Lead generation is crucial for many businesses, as more leads typically result in more sales. If you have ventured into the lead generation journey, you likely know it’s a challenging task. There isn’t one single formula or strategy that ensures successful lead generation. While you may see a lot of research and strategies online from others promoting their methods, it can be difficult to determine what will work.
The truth is, there isn’t one right answer. Rather, effective lead generation involves a collection of strategies. It’s important to recognize that a strategy might be effective for one company and fail to produce results for another. You must ensure the strategies you use are best suited to your business and its needs. Before we dive into some B2B lead generation strategies, let’s talk about what B2B lead generation is.
What is B2B Lead Generation and Why Is It Important?
Lead generation is a vital step for many companies but B2B lead generation applies to companies that sell a product or service to another company. This is an important first step in the marketing funnel for many businesses. Lead generation is the process of identifying the ideal customer for your product or service and attracting them to make a purchase. It’s important to note that B2B is very different from B2C. Thus, you must not assume that the B2C strategies you are familiar with are applicable when it comes to your B2B company.
B2B lead generation is important because it attracts paying customers. Without these strategies, you won't generate interest in your product to move through the sales process and convert into customers. Overall, it is a cost-effective method for reaching your target audience that will allow you to grow your business opportunities.
B2B Lead Generation Process
Although the lead generation process is not always straightforward, there is a path that it generally follows. There are 4 steps that comprise the lead generation process.
Step 1: Finding Leads
The first step is identifying who you want to sell to. These people will be your leads. Once you know who they are, you need to collect their contact information so you can use this in your lead generation process.
Step 2: Reaching out
Now that you know who you need to reach out to, you need to start the process. There are a variety of methods that can work including cold calling, social media, SEO, etc. You must determine the best strategy for the audience you have identified.
Step 3: Qualifying and Prospecting
At this stage, you need to gauge the likelihood of the prospect making a purchase. This depends on what stage of the buying journey they are in: awareness, consideration, or decision.
Those in the awareness stage know they have a problem that needs to be solved. In this stage, a lot of research is being done. They will likely be looking at case studies, blogs, research, etc. It’s important during this stage to push these types of materials to grow your brand awareness.
In the consideration stage, they know they have a problem and they know what the solution is. At this point, they have found various companies that might solve their problem. Here they are evaluating all their alternatives and what makes sense for them. At this stage, you should focus on differentiating yourself from competitors.
In the final decision stage, the prospect is just about ready to become a customer. They are interacting with potential companies, booking demos, having meetings, and much more. At this stage, you want to focus on things such as free trials that will push the prospect through the last step of the process.
Step 4: Make a Sale
This last step is pretty simple. The potential customer picks you to make a purchase. This becomes a sale and an official customer of your business. Now that we have outlined what B2B lead generation is as well as the process, let’s look at 17 strategies you can use.
One way to combine a lot of the following strategies is to work with a B2B Podcast Partner that can handle the entire process for you, from finding your ideal client to network with as a podcast guest on your show, to building an audience of your ideal customer niche. They can help you host, manage, and create written SEO, audio, and video content from each episode to help grow your B2B business.
1) Utilize A/B Testing
It's challenging to get everything perfect on the first try, which is why A/B testing is so valuable. Your webpage serves as a key hub for potential customers to explore and develop interest in your products or services. By experimenting with various formats, colours, fonts, buttons, and other elements on your webpage and marketing materials, you can determine what resonates most with your audience.
For instance, a simple change in a button design might entice more customers to click it. Additionally, tracking where visitors' eyes naturally go on your webpage can help you optimize the layout. If you notice that most viewers are going straight to the bottom of the page, consider placing the most important elements for generating interest and driving sales there.
2) Collect Customer Reviews
As we all know, reviews are crucial in a consumer’s decision-making process. As customers ourselves, we know that we are more likely to purchase from a company with 5-star reviews than one with 3. That's why showcasing reviews on your website, social media, and marketing materials is essential.
Consumers tend to trust companies less because they assume businesses act in their self-interest. However, honest customer reviews are more credible and effective in generating interest, as they come from fellow consumers who are perceived as trustworthy.
3) Create a Survey
It can be hard to identify potential issues with your lead generation process that are hindering conversions. Surveys offer a cost-effective method to communicate with your customers and pinpoint some of these issues.
