Lead Generation Company | The Power of Story-Telling in Lead Nurturing
If you listened to the VP of Marketing and co-founder at Marketo, Jon Miller, discuss lead nurturing a recent Find New Customers podcast, (to subscribe to these podcasts for free, click those underlined words.”) you heard why it is so important.
The fact is that many businesses are potential customers that are not ready to buy today, but may buy in the future.
Unless you find a way to connect and build trust over time until they are ready to buy, these prospective customers can be lost forever.
In this article, I explore how businesses should talk to prospective customers, especially highlighting the importance of good stories.
I also invite you to watch a video clip of B2B marketing expert, Ardath Albee of MarketingInteractions talking about story-telling in her keynote presentation at Demandcon:
DemandCon Video: Storytelling Turns Prospects Into Buyers
Aradth says “How many time can I hear ‘We are the leading provider of’” Amen! She’s right when she says it is just noise.
Look at the girl reading a book. Could she be engrossed in product specs and speeds and feeds? How about our world-class whatchamacallit? Is she impressed by we are the leading provider of stuff. No, she’s reading a story that captures her imagination. That’s what your marketing team needs to do.
The first rule every marketing must embrace when they look at lead nurturing programs is this: Companies don’t buy. People do. Since we’re speaking to people rather than companies, one must engage on an emotional level. You need to build trust and confidence in your company and the very best way to connect in this manner is through the use of stories. People react to stories on an emotional level and trust the companies they connect with.
Think of some companies you respect today: perhaps Apple, BMW, Southwest Airline, and Singapore Air. In each case, do you think of the technicalies of the products? Or do you think of innovative designs, a driver’s car, friendly service and pure elegance? Those are companies that built a brand by telling stories.
There are no hard and fast rules for story-telling. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Be patient and gentle. Don’t overdo it. Think outside the box. Don’t be afraid.
I cannot tell you what to write in your story. But here’s a link to a great e-book by my client/partner on Telling Your Brand Story to Grow Sales. In fact, maybe you need to recruit differently or outsource it — check out my partner. But think of how you can engage your prospective buyers with stories and you’ll prosper.
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Jeff Ogden