If you want to keep prospective customers interested in your business, you have to do more than grab their attention. You must also build a connection that lasts.
Whether they’ve signed up for a free demo or just visited your website, prospective customers are already curious about what you offer. But how do you keep that curiosity alive?
You need to actively engage prospective customers to turn their interest into action. This guide will explain how you can do this.
How To Identify Prospective Customers
You need to identify prospective customers before you can even think about getting them engaged. It’s an essential part of your account based marketing or lead generation processes, so don’t ignore it.
Put simply, prospective customers are individuals or businesses who have shown an interest in your product or service but have not yet made a purchase. You can identify them using various methods.
- Behavioral data: Look for prospects who frequently visit your website, download your content, or sign up for your newsletters. Tools like website analytics and social media insights can help you track these engaged individuals.
- Lead scoring: Implement a lead scoring system to prioritize prospects based on their engagement level and conversion potential. Those who interact more with your content or spend more time on your site will usually score higher.
- Demographic information: Collect demographic details such as age and gender (for B2B leads, industry and company size). This information helps you target those most likely to be interested in your product or service.
- Outbound prospecting: Your sales team can actively identify prospective customers by reaching out to individuals or companies that match your ideal customer profile. Techniques like email outreach and cold calling can also help.
You must understand who your prospects are if you want to craft engagement strategies that hit the mark.
5 Strategies to Keep Your Prospective Customers Engaged
You’ve identified your prospective customers, but to keep them engaged will require careful thought and well-organized strategies. Here are five strategies that can help.
1. Personalize Your Communications
A generic message won’t cut it. If you want to stand out and make prospective customers feel like more than just a number, you’ll need to personalize your communications. When done well, a personalized message shows your prospects that you really understand and value them. Here’s how you can do it effectively.
- Customize your emails: Go beyond simply adding a prospective customer’s name. Mention their industry, job role, or a recent interaction, and segment email lists to send them relevant content. For example, if a prospect is a customer service manager interested in digital customer service, share content like whitepapers on virtual call center trends.
- Personalize your phone calls: Preparation is key. Instead of using a generic pitch, reference past conversations or specific features prospective customers have shown interest in. Show your prospects that you’ve done your homework and see them as an individual.
Use personalized offers: There are all sorts of personalized offers you can provide for prospective clients, from custom demos to trials tailored to specific concerns. That might mean working around their budget limitations or offering them the features they need.
2. Leverage Multi-Channel Engagement
If you rely on a single channel, you’ll soon limit your ability to connect. Potential customers use multiple platforms, so you need a multi-channel engagement strategy. It will help you reach prospects where they’re most active. Here’s how to do it effectively.
- Combine email with other channels: Emails are great for detailed info. And if you use tracking software to record opened emails and clicks, it will help you improve the timing of your follow-ups.
- Use phone calls for a personal touch: Phone calls are real-time conversations, and will allow you to directly address questions or concerns. Don’t forget to review previous interactions with prospective customers so you can personalize your calls.
- Engage on social media: Platforms like LinkedIn are perfect for informal conversations and getting your name out there. You can use it to share insights and comment on prospects’ posts so you retain a presence without being overly promotional.
- Use SMS for timely updates: SMS is useful for time-sensitive info or reminders. You should keep messages short, relevant, and infrequent.
- Integrate live chat and chatbots: These tools provide real-time support, and keep your prospective customers engaged on your website. Remember to make sure you can provide a smooth handoff to live agents when that’s needed.
Coordinate your channels: Use a unified CRM to create a seamless experience across all platforms to avoid repetitive communications and so you deliver consistent messaging.
3. Use Automated Nurture Campaigns
Automated nurture campaigns are another useful way you can stay connected with your prospects. Here’s how you can maximize their impact.
- Segment your audience: Put your prospects into groups based on factors like industry, role, or what stage they’re at in their buying journey. This will help you tailor your campaigns to audience needs.
- Deliver targeted content: Provide educational content for those at the awareness stage. Whereas you should offer detailed product information or case studies to prospective customers closer to making a purchase.
- Share regular updates: Use nurture campaigns to send out product updates or upcoming event invitations. Regular, valuable touchpoints will help you maintain engagement without overwhelming your prospective customers.
Automate with care: Automation allows you to scale your efforts while retaining personalized communications. You can often set up triggers based on prospect behavior, such as email opens or website visits, so that you can send timely follow-ups.
4. Offer Demos
If you offer demos,, your prospective customers can see the value of your solution in real-world scenarios, which can convince them to buy your product. Here’s how you can make the most of this strategy.
- Highlight key features: During the trial or demo, focus on the features most relevant to your prospective customer’s needs. The experience should be tailored to their specific pain points so you can demonstrate how your solution solves their problems.
- Provide guided support: Don’t just offer a demo and leave your prospective customer to figure it out. Instead, provide a guided experience. That might mean offering walkthroughs or tutorials. You might also offer dedicated support or check-ins via video call during the trial period.
- Create a sense of urgency: Time-limited trials encourage your prospective customers to explore your solution and make a quick decision. You can also increase the sense of urgency by providing exclusive offers, like an extended trial or discounts for early sign-ups.
Follow-up strategically: After the trial, follow up with a personalized call or email. This is a chance for you to discuss their experience with them and answer any remaining questions. The follow-up is key, as it will help move your prospective customer closer to a final decision.
5. Make Use of Digital Customer Service Tools
Digital customer service tools can really enhance how you interact with prospective customers. They offer quick support so that no question goes unanswered. Here’s how to get the most out of these tools.
- Provide 24/7 assistance: Chatbots and automated systems provide help around the clock. This means urgent questions can be answered at any time, even outside regular business hours, which prevents prospective customers from losing interest.
Streamline common inquiries: Use chatbots and self-service portals to take care of common questions, like pricing or product features. This allows your team to focus on more difficult issues whilst still providing quick answers to routine queries.
- Collect data: CRM platforms and contact center analytics are great for tracking common questions and user behavior, and give you valuable data to help you fine-tune your approach.
- Monitor engagement in real-time: Use real-time analytics so you can quickly identify and address any issues your prospective clients experience.
Final thoughts
Keeping your prospective customers engaged requires a mix of personalization, multi-channel strategies, and clever use of the right technology. With these tactics, you can create an experience that excites and engages your audience.
Ultimately, it’s all about making your prospects feel heard and valued, every step of the way. Stay pro-active throughout the process and keep finetuning your strategies so you can stay a step ahead of prospective customers.
Frequently asked questions
What is a prospective customer?
A prospective customer is someone who has shown an interest in your product or service but hasn’t yet made a purchase. They’re actively considering what you offer and are at various stages of the buyer’s journey.
How do you call a prospective customer?
When reaching out to a prospective customer, you need to be clear and concise. It always helps if you can personalize your approach based on the prospect’s previous interactions with your company. For example, you might want to make a follow-up call referencing a demo they participated in.
What is the difference between prospective and potential customers?
Prospective customers have already shown some level of interest in your product or service. On the other hand, potential customers fit your target market profile but might not be aware of your business.
Originally published Sep 15, 2024, updated Sep 18, 2024