Creating a simple survey to gauge customer satisfaction can provide valuable feedback to improve your lead generation process. For instance, you might learn that customers struggled to find sufficient information about your product or service, which diminished their interest. With this insight, you can make your company information more prominent and accessible.
4) Feature Case Studies
If you have had success with previous customers, use this to your advantage. If your service has helped another business improve its operations, be sure to promote this achievement. Remember, you are selling to other businesses, which tend to be analytical, fact-oriented, and require approval from multiple individuals in the buying process. This is where case studies with proven results, facts, and numbers come in handy. It is hard for a customer to deny the benefits of your product if you can prove to them that it has worked for other companies. This will be utilized in the middle stages of the funnel to push customers to the end of their buying journey.
Start now, and take the time to generate these case studies. Once created, you can easily feature them on your website or send them to potential customers who inquire about your services.
5) Offer Lead Magnets
A great way of generating leads includes cold calling/emailing potential customers. The question is, how do you get the emails of potential clients? This is where lead magnets come in.
A lead magnet is some form of incentive that you can offer a potential customer that is of value to them and would entice them to share information such as their email. Once you have their email, you can send them promotional content to generate interest in your product.
The hard task is to generate lead magnets that are enticing enough to get someone to share their email. This is why you need to understand your target audience and what they would value. You need to identify their problem and how you can solve it. You could offer a free trial, a demo, a free consultation, and much more.
6) Creative Outreach
One method to generate leads involves cold calling and emails. As we previously mentioned, you can use lead magnets to collect emails from prospective customers which can be used for promotion. Even if you can collect their email addresses, getting them to read your email and generate interest can prove challenging. These individuals receive tons of emails promoting B2B products and services. Thus, you must be creative in your outreach. Many companies will send standard emails that are informative but sometimes boring. Including a quirky video, joke, or unconventional approach to promotion might be the thing that sets you apart from competitors resulting in a response.
7) Create Video Content
YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google, making it an essential component of your B2B lead generation strategy. B2B video content can play a pivotal role in a consumer’s buying process. Many will look to videos for criticisms or reviews on certain products and services. Additionally, videos are more engaging than simple emails or static websites and can be persuasive in converting viewers into customers.
Your videos don’t need to be elaborate. Even simple videos can capture opportunities that others might miss. Demonstrating the use of your product or service or providing an instructional guide can make all the difference. The absence of such videos might deter potential customers who feel there aren't enough online resources to educate them on your offerings. Videos can also be used to tell your story, connect with viewers, share insights, and much more.
8) Incorporate SEO
SEO is a necessary strategy for any business. An effective SEO strategy will allow for better reach and awareness for your business. Using the right keywords, links, titles, and more all contribute to how visible your webpage is in search results. The more recognition your page gets, the more opportunity to generate interest.
Ensuring the correct SEO approach means understanding your audience. Once you understand your audience, you can target keywords to their interests. For those who are new to SEO, it can be a complicated concept to understand at the start. Once you take the time to understand and build it, you will be in a much better position to promote your company. Remember to do the research and make adjustments to optimize your SEO approach.
9) Optimize for Mobile Viewing
With the use of mobile searching on the rise, it is important to ensure your content is optimized for mobile viewing. A poor mobile experience could deter a customer from your page or lead them to consider another competitor. It doesn’t take long to ensure compatibility with a mobile form, so it makes the most sense to take the extra steps to do so. Don’t be the person who decides to ignore this simple step and loses leads because of it.
10) Generate Referrals
People love to look for reviews but they trust referrals even more. Imagine your friend told you to buy something and talked highly of the product. Of course, you are much more likely to consider this product now that your friend has promoted it.
Once you build a client base, you will have very loyal customers if you provide quality products and services. Many businesses hesitate to leverage these client relationships, missing valuable opportunities. Don't be one of them. Since you've invested time in building these relationships, ask your customers to refer friends to your business. If they truly love your products, they will have no problem talking about it. Personal recommendations carry significant weight and can greatly benefit your business. Once you get this started, you will be on your way to creating a successful B2B referral program.
