How you find and cultivate those leads is your b2b lead generation strategy. Every business should have one, because generating leads is what keeps a business strong.
How can you generate b2b leads?
Every marketing effort you make is a potential lead generator. Leads can come from anywhere you promote products or services. These include your website, advertising online and off, inside sales, telemarketing , email, webinars, direct mail, blogs, public relations, online video, new media and social media. Of course, some channels are more effective lead generators than others.
What marketing channels will be the most effective b2b lead generators?
Deciding what channels will work best requires some market research. In the b2b market, email and webinars may be more effective than social media. This is a market full of professionals. They probably check their email but might not spend a lot of time on Pinterest. They are also probably interested in professional development, so would appreciate a webinar, but might not have time to read your company blog. Like with any marketing or PR campaign, testing will help you narrow your focus. Run a sample email drip campaign and see how it performs. Or, post a series of insightful industry articles on Facebook and measure your traffic and click-throughs.
Marketing automation
Automation is popular in the lead generation game, but it’s not universally loved. Some appreciate the consistency and tout the smart personalization features of the more robust automation platforms. Others claim it’s still too impersonal and would rather sacrifice some speed and consistency for real human interaction. When and where to use automation is an individual decision. For example, you may choose to use automation for scoring leads and generating analytics on customer behavior. But when it comes to email, you’ll compose each one yourself. Or, you may choose to automate your initial follow up emails, to make sure potential customers always get a fast first contact. In most cases, some automation is a good thing but too much can be alienating or overwhelming to potential leads. Experiment to see what generates the most leads for you.
Designing campaigns
How you contact prospects is important, but the content of that contact is even more important. Take some time to target and craft your communications. Use automation technology to learn about your prospects: where they spend their time and what content they prefer. Then, tailor your email or website content to their preferences. Content marketing campaigns can also be effective b2b lead generation initiatives. Draw interest with valuable content that solves a problem. For example, create a series of videos that demonstrate creative uses of your product, or post a series of articles with industry expert insights to lure professionals looking to develop new skills.
B2B lead generation platforms
There are many companies offering software to help you generate leads.
Need some assistance with b2b lead generation? Contact Visually today for a quote on services.
