How effective is your B2B lead generation strategy? We frequently hear from clients that their lead generation isn’t producing the number of leads they need. To help you get off the lead gen treadmill, we’ve developed 6 easy-to-implement strategies to jumpstart your lead generation. Ready to get fired up?
With the constant development of social media, online tools and resources, and new B2B lead generation strategies, B2B companies don’t lack for lead generation opportunities. The trick is to focus on those strategies that will give you the most ammunition.
A major part of creating a winning lead generation strategy is knowing how to listen to industry trends and react. What do the numbers reveal that’s ahead or your industry? What do audiences want? What have other B2B companies found works?
If you don’t immediately know the answers to these question, don’t sweat it. We’re here to help. We’ve rounded up some of the trending strategies that have emerged over the past year to help you craft the most effective B2B lead generation strategy possible.
A major part of creating a winning lead generation strategy is knowing how to listen to industry trends and react 
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6 Killer B2B Lead Generation Strategies to Convert More Leads
1. Create Content Strategically
For most b2b companies, a blog is essential to lead generation. Before they become leads, most prospects are going to check out your blog. It’s a gut check to assess your level of expertise before they even consider entrusting their business to you. This is especially true in the B2B space, where price tags run high and trust needs to be earned.
One way to win their trust is to take a strategic, personalized approach to your website’s content. Create content that fits the needs and pain points of your audience. Investigate what industry problems and issues your audience faces and how your content can help.
Individualize visitors’ experiences on your website as much as possible. Ask them to identify their job role (CEO, sales, marketing, etc.), and tailor the experience accordingly. This could mean creating different blog content, landing pages, and offers according to a visitor’s personal details.
This kind of personal experience takes extra effort, but is often richly rewarded.
B2B companies want to see your level of expertise before they entrust their business to you CLICK TO TWEET
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2. Upload More Video to Social Media
True to industry predictions, video has exploded across social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook — and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Social media has become the go-to place, apart from company websites, to research new companies before interacting further with them. The video you post on social media can be an easy way for potential buyers to get a taste of your company.
It’s never been easier or more vital to hop on the video band wagon. First off, it’s cost effective — you can even start for free with just your smart phone or tablet. Second, it has the power to capture the interest of more of your audience — in fact, one study showed that 74% of all internet traffic comes from video.
Here are a few ways to get started:
Take well-performing blog posts and use them as an outline for a video. Create a video to answer commonly asked questions from prospects. There are several budget-friendly programs that can instantly turn a blog post into a video. Here’s one we’ve tried.
Video can be a nurturing experience for potential leads, as well as an opportunity to convert. Many video programs will allow you to insert a link to a landing page with a downloadable offer. Capitalize on this feature and convert that video-hungry audience into leads.
Take this example from IBM Cloud’s Facebook page, where hundreds of videos on everything from how-to and trends to humanitarian efforts and product demos are featured. The one below tackles a common customer question: “Do I need to move my information to the cloud?” This 3 Myths About the Cloud video is refreshingly honest and helpful.
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3. Leverage Live Video
Live, or streaming, video on social media has gone from the new kid on the block to the coolest kid in school. Both B2B and B2C companies have skyrocketed their lead generation by incorporating this tool into their strategy.
For instance, many B2B companies have started to offer live streaming webinars. This is a primo way to engage your audience and prove your industry expertise.
Consider inviting prospects to a live video demonstration of your product or service and take questions from attendees. Have any live events coming up? Use Live video to help your audience at home feel like part of the event and have their questions answered.
When it comes to live video, you are limited only by your imagination. Many companies have produced Q and A sessions, interviewed company employees and influencers, and even featured a behind-the-scenes look at their company.
How do these methods help you attract and capture leads? It’s easy. Create a special offer that relates to your subject, along with a unique landing page. Promote this offer throughout your live event and track how many leads you get to your landing page.