11) Offer a Free Trial
We all know the feeling of wanting to try something new but hesitating to commit. This might be how customers feel about your company. If you offer a product or service that is expensive, customers might not be willing to pay for the service before knowing how good it is.
This is a great opportunity to incorporate a free trial for your product or service. It allows customers to experience your product or service firsthand, increasing the likelihood that they'll make a purchase once they see its value. Additionally, a free trial can set you apart from competitors resulting in more leads, especially if others are not providing this option.
12) Engage With Q&A Sites
Sometimes a simple strategy can be the most effective. Many Q&A sites such as Quora and Reddit can act as a solid B2B lead generation strategy.
You have identified who your target audience is, now you can interact with them on these sites. Think of the types of questions they might ask or topics they are interested in. You can search these sites to find threads or posts regarding the topics you have brainstormed. Use this as a way to interact with your target audience. You can answer their questions, educate them, build relationships, and ultimately tie them back to your company and its offerings.
13) Optimize Your Landing Page
Your landing page is the destination for potential leads when they find you online. It's crucial that this page is optimized to capture their attention and guide them through the sales funnel. With numerous distractions online, it's easy for visitors to lose interest or close the page altogether.
Consider catchy headlines, visually appealing graphics, interactive content, etc. Including a popup or call to action is essential as it prompts the viewer to engage with your site. Whether it’s a popup to collect their email, a learn more button, or anything else, this simple interaction takes them one step further in the funnel to becoming a sale.
14) Personalize Your Website
In any business venture, personalization is key. Customers don’t want to see generalized content, they want to feel like you truly understand them and their needs. As potential clients will utilize your website as a primary source of information, you need to ensure the personalization of your webpage. With most B2B marketers already implementing personalization strategies, failing to do so will leave you falling behind the competition.
You can use dynamic webpages that adapt to the viewer’s name, location, industry, or company. This will allow you to make adjustments to what the individual sees based on what you think will appeal to them most. You can also set up your website to identify a person’s IP address so you can create personalized pages based on the viewer’s geographic region. There may be certain interests or needs for those in a certain area compared to others. This will increase your chances of generating interest with the viewer. Account-based marketing (ABM) is very prominent in the marketing world and a great tool to create a unique experience with each customer.
15) LinkedIn
If you are looking for B2B leads, LinkedIn is the most logical social platform to use. With many businesses present on social media, LinkedIn provides an excellent opportunity to build connections and expand your network. This network can be leveraged for generating leads which can turn into referrals and reviews.
However, it is important to recognize that LinkedIn can be more costly than other social platforms so you must ensure you are providing a valuable service. In addition, those on LinkedIn tend to be working professionals who are highly educated and career-driven. Ensuring you offer a product or service that would appeal to this type of audience will promote greater success for your efforts. If your target audience already aligns with those typically using LinkedIn, then it's a no-brainer that this platform is a great way to generate leads for your business.
16) Other Social Media Platforms
Although a platform like LinkedIn might make more sense for B2B leads, don’t write off B2C channels. You never know when platforms like Instagram or TikTok might generate some interest from B2B customers. If you are already using LinkedIn to promote your company, it doesn’t hurt to transfer some of that content to other social platforms. You never know, you might just be successful and find that your target audience uses other social platforms to research your company.
17) Organize Time
Although B2B lead generation is important, you will have many other tasks on your plate to handle. That is why lead generation doesn’t have to be an everyday task. You should always be promoting your business but ensure you dedicate certain days towards lead generation. Doing so will ensure your best efforts are dedicated to leads without the distraction of other tasks.
If you find that your target audience is more available on certain days to discuss your offerings, you might dedicate those days to lead generation. Other days of the week can be reserved for other tasks necessary to keep your business running.
Conclusion
Running a B2B business is quite different from B2C. It is a new landscape that you have to explore. The way businesses think compared to consumers can pose a challenge in a world where many are accustomed to how individuals think. It’s time for you to get in the mindset of what it truly means to market to another business. Now that we have highlighted 17 lead generation strategies for B2B leads, it is time for you to start growing your business and collecting those leads.
Written by Kaitlin Duong
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Jony Studios is a client-focused media production studio offering audio/video production, B2B podcasting, and audiobook services. They have worked with a wide range of clients from small businesses to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio and many others.
