10 Expert B2B Lead Generation Strategies

When it comes to establishing your business, one of the most important activities to conduct is lead generation. Operating in a business-to-business (B2B) capacity means your success as a company is driven by the professional relationships you can form. There, therefore, needs to be a significant amount of time dedicated to generating leads to grow your business. 

In the age of the internet, the B2B lead generation strategy has accelerated significantly, but it also means that there are more avenues to explore when it comes to onboarding prospective clients and creating brand awareness. It can also be challenging to know exactly how to start your lead generation campaign. 

In the below guide, we’ll be taking a look at some of the strategies used by experts in the field of B2B lead generation which have proved most effective across industries. After reading this you will hopefully have a better idea about how you can implement a B2B lead generation strategy and understand more about the tools available to use in carrying out your lead generation campaign. Let’s dive in and take a look at the 10 best B2B lead generation strategies. 

 

Implement Effective Content Marketing

Content marketing is one of the best B2B marketing strategies to use as it allows you and your company to showcase your expertise to the rest of the world. It also provides a platform wherein you can drive traffic to your company’s social media pages and your website, where interested parties can learn more about your company and how you operate. 

This example of B2B lead-generation strategies is also a great way to build audience engagement. When you create content that is relatable to your target audience, you give prospective customers a reason to believe you have a product or service that can help them in their current circumstances. 

Creating content surrounding industry insights and valuable market trends is one way of telling your leads that they are dealing with experts in their field, making them more likely to approach you over others. By generating leads through optimised content, you also ensure that your company’s online visibility is high ensuring that your business’ name becomes commonly used in the context of the product or service you provide. 

Effective content marketing does not simply stop at Search Engine Optimisation or making sure you rank higher than others in your industry. It’s also making sure you create content that is relevant and engaging to your target audience. For this reason, an in-depth understanding of your customer demographic is an essential part of generating leads through content marketing. 

 

Use Linkedin Wisely 

Linkedin is a wonderful platform for generating B2B leads as it allows you to approach people directly and on a less invasive level than some telemarketing campaigns. When approaching professionals on Linkedin it’s also important that your messages are short and to the point, which is an attractive trait to prospective leads. 

There is some background work you need to do when using Linkedin as a medium to implement a B2B lead generation strategy. If you are using your personal Linkedin profile for B2B networking, you need to make sure the profile speaks volumes about you as a professional and also has a clear message about what you do and who you work for. 

It’s likely that prospects will look at your Linkedin profile to ascertain whether or not you are someone they would be interested in working with. If your profile looks the part then it’s more likely you will get positive responses from those you approach. 

You don’t necessarily have to take the direct approach when using Linkedin to build your B2B lead generation strategy. You can also integrate the principles you use in content marketing to create engaging professional posts, which demonstrate your expertise in a given field. This will add credibility to your own professional profile and therefore your company’s too. 

 

Use Telemarketing Experts

Gone are the days when telemarketing campaigns are only used to generate leads for sales. Campaigns are also used to generate leads on a B2B basis. One of the most common problems companies run into when implementing a telemarketing lead generation campaign is a lack of resources to carry out the job effectively and a lack of staff who are skilled in the role of telemarketing. 

If you find yourself in such a position, it is possible to outsource your telemarketing needs to professional third-party companies such as Novus. Telemarketing professionals have the tools and databases necessary to carry out an effective campaign as well as the resources to conduct thorough market research before running with lead generation activities. 

If you require telemarketing assistance, contact the friendly team at Novus today to learn more about the services we can offer and how we can build a package around your specific needs when it comes to B2B lead generation. 

 

Using Google Ads For Targeted Leads

Google Ads is another popular tool used in B2B lead generation. To use the tool effectively, thorough research must be conducted on the intended audience you wish to target. By researching demographics and the type of businesses that would use your service or product, you’ll be able to steer your Google Ads in a direction that will ensure quality leads are generated. 

By using targeted Google Ads, it’s more likely that you will become visible to relevant parties as opposed to creating ads that target industries of little relevance to your business. Combining effective audience market research and a well-planned Google Ads campaign is one of the expert ways of generating high-quality B2B leads. 

 

 

Post-Case Studies of Previous Work

One thing that good-quality leads look for is evidence of credibility. It’s therefore useful to have some of your previous clients write testimonials which paint your company in a good professional light. These can be posted on your company’s website and on your social media platforms to give prospective leads insights into how you work and what the outcomes of certain projects were. 

