AI lead nurturing for personalized engagement and higher conversions

The majority of leads — 80 percent of them — never convert to sales simply because they have not been nurtured. Today more than ever, organizations need to guide leads through the sales funnel, offering highly personalized engagements. 

Traditional lead nurturing is resource-intensive, and most businesses don’t have the available resources to dedicate to it. Sales representatives don’t always have the ability to personalize communications or reach leads at the right moment in the sales funnel. As a result, leads are more likely to become disengaged and lose interest in the organization. 

That’s where AI lead nurturing comes in. 

AI lead nurturing uses artificial intelligence technology to automate the processes associated with cultivating leads. Using AI, organizations can easily engage prospects by consistently sending personalized content that appeals to their interests, gradually drawing them further down in the sales funnel. Ultimately, this increases the chances of conversion. 

In this article, we explore how AI lead nurturing works, how it benefits organizations, and what its real-world applications look like. Plus, we offer you a road map to apply AI lead nurturing to your own business to help you convert more sales. 

Understanding AI lead nurturing

AI lead nurturing streamlines the process of cultivating relationships with business prospects using artificial intelligence technology. 

With AI tools, organizations can determine the best time to engage with leads in the sales funnel and develop highly personalized communications that will appeal to the specific interests and needs of each lead. AI lead nurturing is automated, requiring minimal human intervention. This allows for an efficient system that results in high conversion rates without high operational costs.

Unlike other automation tools, AI lead nurturing tools use machine learning to continuously learn from each interaction and improve overall performance. Many tools operate without prompts from human sales representatives to determine the right time to engage with leads. Chatbots with conversational AI, virtual assistants, AI SMS bots, and automated email marketing systems are just a few examples of the many AI lead nurturing tools available. 

Some AI tools also conduct lead scoring to rank leads and determine which ones are the most valuable to your organization. Using predictive analytics, they identify which leads are most likely to convert based on their behavior. Organizations can then use marketing automation and customer journey optimization to nurture those high-value prospects and close sales.

Real-world applications of AI lead nurturing

What does AI lead nurturing look like in action? There are many tools out there designed to help you automate personalized interactions with leads and nurture them through the sales funnel. Jotform AI Agents is one option that stands out, thanks to its versatile AI-powered lead nurturing capabilities. 

Here are some examples of how businesses like yours are applying Jotform AI Agents to nurture leads:

• Capturing lead information — The Lead Generating AI Agent walks leads through the lead generation form, ensuring that all their critical details are captured.
• Chatting with new leads — The Lead Capture AI Chatbot engages leads in conversation, gathering details such as contact information, interests, needs, and more.
• Qualifying leads — The Lead Generation Manager AI Agent learns more about leads to determine how likely they are to convert.

Jotform AI Agents offers hundreds of marketing automation AI agent templates that you can use for lead generation, lead nurture, customer support, and so much more. It’s an excellent tool for organizations that need support in gathering information from prospects and engaging in conversations with them at scale. 

There are other AI lead generation tools you can employ — and integrate with Jotform — as well. For example, use automated AI-driven email marketing sequences to reach out to leads about upcoming promotions. Follow up with prospects via text message after sales calls to see if they have any further questions. You can also use website chatbots to engage leads in the moment and provide helpful information to move them along the sales funnel.

5 steps to implement AI lead nurturing in your business

Thinking about integrating AI lead nurturing into your own marketing strategy? Follow this structured road map to ensure your implementation is a success.

1. Identify your lead nurturing goals

Gather all available data surrounding your current lead nurturing process. Look at areas where your organization can improve to increase sales conversion. 

For example, is your current response time to lead inquiries slow? This may be hurting your chances of nurturing leads successfully, in which case your goal might be to reduce your response times. 

Or, does your organization have a mess of lead data with no segmentation? This makes it more difficult to personalize messaging. A good goal here would be to improve your lead segmentation.

2. Choose the right AI platform

Determine which AI lead nurturing platform will help you meet your goals. Keep in mind there are a range of AI lead nurturing tools available, from chatbots to virtual assistants to AI agents. Regardless of which AI tool you choose, make sure it offers these key features: 

• Predictive analytics — Choose an AI lead nurturing tool that can analyze lead behavior and determine their next actions. This will provide insights to help you make decisions about how best to engage with them.
• CRM integration — A CRM (customer relationship management) platform is the heart of any lead nurturing strategy. Make sure the AI tool you choose can easily integrate with your existing CRM to enable data sharing.
• Omnichannel outreach — Prospects may connect with you through your website, social media, email, phone, SMS, or another channel. Tools that operate on multiple channels will benefit your lead nurturing strategy.
• Customizable templates — Opt for tools that come with templates you can customize based on your own particular needs.
• Human escalation — While AI tools can handle the majority of lead nurturing, there may be instances where a human representative would be more effective. Be sure your chosen tool can seamlessly escalate leads to a team member when necessary

3. Set up personalized workflows

Around 71 percent of consumers expect to see personalization from brands. You can use AI lead nurturing tools to create personalized workflows and messaging. Start by automating lead scoring to determine which leads are high intent and offer high value to your business. Send trigger-based emails to leads, such as after they download a report or engage with your company on social media. And don’t forget to follow up after important interactions like a sales call with a lead. Personalized workflows and messaging show leads that your business is paying attention to them.

4. Monitor engagement and optimize your strategy

Implementing AI lead nurturing is not a one-time project — it’s a process that must be consistently optimized. Use an AI analytics dashboard to monitor and track the performance of each lead touchpoint, and make periodic adjustments to improve response rates. 

For example, if your lead welcome email has a high open rate but a low click-through rate, it’s likely your email content needs improving. Or, if your chatbot has difficulty understanding certain types of statements and questions from prospects, you may need to retrain it for better performance.

5. Ensure human-AI collaboration

While automating and enhancing lead nurture with AI is a great way to scale personalized lead nurturing, you cannot remove the human element from the process entirely. The decision to purchase is often based on making a connection with your brand, and you will need a person to facilitate that relationship. Ensure your AI lead nurturing process strikes a balance between AI automation and human interactions for the best results. 

Best practices and optimization strategies

Once you have your AI lead nurturing strategies in place, it’s important to refine them for optimal results. Follow these best practices so you don’t end up with an AI lead nurturing strategy that doesn’t convert sales. 

• Split test important messaging — Whether you’re using AI-generated emails or handwritten subject lines, be sure to A/B or split test your messaging to see what appeals to most leads. Try different messaging styles, content length, content focus, and other aspects. 
• Enhance data inputs — An AI tool is only as good as the data it has been trained on. When training your AI lead nurturing tool, ensure the data is clean, accurate, bias-free, and relevant. Remember that you may need to retrain the AI once you have new data available. 
• Unify lead nurturing across platforms  — Whether you use a CRM, call-center dialer software, or both, be sure to integrate your AI lead nurturing tool into it for seamless data sharing. This will help you personalize all messaging and avoid the pitfalls of generic communication.

The future of AI lead nurturing

Some leads are just not ready to buy yet, which is why organizations use lead nurturing to keep them engaged until they’re ready to convert to a sale. With AI lead nurturing, your organization can enhance personalization and engagement at scale, both of which contribute to higher conversion rates.

The continuous evolution of artificial intelligence technology means that AI lead nurturing tools will also continue to change, transforming the way businesses engage with prospects and customers. Don’t risk falling behind — now’s the time to get on board with AI. Optimize your lead nurturing strategy with AI today, and show leads why your organization is worth paying attention to.