Are you nurturing your customers? Nurturing is a concept that can improve your customer relationships and boost profits by up to 95%, according to Forbes magazine. And it costs far less than converting brand new customers.

So let’s look at how you can use email lead nurturing to turn new leads into long-term customers, then keep those customers coming back again and again.

New vs. Returning Customers

While you’re probably aware that it’s better to retain an existing customer than seek out a new one, what you might not realize just how much better it is. Attracting a new customer costs about 5 times as much as maintaining relationships with existing customers.

Loyal customers typically make up about 65% of a company’s current business. And about 80% of future profits will come from just 20% of your current customer base, making customer loyalty extremely important for your company’s continued success.

So what will keep these all-important customers engaged with your business? It’s a valuable weapon that’s probably already sitting in your arsenal: your email marketing list.

Email, Your Secret Superstar

While some people might say the time of email has come and gone, we’ll let you in on a little secret: Email is actually thriving now more than ever. 

Why? Mostly because email filtering has improved so much, people have started to rely on it all over again. Plus, it’s free. It’s fast. And it’s a handy way to flip through important messages quickly but store them to review another time. Haven’t we all received an email coupon and thought, “Hm, I might go back and look at that later”?

Email is now delivering 3800% ROI for the average company. A whopping 99% of U.S. adults who have email check it at least once a day, which is pretty astounding. 

What if you could gently coax a bunch of these emailers into becoming your loyal customers?

How to Nurture an Email Lead

With a longtime customer, you’ve already guided them through a huge portion of the customer journey. They’ve dived into the sales funnel, sampled your offers, shared their precious credit card numbers, and experienced your products/services.

But on the flip side, with a newer customer, you must do something to “wow” them and increase their likelihood of sticking around. You have their email address, so let’s put it to good use. Here are some tips for email lead nurturing that will turn new customers into returning customers.

Customer Segmentation

First, it’s vital to target your email marketing messages to the right segment within your customer base. Relevance matters. Customers are much more likely to pay attention to messages that are carefully tailored to their needs.

Divide your customers into groups based on their buying stage and needs. Identify what types of questions they’d have at this point, and which relevant keywords are trending online.

If you need help with customer segmentation, connect with an email marketing agency that can help you sort through your customer list. This crucial step supports the overall success of your email lead nurturing strategy.

Education and Support

Here’s else something to consider: An educational email is often much more powerful than a promotional email. Are you sending educational emails that improve your existing customers’ understanding of your products/services? Are you helping them get the most out of what you provide?

Try amping up your emails with tutorials, tips, tricks, and videos. Show your customers something they never knew about the product they already own. Do it right, and they’ll be immediately re-engaged with your company.

(Psst: Remember to include a clear call-to-action button that helps you convert educated customers into buying customers. It can increase your sales by 1617%.) 

Testimonials and Reviews

What about customer testimonials and/or reviews? Gather some Google Reviews or customer experiences on Yelp. Draw quotes from the customer feedback you’ve received on your website.

Now capitalize on these reviews: Give one of your customers their 15 minutes of fame. Feature them in one of your emails, along with at least one high-quality photo, and you’ll have an intriguing message that will recapture the interest of a huge group of previous customers.

It’s worth the effort to get the most out of your positive reviews, especially when it comes to client case studies. When existing customers see other people feeling happy with the same purchase, it reinforces the idea that they were smart to buy from you. This reminds them of their great decision and tempts them to try you again.

Exclusive Offers

We know, we know. The “exclusive offer” is done to death. But exclusive offers are still very relevant in today’s marketplace. People simply love receiving things that make them feel special.

You don’t even have to call it an exclusive offer. Call it your rewards club, loyalty discount, or longtime customer bonus program. No matter what you call it, create a custom landing page that will help convert curious customers as effectively as possible.

B2B companies have huge potential here, too. Think exclusive offers are for retail brands only? Think again. Companies in the B2B space can use this to build strong relationships with their clients and deepen the relationship. Good examples of exclusive offers for B2B customers might be: educational events for customers only, access to networking groups that require you be a customer to join, or even customer awards and accolades to show you appreciate your best clients. Show them the benefits of loyalty and remind them why the two of you have such a great relationship. Most of all, show them they’re appreciated.

Something else to keep in mind: Make sure your exclusive offer is actually exclusive. It’s easy to forward an email and make it obvious that you’re offering the same deal to everyone. Your loyal customers should feel that they’re really getting something exclusive.

Email Eye Candy

Finally, we’d like to point out that great design is extremely important in modern email lead nurturing. Your customers have seen hundreds of thousands of emails in their lifetimes. To keep their attention, you really need to stand out with a sleek and professional-looking design.

Take a look at these email ideas from Hubspot and marketing ideas from 11outof11 and prepare to be blown away by the world-class design. Don’t worry if you can’t create messages like these on your own. 11outof11 is here to help.

When you need help turning your email ideas into reality, contact 11outof11 for a discussion about lead nurturing services. We’re a full-service online marketing agency that can help you turn your existing customers into loyal customers using the power of email.