developing customer relationships and nurturing leads even more important for your business growth. However, lead nurturing needs careful planning and the right strategies.
If you want to nurture the leads you have painstakingly developed, you need the right lead nurturing email templates that will cut through all the inbox clutter. The right templates should be able to build interest, initiate conversations, and form the foundation of a long-term relationship.
Does that sound too complicated?
This article will make things easier for you. Keep reading to find out:
- What makes lead nurturing essential?
- The importance of email templates for lead generation
- 7 effective lead nurturing email templates
What makes lead nurturing essential?
The process of lead nurturing involves reinforcing and developing relationships with potential customers. Through lead nurturing, you can generate personalised B2B relationships and build trust at every stage of the sales funnel. The goal is to pilot the customers in a helpful manner toward making a purchase.
Moreover, it is a fact that nurtured leads produce a higher percentage of sales generation than non-nurtured leads. In fact, around 79% of marketing leads never get converted into sales due to the absence of nurturing. The process helps in maintaining a connection with the customers till they are ready to make a purchase.
The importance of email templates for lead generation
Even though social media has grown in leaps and bounds, emails still remain an important digital tool for lead nurturing. One simple reason for that is, more than 90% of email users check their inboxes every morning without fail.
Perhaps you think that the days of email outreach are over. Think again. Lead-nurturing emails have a higher response rate than conventional emails with a sales pitch. This underscores the significance of using the correct email templates for lead generation.
It is easy to send personalised content through emails to a potential buyer based on their position on the sales funnel. The flexibility of emails allows you to develop email marketing segments based on customer requirements and demographics. And considering the cost efficiency of emails, they have the highest return on investment among other digital marketing tools.
7 essential lead nurturing email templates
Most email templates fail to develop the right buyer/seller relationship and turn out as veiled CTAs. Remember, email templates are only effective when you provide useful and relevant content that relates to the right segment of customers and can nurture the leads.
Here are 7 templates to help you create impactful lead nurturing emails.
Template #1- Plain-text emails
One of the best email templates that you can use is by choosing not to use a designed template at all. If that sounds strange, check this out – multiple studies have indicated that simple, plain-text emails sometimes perform better than emails based on HTML or images.
In other words, complex emails with GIF images have lower clickthrough rates. Quite often when marketers are striving to get more creative, keeping things simple and neat could be a better option depending on the messaging and the audience.
While this may not be true for all businesses, it is definitely worth a try. The other option is to combine the “old-school,” approach with sleek HTML templates.
Template #2- Re-engagement
Check your database for dormant leads that you are not engaging with. If they have not made a purchase, give them the reasons to make a purchase now. Speak about the latest developments in your product or services to make them reconsider.
Such templates also indicate that you are continuously upgrading or developing your brand. This, in turn, builds trust and credibility. Before closing the email, add a special offer that will help to continue the conversation.
Template #3- Initiate interactions
You can’t expect every customer to make a purchase straight away. So, you can use specific templates that initiate interactions with the customers who have still not committed. These templates should be designed to provide choices to customers and encourage them to interact. Think of using surveys, polls, and reviews to increase click-back rates and gain feedback.
Another way is to use the template to send invitations for events or webinars to the customers. Instead of ending with a complex CTA, opt for an RSVP email that needs a yes or no reply. The aim is to make it easier for the customer to say yes.
Template #4- Personalisation
Email personalisation is a great way to not only meet but exceed customer expectations. Since consumers have come to expect relevant content from brands, it makes sense to use this template to increase click-through rates.
Once you have gathered sufficient data, identify the type of content the customer needs at that particular stage of the lead funnel. You can also adjust the imagery to match specific customer requirements.
To get the template right, add a “from” name so that the customer can relate to an individual. Other than that, use a relevant subject line with the recipient’s first name in it to add a personal touch.
Template #5- Newsjacking
Newsjacking is a short-term content plan that relates to breaking news and trending stories. It is a classic strategy that has been used by marketers to grab the interest of customers and boost marketing efforts. The trick is to create a subject of genuine interest in the email, instead of using gimmicks.
For example, if you are telecoms company, you may use the upcoming event of the 5g Expo to your advantage. Use the event as a framework and develop the content of the email around it.
Template #6- Storytelling
Storytelling templates are a fresh approach that replaces the generic offer and punch-line-based lead nurturing email templates. It allows the customers to get the complete information from an email, without having to visit a separate page. Note, this template works best for warmer leads who have already stepped into the lead funnel.
One effective way is to capture attention from the first line itself. Next, tell the story, keeping it long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to keep the reader interested. Once the reader is keen to know what happens, close it with a happy ending.
The advantage is, this template allows you to use anchor texts with multiple internal links. Note, not all email clients can support anchor links so use sparingly depending on your audience. If one mail is not sufficient to cover the story, you can use multiple emails as a part of a drip campaign.
Template #7- Informational email
This template works great for brands with high-end or complex products. In case you have given a free trial or demo, provide the customer with the necessary guidance about using it. Make sure to give them some time to decide and do not force them to make a commitment. Keep the voice respectful and focus on making an emotional connection.
You can also add a step-by-step guide to convince the reader that the product is easy to use. The template should be interactive, and informal, with eye-catching images. That’s a good way to show off the friendly personality of your brand.
Final thoughts
These are some powerful lead nurturing email templates that will reinforce your sales strategy and increase nurture email reply rates.
In reality, even the most attractive emails might fail to give the necessary results if you use the same template for every lead. That makes it important to use analytics to know your customers and target them with specific templates.
To make the process of lead nurturing through email simple and effective, it’s best to take the help of a leading email marketing agency. At virtualROI, our professional team can help your lead nurturing process gather momentum and also track results.
To overcome your email and social media marketing challenges, contact us now.