Testimonials are a great way of giving prospective leads a glance into your previous successes which helps build your business’s credibility. However, for more of a professional edge, consider publishing case studies on your platforms. Case studies take a more in-depth approach to how certain projects panned out and provide information about the stakeholders involved, challenges faced and overcome, and parameters under which projects were completed. 

Publishing case studies also positions your business as an expert in the given field and provides an opportunity to teach leads something. When a B2B contact can see the value you could bring to a business relationship, it stands you in good stead for business growth and collaboration. 

By demonstrating that your business takes its work seriously, and carefully considers project requirements, case studies are a great way of making your business more attractive to quality leads. 

 

Implement Referral Programmes 

There is no better strategy more effective than word of mouth, which is why many expert B2B lead generation strategists emphasise the importance of business referral. However, some previous clients tend to forget to refer more business to you. For this reason, referral programs are very effective in generating leads. 

If a current or previous client is given a reason to recommend your products or services to another contact, it’s more likely it will happen. Referral programmes typically entail giving clients a financial incentive for spreading the word about your business. For example, you may want to offer a client a discount on their current package on the basis that they refer another client to you. 

This strategy is especially effective in the B2B sector, as it’s likely that your clients have further industry knowledge owing to them operating in the same space as your target audience. By implementing a referral programme, you create the opportunity for your business to expand by delivering work of a high standard. 

 

Enhance Your Email Marketing 

Much like Linkedin, approaching leads through email marketing campaigns is an effective, non-aggressive approach to lead generation. Tying in with content marketing campaigns and posting case studies, implementing email marketing is a great way to spread the word about new developments within your business and provides a platform for you to share industry insights. 

One of the main things to take into account when building an email lead-generation campaign is to ensure that you do not breach any privacy laws when sending out these emails. Conducting research and building a database is therefore the first important step in developing an email marketing campaign. 

For continuous email lead generation, you will also need to make sure that you keep your database up to date. Always provide your prospects with the option to unsubscribe to emails and make sure that their email address is removed from your contact database before the next batch is sent out.  

Have a sign-up sheet on your website that allows prospects to share their contact information with you. This will automatically give you the consent required to contact them with company news and industry updates. 

 

Refine Your Target Audience Based On Demographics

Understanding the different demographics of your target audience allows you to build what is known as buyer personas. Buyer personas are essentially categories wherein your target audience can be divided up into figurative personalities. Creating buyer personas is a useful exercise in understanding why certain customers would purchase your product or service and differentiates the varying needs of customers across your target audience. 

Some examples of demographic points to consider when building buyer personas are:

  • Location
  • Age
  • Salary
  • Profession
  • Name

This information can help you determine where your most likely paying customers are and in which industry and professional capacity they operate, which is key information when building a B2B lead generation strategy. 

To use the buyer personas, ask yourself about the specific needs of a given persona and what differentiates one from the other. This will allow you to develop more effective campaigns in email and content marketing, driving a more effective B2B lead generation strategy. 

 

Embrace Video Marketing 

Using social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram opens your content delivery up to more than just written text. These platforms allow you to exploit the benefits associated with video marketing. 

Videos are a more approachable content medium as they allow your target audience to understand the products and services you offer in a condensed, time-efficient manner. Videos provide prospects with a window into how you conduct business, and what your business does while presenting them a more personal reference point to your company. 

When leads can see members of your team personally engaging in the online space, it sells them more than a product or service. It also gives prospects insight into your company’s story which is a great way of building trust within your target audience. 

It has also been proven that people engage better with images and audio rather than text, and gives your company a platform to establish a brand voice. If a prospect gets a feel of what your company is all about, it’s more likely you can convert them into a paying customer. 

Develop Incentive Schemes 

Offering free incentives to prospects is another expert strategy in B2B lead generation. Schemes such as free service trials and sign-up discounts draw prospects in which gives them incentive to share their contact information with you, allowing you to add email addresses to your contact database. 

This is a great way to establish who is interested in a given product or service and will also give your company insights into your audience’s needs. By capturing data through implemented incentive schemes, you can continue to build your buyer personas and develop other B2B lead generation strategies like targeted Google Ads campaigns and email marketing campaigns. 

You will also be able to use the information gleaned from your leads to develop more engaging content – both written and on other mediums – increasing the chances of leads being converted into paying customers or collaborative parties.

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