What is lead nurturing?
When is lead nurturing worthwhile?
Lead nurturing is worthwhile wherever a lot of time passes between initial interest and closing: in B2B business with several decision makers, with products that need explaining, or with contracts that can only be switched on a specific date. If you advertise only once in this phase, you will be forgotten; if you advertise too often, you become a nuisance. In B2B business, purchasing, technical staff and management also have different questions and need different content.
A nurturing journey therefore delivers content suited to each phase at sensible intervals: first orientation, then comparison and benefits, and finally a concrete offer. The prospect’s responses – content opened, pages visited, documents downloaded – feed into a lead score. If it exceeds a threshold, the journey notifies sales so that a person takes over at the right moment.
The same applies in B2B business: promotional emails generally require the recipient’s prior express consent (Section 7(2) No. 2 UWG), unless an exception applies. Lead nurturing is therefore relationship building with permission, not with purchased addresses.
The purchasing department of Beispiel Kunststoff GmbH has signed up for information on maintenance contracts. Over twelve weeks it receives four pieces of content: a maintenance planning checklist, a cost comparison, a practical example and an offer. After the cost comparison is viewed, the lead score rises above the threshold; the inside sales team receives a task to call.
Distinction
| Term | Difference |
|---|---|
| Lead scoring | Metric for purchase readiness; controls nurturing but is not a communication process |
| Cold acquisition | First contact without prior interest |
| Onboarding | Support after closing |
Related pages
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Use case
B2B lead nurturing -
Industry
SMEs, B2B manufacturing & wholesale