Re-engaging lost leads using marketing automation

As marketers we tend to focus on leads in the marketing-sales funnel: new leads come in, we nurture them, qualify them and hand them over to the sales team. But what about leads that drop out of that funnel? Leads that weren’t interested in your products or services after all?

These “lost leads” probably aren’t lost forever. Just because someone isn’t interested in buying your products or working with you right now, doesn’t mean they will never be interested again. If you play it smart, you might just be able to re-engage them later.

In this blog post we’ll discuss a few great opportunities to check back in with lost leads, but first: two important things to keep in mind:

Keep track of lost leads in your CRM

Ask the sales team to tag lost leads in your CRM so you’ll be able to identify them. Even better: ask them to add a “lost reason”. Why weren’t they interested in your products or services? Having that kind of information will help you to decide on how and when to re-engage them later.

Don’t spam, treat them right

What’s very important to keep in mind when you’re thinking about re-engaging lost leads, is that they aren’t interested right now. This might seem obvious, but it’s often forgotten. Spamming lost leads with a series of emails right away, trying to convince them to buy anyway, won’t work. Chances are they will unsubscribe and you will have truly lost them.

Instead, contact them again when the time is right:

When they show interest again themselves
When you have something to offer them that would take away their initial objection
When their business changes and your offering becomes more relevant because of it

Now, let’s dive deeper.

When a lost lead shows interest again

The very best time to re-engage a lost lead is when they show interest in your business again themselves. You’ll know when that happens if they start visiting your website again, download an ebook or a white paper, attend a webinar or an event,…

Lost lead automation flows triggered by page views

When a lost lead starts visiting your website again, there are certain key pages you need to keep an eye on. If they read a blog post, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are considering working with you again. But when they visit key pages like product/service pages or pricing pages, that does show a rekindled interest in your business.

And that’s a good time for you to re-engage: set up automation flows that triggers an email sequence as soon as a lost lead visits (a combination of) those key pages multiple times. Keep in mind these leads already know you and your products or services, so enrolling them in the same nurturing flows you set up for new leads, isn’t the way to go – they need a different, personalized approach.

Here’s an example of what your first email could look like:

Lost leads example 1

This email contains a few key elements you can keep in mind when briefing your copywriter:

A personalized welcome message, adjusted to the situation
A clear value proposition of your product/service
An incentive to take action: try before you buy offering (can be a promotion as well)
A closing statement that shows you really want to help them
A sales rep’s contact details

Of course, you need to follow up after that first email. If the lead doesn’t take action, ask them if everything was clear to them or if they have any questions, and refer to the special offering or promotion again. But if you don’t get a reaction after two or three emails, stop the sequence. There’s no use in emailing them if they’re not interested. It will only give you a bad reputation.

Form submission flows for lost leads

Most of the time, when a lost lead takes action by downloading a white paper or attending and event or webinar, the automation flows you already set up will do. But it’s good practice to always keep lost leads in mind. And, if you notice certain trends, to act on it.

For example: if a lot of lost leads are attending your events or webinars, consider setting up specific automation flows (or branches in your existing flows) to boost their experience and the number of registrations. Or maybe you can host a webinar aimed at lost leads specifically?

When you have something to offer

Another good time to reconnect with lost leads, is when you have something to offer that would take away their initial objection. For example: a lead that didn’t have the budget at the time, might be interested in the promotion you are running.

What could take away their objections?

Changes in your offering
This might trigger lost leads who chose a competitor over you because your offering didn’t entirely suit them. Maybe these changes in your offering will convince them to switch.
Pricing changes, discounts, or promotions
For leads that got lost because of financial reasons, a pricing change (in a positive way), discount or promotion might take away their initial objection.

In this scenario, the ball is in your court. There’s no action you can use as a trigger for an automation flow – you have to keep lost leads in mind when setting up new campaigns, ask yourself if they would benefit from what you’re offering and choose the right segment to reach out to.

When there’s a new opportunity

Businesses change. They grow, they get acquired or acquire other companies themselves. If that happens, that’s a great opportunity for you to check back in with them. It’s very likely their needs have changed and your products or services are more relevant than ever.

Don’t wait for them to contact you – that may never happen. Instead, be proactive. Keep a list of all your lost leads, so sales reps can go through it from time to time and do research about the company’s current status. If the business changed in a way that’s relevant to what you’re offering, a sales rep can contact them again.

Here’s an example of what that email could look like:
Lost leads example 1

A message from the sales rep they were in contact with in the past will make the most impact. It’s personal and draws attention.

But if your sales team has a high workload, you can create an automation flow that triggers when a sales rep tags a lead as “Lost lead – New opportunity”. You can get even more specific and personal if you ask them to also register why there’s a new opportunity. For example, growth, got acquired, acquiring a competitor, etc. You may have to create new fields in your CRM and marketing automation tool to set this up.

These are a few handy tactics to get started with if you don’t want to give up on lost leads just yet. But automating the process isn’t always a piece of cake. Contact us if you need help re-engaging lost leads or optimizing existing automation flows.