Lead Capture and Management in a Post-Funnel World
The funnel has gone leaky. Across industries, inquiries no longer track to sales. Prospects stay stealth and anonymous. People chat with their friends and followers about you behind your back and then show up at your storefront, website or admissions hall in numbers that mystify.
But there is no need to freak out. You just have to adjust your metrics, get in on the conversation and follow these three simple rules of thumb:
- Identify influencers. Mine the conversation to find folks who make lots of comments or host their own related industry or product blogs or feeds – and feed them!
- Take and give. Offer stuff of real value (whitepapers, studies or nifty applications) in exchange for some personal details. Give more than you take. Don’t ask for a lot at any one time. But make sure you are able to aggregate what you get into a complete description. People that come back a few times or suddenly increase their contacts across your social space are hot.
- Nurture, nurture, nurture… authentically! It’s now all about the art of conversation. Get in on it! For many prospects, your simple willingness to converse openly and honestly will be enough for them to convert. For higher value prospects, the answer is still conversation. Just more of it, done more directly.
