Understanding Warm Leads (and How to Convert Them)
The journey to building strong client relationships can be challenging but rewarding, and is key to sustaining your business. As such, here are some tips for converting warm leads to client relationships.
What are warm leads?
A warm lead is a potential client who has expressed interest in working with you. They may be a referral, someone you've worked with, a site visitor who filled out a form, or a prospect you've engaged with on social media. Either way, you've established a rapport, which helps you bypass the potentially awkward cold lead phase where gaining momentum requires much more time.
Running your own business is all about being selective about how you invest your time and so focusing on warm leads can get you better results. While that's easier said than done, here are some steps to take.
1. Build trust
Trust is essential in building lasting client relationships. While large businesses can invest in sales and marketing campaigns that educate prospects and establish credibility, a smaller scale operation often relies on word-of-mouth advertising for longevity.
When you're working with warm leads, work on sustaining trust that's already been established with social proof, research, demonstrated expertise, and smart marketing campaigns.
2. Gather social proof
Maintaining a good reputation goes a long way. If a prospect sees that someone they know—or someone they can relate to—has great things to say about you, they're more likely to trust you. Few things establish credibility as effectively as a trusted source vouching for you.
For a growing business, testimonials go a long way. When someone's considering working with you, a glowing endorsement may be just the nudge they need to make their decision.
3. Highlight case studies
In addition to testimonials, a portfolio—or a case studies page—will help you highlight your work and your unique approach. Be sure to include the challenges your clients face and how you helped navigate them.
The more you know about the client and the problems they're trying to solve, the simpler it will be to show them the right case study. See if you can learn more about their situation to show them what's most relevant.
Learn more about showcasing your work.
4. Work on social presence
We know a social media presence can also help you prove yourself to prospective clients. Even without tens of thousands of followers, publishing work and interacting with your audience regularly will help establish you as an expert in the field.
Learn more about sharing content on social media.
In addition to showcasing your work, social media is a great place to find warm leads. Audit your followers from time to time. See what they do and who they work for. Reach out to them and start a conversation.
5. Create blog content
Consumer interests and design trends are fast-evolving. Search engines frequently re-prioritize sites, attention spans are shrinking, and with them, the number of reliable guidelines. For this reason, clients are coming to you for expertise on what's changing and how they can continue to thrive.
Let this inspire you curate and publish content on best practices and what goes into great design. Establish a point of view and use case studies to solidify yourself as a thought leader. Share insight on design trends, social media marketing, and business strategy. Publish articles that make prospective clients think of you organically as a resource.
6. Get partnerships and certifications
Testimonials and editorial aren't the only ways to demonstrate expertise. Third-party backing through strategic partnerships and certifications also do well to prove the value of your business. Depending on your focus, you can be certified in SEO, marketing, web design, and other areas.
Circle members can also use our badge on their websites to show that they are Squarespace experts.
7. Be curious
If you have a prospective client's attention, make the most of it. Asking questions and actively listening help you learn about what they're trying to achieve. Understanding their business and their competitors allows you to position yourself as a valuable partner. They'll be able to see your expertise without you having to sell yourself too hard in the beginning stages of business development.
This not only establishes rapport, but also gives you an edge when it’s time to make a proposal. After all, one of the best business development and conversion tools is knowing what a client needs before they know it themselves.
8. Study the field
Keep a consistent list of resources you visit on a regular basis in order to make sure you're all caught up on what’s relevant to your clients, such as design trends and industry news.
Some people find that it's helpful to block out an hour or two to read everyday. Whether it's over a morning cup of coffee or casual reading as you wind down for the night, find a way to integrate learning into your daily routine. This arms you with insights to talk or write about with existing and prospective clients.
9. Use Email Campaigns
Email is a great channel to sustain engagement with warm leads. With Squarespace Email Campaigns, you can build, deploy, and track the effectiveness of your campaigns and optimize accordingly. You'll be able to tell who opens an email and you can follow up with a personalized message after.
Learn more about designing effective email marketing with Squarespace.
Conclusion
While the conversion to a working relationship may be easier with a warm lead because you have their attention, it still requires you to prioritize earning their trust and understanding what’s most relevant to them. Demonstrate your expertise by mining for their needs, finding pain points, and sharing helpful information.
Want more?
Check out Squarespace Circle, Squarespace’s program for professional designers. Along with exclusive content, discounts, and other perks, Circle brings professionals together from all across the globe to exchange advice while connecting with new clients and collaborators.
