You know that happy birthday message with a discount coupon or an email with free content for you to delve into a topic?
These are two classic and efficient examples of what you can do to get closer to a lead through the communication ruler.
But what is this? Simple: it is a strategy used to maintain a strong relationship and communication with leads and customers.
Whether a communication ruler in e-commerce, whether in the educational sector or in a marketing company, the main point will always be the message and its way of having a positive impact, leading the user to his purchase decision, going to the bottom of the funnel.
After generating leads, lead nurturing is part of the process even after closing the deal!
To better understand this concept of the digital marketing tool, get some tips and know which automation software can help your company's CRM with this type of ruler, read on!
Understand the benefits of having a good communication
Consistent communication strategy results come primarily from personalization and context. Evidence shows that companies that master personalization grow faster than their peers because they deliver the right message, at the right time, through the right channel.
To boost your numbers, connect browsing, engagement, and CRM data, define behavioral segments (e.g., who clicked on X, downloaded Y, visited Z), and adjust frequency based on propensity.
Ruler The communication ruler is a great ally when it comes to relationship strategies, because it can be applied at any of the funnel stages, generating positive results with just the right interactions.
With an appropriate communication rule, it is possible to obtain results such as:
- Transforming a cold lead into a hot lead;
- Nurturing leads, turning them into qualified leads;
- Understand how the sales funnel is working;
- Keeping the brand in the user's memory;
- Decrease bounce rate and increase conversion.
Image: How to create an effective communication strategy to engage and retain students
How to make an efficient relationship ruler? Top 6 Tips!
The importance of an efficient communication rule is remarkable. But, after all, how to build one for your company? For this, it is necessary to take into account some factors and issues capable of impacting the result.
Below, check out 6 golden tips to develop your customer communication rule!
1. Know who you're talking
For any successful strategy, the first step is to understand your audience's behavior, so you know what types of communication and what content can have the most impact.
Likewise, to create a communication ruler, it is essential to have a well-defined persona. With this, it will be possible to align issues such as language, tone of voice and many other points that will make a difference in creation.
Known as a relationship ruler, this is a strategy used to get closer to your potential customer.
It is in this opportunity that you can build a friendly and trusting relationship with the lead, making them closer and more likely to consume the services and products.
For this, always ask yourself:
- Who do I talk to?
- For what purpose?
- What is the ideal tone of voice?
- Is this a more formal or informal message?
2. Understand their needs and what you can offer
For the lead, your contact is valuable when you are willing to heal a pain or solve a problem that the user may know (or not) exists.
In a communication rule, after users show interest, take advantage of opportunities to offer, free of charge, enriching content that leaves them increasingly instigated to know the subject, also understanding that your company or institution is an expert on the subject!
Some practical examples of materials that can be distributed and produced are:
- Ebooks;
- blog content;
- Webinar landing pages;
- podcasts.
3. Know the right time to send each communication
For good communication, it is always necessary to understand the best moments to contact. That's because nobody likes insistent and constant messages.
Approaching the lead at the wrong time or too much can be a big problem that can increase the bounce rate.
In this way, organize your message flow in a way that leaves a comfortable space between one contact and another, also varying the medium, so that it does not become tiring for those who receive them.
So, know how to merge different formats, such as SMS, messages via Whatsapp and emails.
Whenever possible, use technological automation resources to facilitate this work and reduce the demand on the sales team, so that this team can focus on more punctual services.
Since May 2024, WhatsApp has been applying user-based limits to marketing template messages, reducing delivery when there is a low likelihood of reading and prioritizing higher-quality experiences.
In practice, this means that repetitive messages tend not to be delivered if the contact does not interact, which reinforces the importance of segmenting, testing frequency, and optimizing content before scaling.
To maintain an efficient approach, create clear templates, link sending to behavioral triggers (clicks, replies, events), and monitor the engagement rate of each segment.
Read too:
- Inbound Marketing: 7 metrics to track and optimize
- What is link building? Learn how to make it successful
- The 8 essential tips to improve your CRM. Check out now
4. Choose the right channels to reach your audience
As we saw earlier, you need to diversify your contact. But beware: if you don't have a clear understanding of your target audience, the messages may not have an impact and, thus, weaken the results of the campaign.
Even during nurturing, you need to be assertive about “where to talk” with the lead. Don't miss the opportunity to connect with the user because of the right message in the wrong channel!
The most used and effective ones for the different strategies are:
- Email: electronic mail continues to be a strategic and measurable channel to nurture the communication rule.
By enabling different layouts and sizes, you can communicate with different audiences simultaneously through the automation of this medium; - Sms: already consolidated along with email, the Short Message Service - SMS - is also a quick way to send short messages.
In SMS, remember that the standard message has a limit of 160 characters; above that, the text is broken into 153-character segments, which impacts cost and deliverability.
To preserve performance, keep the call to action unique, remove superfluous elements, use shorteners with UTM, and evaluate A/B testing of information length and order. - Whatsapp: one of the novelties of recent years, Whatsapp now goes far beyond the exchange of messages between two users.
Now, with automation tools, it is possible to have this point of contact to disseminate information and get closer to the lead on this ruler.
