What is B2B lead generation?
Business-to-business lead generation involves gathering basic customer information and then using that information to target them with sales pitches and ad campaigns. According to Hubspot, the top three sources of leads for B2B companies are SEO, email marketing, and social media. However, here at Notepad, we believe that there are a few other effective methods and strategies:
1. Creating compelling lead magnets and incentives
No, a lead magnet isn’t something that goes on your fridge, it’s something of value that businesses can offer to prospective customers in exchange for their contact details. And to create an effective lead magnet, you need to understand exactly who your customers are and what they might need. Here at Notepad, we like to do this by creating a personalised customer persona, asking ourselves questions to help us build an understanding of specific challenges our audiences might have, and how we can solve these through our services.
Unfortunately, a lot of businesses make the mistake of offering low-value content that is too broad, already widely known and readily available elsewhere. To avoid making this mistake, don’t settle for low-value content. Instead, share your detailed, real-world experiences in the form of thought leadership content; Ebooks, advice webinars and how-tos, detailed case studies and free templates.
2. Running virtual webinars
Organizing webinars isn’t as scary as it might seem. We’ve done it a handful of times and not only is it an effective strategy for lead generation but it’s also a lot of fun. To break it down, a webinar should be an online presentation that aims to engage customers, educate them about a topic, or service, address their pain points, build trust, and increase brand awareness. It’s a great way to connect with potential clients and establish relationships with them even before they sign-up for your product/services.
So if you want to generate more sales leads without paying for advertising, consider hosting a live webinar. And remember, the most important thing is to provide valuable content to your target audience and ideal customers.
3. Reach out to existing LinkedIn connections
Reaching out to your existing connections on LinkedIn might seem a bit daunting at first. But trust us, it is an excellent way to target high-value leads. LinkedIn is a fabulous platform for B2B lead gen, we have utilised advertising on LinkedIn and it has shown great results for Notepad. Whilst competition and cost-per-click may be higher on LinkedIn compared to other platforms, the advantage is the ability to hyper-target your audience.
4. Building strategic referral partnerships
Finding strategic referral partners and asking for introductions seems unnerving. But don’t be afraid to ask for referrals and introductions. Finding strategic referral partners can be a great way of building successful relationships with your client and supplier network – and can result in heaps of amazing opportunities and leads. Research has found that referrals are powerful, stats show that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends. And further to this, it’s been shown that customers who were referred by a friend tend to have a 16% higher lifetime value than non-referred customers.
Despite the facts and research into referrals, only 11% of sales professionals ask for referrals. So don’t be shy, and reach out to your network. Be specific and personal in your request, and provide detailed material for them to share with their contacts. If they know you and trust your service, they’ll be happy to help.
5. Running effective cold email outreach campaigns
Grab a blanket because it’s about to get cold in here. Cold email outreach campaigns can be an effective way to initiate conversations with potential clients. However, it’s important to avoid being spammy. We believe that to make your cold emails effective, you should always personalize and be unique in your messaging to show that you’ve done your research and understand the recipient’s needs and pain points. Be human, not robotic – generic sales emails won’t get the response you want. Be personal, identify yourself, provide common ground and keep it short and simple – because nobody wants to read an essay!
So in conclusion… we believe that an effective lead capture process involves gathering the right information while building trust through valuable content and referral programs to help move your ideal customers along the sales funnel. And there’s no time like the present to start your B2B lead generation with these tactics!
If this blog has got you thinking and you’re ready to skyrocket your B2B sales, sign up to our FREE 60-minute webinar now! Our founder Naeem Alvi-Assinder will be sharing his insider secrets to build a powerful B2B brand without breaking the bank. Click the link below and we’ll see you there! https://buildbrandawareness.com/
