Funnels are tidy. Buyers aren’t. They ghost, compare, price-check, ask a mate, read three reviews, then pop back at 10:47pm from a different device, chocolate bikkie in hand and a nagging case of FOMO. That’s why single-channel ‘drips’ stall – and why a bold, omnichannel marketing strategy wins.
To nurture leads today, you need more than a simple sequence. You need a system that follows buyers across email, SMS and social, weaving helpful moments into one consistent experience.
“A nurture sequence should feel like you’re being guided, not pushed,” says Leigh Robshaw, Content Manager at Content Rebels. “It’s a conversation that follows your customer across channels and shows up with something genuinely useful.”
So if you want lead nurture that converts, stop writing ‘Stage 1–2–3’ emails and start designing for real moments. Map what buyers feel and do, then weave email for depth, SMS for timely nudges, and retargeting/social for smart reminders into one consistent story – powered by simple automation and measured against one clear outcome.
Next, we’ll show you the moves that matter, the stats that prove it and a quick health e-commerce example you can lift and run with.
Why omnichannel beats one-and-done
When your message meets people where they are, performance compounds. Personalisation is a proven growth lever: companies that excel at it generate 40% more revenue from those activities than average players, with typical lifts in the 5–15% range.
Automation then turns that relevance into revenue. Fresh analysis of 24B emails, 230M SMS and 413M push messages shows one in three people who click an automated message make a purchase. Automations were just 2% of email volume yet drove 37% of sales – a wildly efficient engine your team can’t ignore.
And email still pulls weight on the balance sheet. The latest Litmus data finds most teams see 10:1 to 36:1 ROI from email alone, which is exactly why it makes a strong backbone for any omnichannel marketing strategy or omnichannel marketing funnel.
“If you’re only showing up in one place, you’re leaving money – and trust – on the table,” Leigh says. “The magic happens when every touchpoint is singing from the same song sheet.”
How to build a lead nurture sequence people respond to
Start with moments. What does your buyer feel and do between curiosity and commitment? List those moments (evaluation panic, procurement purgatory, post-demo wobble). Write the most helpful message you could deliver for each. Then choose channels.
Use a simple spine for structure. Try email for depth, SMS for time-sensitive nudges, and retargeting/push for timely reminders. You can expect significant step-ups when you coordinate channels: in Omnisend’s benchmark work, campaigns using three or more channels delivered a 287% higher purchase rate than single-channel blasts, with SMS-supported flows showing meaningful extra lift.
“Personalisation isn’t just {first_name},” Leigh says. “It’s behavioural – what they read, where they stalled, what they clicked. Direct people based on those signals, and you’ll see the difference.”
A quick story: launching a health e-commerce plant-based protein
Picture a health e-commerce company launching a new plant-based protein powder. The journey feels like this:
- A 15-second Instagram Reel shows a post-workout smoothie, stitched with creator clips that feel like mates sharing tips.
- Anyone who taps through gets a welcome email with a simple promise (“your plant-powered kickstart”), a short primer on benefits and a small offer.
- People who visit the product page but bounce see retargeting that surfaces real reviews and a one-liner on taste: “Tastes naughty. Isn’t. Zero weird aftertaste.”
- A blog post titled “Top 5 plant protein myths” arrives via email and social media to handle objections without the hard sell.
- Fence-sitters get a same-day SMS: “Want the buyer’s checklist? Reply YES” – a helpful nudge, not a nag.
Each touchpoint is different, but the story is consistent: educate, reassure, and make the next step obvious. The automation does the heavy lifting in the background, so your team spends time where it counts – on message quality and creativity.
This example shows how an omnichannel marketing strategy can be both structured and human… making moments meaningful and outcomes measurable.
Make it measurable (and keep it human)
Pick one success metric per sequence – booked demo, activated feature, or first purchase – and instrument the journey for click-to-conversion, replies and time-to-next-step. That clarity matters because many teams admit their nurture isn’t where it should be: 51% of marketers say their 2024 programs “needed improvement.” Translation: Even a focused tidy-up can put you ahead.
Three quick checks before you hit publish:
- Does each message solve a real moment, or just fill a cadence?
- Is there evidence in every touch (a stat, review, or micro case study)?
- Is the next step crystal clear?
“People buy from people they like and trust,” Leigh says. “So every message – email, social, or SMS – should sound like a human who gets their problem and offers a straight path forward.”
The Rebels’ way forward
High-converting nurture isn’t wizardry. It’s a clear promise, delivered consistently across channels, powered by automation, sharpened by personalisation, and measured against outcomes. Do that and you don’t just move leads – you future-proof your pipeline.
“We don’t write sequences to please an internal playbook,” Leigh says. “We write them to help the buyer make a confident decision. If a touch doesn’t do that, it doesn’t ship.”
If you’d love an omnichannel marketing strategy your buyers respond to, talk to Content Rebels. We’ll map your moments, design the sequence and set up the omnichannel marketing tools that move revenue. Get in touch and let’s build it together.
Founder of Content Rebels | Proud marketing and strategy nerd