Your strategy can be either solo, or with the merge with the others mentioned.
When diversifying channels (email, SMS, WhatsApp), ensure omnichannel consistency: the same promise, tone, and next action, regardless of the touchpoint.
Recent research shows that integrating channels increases value and loyalty when there is consistency and coordination between media, content, and timing.
In practice, use a unified contact plan, with sending windows per channel, suppression rules, and frequency caps per person.
5. Structure your flows considering behavior variants
Flow design consists of visual organization with sequential structure. From each point, possible paths are created.
By creating this flow, it is possible to organize the time between messages, as well as being an accurate way to predict the next steps.
In an organized flow, all messages are prepared considering the amount of investments to be made, in addition, it can enable the visual development of what is being planned.
Similar to a tree with branches, it is with the flow that your ruler can be organized and the points can be corrected according to the need and evolution of the lead, according to the goal trodden at the beginning.
6. Use automation to improve your CRM
Customer Relationship Management is a way to use technology in our favor for conversion. With the use of automation, it is possible to enhance the contact with the customer, enabling more agility and efficiency in the processes.
To develop the CRM, the most used tools are in Hubspot, a complete platform capable of performing steps from data capture to the final part of the conversion, also enabling lead nurturing in the post-sales period.
Bonus: study your results!
No communication rule is invariable. The main objective of this process is to make it an efficient strategy, so don't forget to analyze your results to always adjust what deserves attention.
The most important thing is that the lead can be nurtured effectively. Thus, periodically study the results and seek to understand what can be improved so that the relationship funnel is constantly strengthened.
LGPD Compliance: Communication strategies require an adequate legal basis (especially regarding consent when applicable), a clear purpose, and simple opt-out mechanisms across all channels. Review data collection, storage, and use in your CRM, as well as privacy policies and consent records.
For further information, consult articles explaining Article 7 of the LGPD and its data processing scenarios, including how to align marketing communication with transparency and security.
Use the tips to improve your customer relationship!
Did you write down these valuable tips? They will be essential when it comes to understanding the best way to nurture your lead, taking them from knowledge to consideration for your product or service.
By putting them into practice, it will be possible to better understand the behavior of users, making it possible to map and understand the actions that are actually being effective.
Key takeaways to build a high-performing communication cadence that nurtures leads and lifts conversions
An effective communication cadence blends personalization and context: segment by behavior (pages viewed, clicks, downloads), pace messages thoughtfully, and make the next step explicit in every touch.
Match channels to audience — email, SMS, and WhatsApp — with consistent, coordinated messaging; use automation tied to your CRM (e.g., HubSpot) to trigger sends and update lifecycle stages. Design branched flows (opened/didn’t, clicked/didn’t) with precise CTAs, avoiding over-messaging that drives churn.
Stay compliant with data privacy: establish a valid legal basis, capture consent where required, and provide easy opt-out on every channel (WhatsApp also throttles low-engagement templates, so quality and targeting matter).
Track and iterate relentlessly — click and conversion rates, replies, and opt-outs—to warm cold leads, reduce abandonment, and keep your brand top-of-mind through purchase and beyond.
Speaking of communication rules, check out our post talking about the 7 metrics on how to track and optimize an inbound marketing strategy. Check it out right now!
Do you have any questions about automation or how to apply the tips in this post to optimize your ruler ? Leave it in the comments and we'll clarify everything for you!
FAQ: Communication cadence — nurture leads and boost conversions
What is a communication cadence?
A planned sequence of touchpoints (email, SMS, WhatsApp, etc.) that maintains contact with leads and clients from awareness to conversion and loyalty.
What are the main benefits?
Stronger brand recall, warmer leads, higher conversion, lower rejection, and clearer visibility into the sales/engagement funnel.
How should I understand my audience first?
Define personas and segment by behavior (pages viewed, clicks, downloads) to match tone, offer, and channel to each segment.
What to offer at each stage?
Early: valuable content (ebooks, posts, webinars, podcasts). Later: social proof and offers. Post-sale: surveys, onboarding, loyalty content.
When is the right time to send?
Avoid over-messaging. Use behavioral triggers and balanced intervals; tune frequency to engagement.
Which channels work best?
Email for scalable nurturing, SMS for quick alerts, WhatsApp for conversational follow-ups—chosen by audience habits and kept consistent.
How to design effective flows?
Branch workflows (opened/not; clicked/not) with clear next steps and timing. Cap contacts per person to prevent fatigue.
Why use automation and CRM?
Automation triggers timely sends; CRM centralizes data, preferences, and consent to personalize at scale.
How to track and optimize?
Measure clicks, conversions, replies, and opt-outs. Test subject lines, CTAs, timing, and channels; prune inactive contacts.
What about privacy and compliance?
Ensure lawful basis, clear consent, and easy opt-out across channels; keep transparent data practices.
Common mistakes to avoid
Non-consented messaging, excessive frequency, wrong channels, generic copy, and ignoring analytics.
Signs it’s working
Rising engagement, stable opt-outs, and faster progression (lead → MQL → customer) show a healthy, effective cadence.
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