Adobe is an example of a brand using Live video to engage its audience in exciting ways — including during the recent Adobe Summit event. The one below is an interview that discusses the role of AI in creativity — an issue that has created a lot of buzz lately.
When it comes to live video, you are only limited by your imagination CLICK TO TWEET
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4. Work with Industry Influencers
The success of influencer marketing is no longer a novelty but has developed a solid footing in both B2C and B2B marketing strategies — including lead generation.
Still, B2B influencer marketing has room to grow and it still lags behind its B2C counterpart. This may be a great opportunity for your company to get on board while it’s still growing.
How do influencers drive lead generation? When you’ve done everything right — blogs, email marketing, and social media — sometimes all prospects need is a nod of approval from someone they consider to be an expert. Influencers can have a subtle influence over the psyche of your audience, helping prospects to take that final leap of faith to convert into a lead.
If you already have a first-rate offer to promote, consider working with an influencer on ways to promote it to his or her audience. If you don’t yet have an offer, think about working with an influencer to co-create one that you both promote. This often marks an offer for success with the influencer’s name sweetening the deal for prospects.
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5. Enhance Your Emails with Personalization and Warmth
Granted, this practice has already taken off in the B2C space — just check any promotional email in your inbox. And it works well. Gone are the days of generic “Dear Reader” intros, product suggestions that don’t quite fit, and robotic wording.
Take this up a notch to B2B audiences, and we find that it still works well. B2B audiences appreciate and feel connected to companies who personalize email campaigns. In fact, due to an impressive response from B2B audiences, 60% of B2B companies say they have a documented personalization strategy in place.
There are a number of ways to personalize your email marketing. Use name tokens within the subject line and body of your email. Include individualized email content based on specific behaviors. For example, if someone has downloaded an ebook on cloud data security, consider including additional content on practical day-to-day steps that ensure personal data security.
The tone of your emails is another important factor to your email marketing success. A stiff, strictly business tone can come off as cold and unwelcoming. While it’s important for B2B emails to convey a level of professionalism, this doesn’t mean they should be robotic. Instead, add warmth and life to your email with a focus on friendliness.
Consider this email I recently received from Larry Kim of MobileMonkey. Not only is this email personalized with my name, but it takes a very friendly and warm approach to inviting me to the upcoming webinar. The “please keep in touch” closing paragraph adds a friendly spin to the invitation to look him up on social media. And the picture at the end helps you feel more connected to the person as well as his company. Th only robotic element is that my name is not capitalized (no doubt I entered it that way in some database Larry is using).
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6. Integrate Your Strategies
In the end, no one strategy can be responsible for success or failure in your lead generation strategy. It’s important to have a well-rounded strategy that incorporates everything we’ve talked about here — from regular blog content to social media video and personalized email marketing.
Don’t be afraid to experiment and find out what works for your brand. Some aspects might not go as well as you expect, but then there may be one or two that outperform beyond your expectations. An integrated approach helps to ensure that all parts of your sales funnel get the attention it needs.
A Few Things to Remember…
- Create personalized blog content that speaks to the individual needs of your audience.
- Use live video on your social media channels to showcase product demos, interview experts, and even conducts Qs & As to attract new leads.
- Personalize your email marketing campaigns with individual names and well-tailored content appealing to individuals as much as possible.
- Integrate your marketing channels for greater success.
Whether your lead generation strategy is fairly new or has been around the block a few times, we hope these latest trends can revive your overall strategy and bring in new opportunities for your business.
What new opportunities within B2B lead generation best practices do you see coming down the pipeline? Let us know in the comments below.
Want more of an in-depth B2B lead generation strategies? Then check out our ebook, 30 Proven Tips & Tactics to Get New Leads.
You May Also Enjoy Reading…
- How to Create Calls to Action That Convert
- How to Nurture B2B Leads with Low-Pressure Emails
- The 5 B2B Lead Generation Best Practices You Need to Know
- How to Get More B2B Leads with Killer Landing Pages
