For most business owners, Lead generation refers to a series of secret lead generation techniques used by fortune 500 companies to generate leads for themselves and themselves alone. The good news is that this is grossly untrue. Lead generation for B2B generally has to do with the gradual process of building your business’s lead generation strategy from the ground up, based largely on the tested and tried channels hence, finding the most effective strategy for your business.
As a rule of thumb, all B2B marketers must possess an in-depth understanding of budgets, the dynamics as well as the expectations associated with each lead channel.
Social Media Marketing Strategies
As much as most marketers hate to admit, especially the more aged among us, social media has become quite an integral part of B2B marketing. While social media tends to be on the steep side of the price check, it is justifiable by the sheer reachability. Despite its abilities in B2B, it remains quite complicated when compared to its productivity levels in B2C where social media happens to be one of the most effective digital marketing channels.
When most individuals/marketers speak about B2B social media lead generation, there resonates the speech of quantity over quality with regards to B2B social media generation. What this does is that it makes B2B social media lead generation channels ideal for top-of-the-funnel awareness. A typical example would be promoting a downloadable eBook in a bid to capture quality leads with an initial offer.
Facebook Lead Ads sit at the number position on this list and rightly so. A survey conducted in 2017 by BCG showed that over 60% of B2B customers used a mobile device in recent purchases. Now couple this with the gradual but sure migration of online business queries towards mobile over the past few years.
Facebook Lead Ads are potent for two main reasons. Firstly, they allow B2B users to sign up for offers in just two steps, or taps as the case may be, without even having to leave the environment. Secondly, they are targeted to both audiences and are very customizable. This service by Facebook was launched in 2015 as a response to the difficulties associated with customers incapable of sending businesses their intent on the Social media network.
Here are a couple of examples of some rather efficient B2B Social media Lead Campaigns
- The use of scarcity and exclusivity
This boils down to the principles of demand and supply. By simply making your offers limited for a period of time, and beefing up its exclusivity, you naturally attract more consumers who see this as a rare opportunity to gain whatever it is that you might be offering.
- Asking for only the data you need
Asking consumers for just your needs can go a really long way to bolster your social media campaigns, without having to drench your prospective customers neck deep into a pool of marketing hearsays and promises, simply ask courteously for an email while interest is being built.
- Giving before you get
An interesting point of view here. If you give something really valuable to the customers, your image amplifies the message plus the CTA (Call-To-Action) is subtle but clear. Rather than going around trying to sell stuff, simply fall in line with the law of reciprocity. This way, the consumers return the favour without much ado.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is arguably one of the longest standing forms of online marketing yet. Over 2 decades old, email marketing has proven to be an irreplaceable force within online marketing spheres. Till date, Email marketing campaigns still make for a top spot on most B2B marketers lists with regards lead generation strategies.
Search Marketing
Whenever talk about valuable long-term strategies come up, search marketing is always in the mix. With the right search marketing techniques put in place, profits can plummet through the roof, literally.
While it may be true that this method of Lead generation has become quite saturated and complex, it still retains a very strategic position in traditional B2B lead generation. Many other factors aid this system of lead generation, and some of these are the design, conversion rate optimisation, and content marketing. Even though exceptions may exist, these factors pretty much affect your chances in Search marketing.
Blogging Lead Generation Strategies
At the moment, blogging seems to be at the very core of content marketing, which happens to be a strategy which focuses solely on the creation of valuable and interesting content to a target demographic in a bid to sustain engagements with future leads as the final point of reach.
Blogging is indeed one of the most effective content marketing strategies with regards B2B lead generation techniques. Here are some pros of blogging within the aforementioned topic.
- Drive traffic to your website.
With carefully planned blogs and structured SEO campaigns, you can carefully target certain demographic groups associated with your niche while providing useful content and increasing your chances of being found on the largest online search engine in the world.
- Converting traffic to leads.
If you have a nicely placed CTA (Call-To-Action) within a compelling blog post, you can direct prospective customers to your landing page for leads. You may also very easily ingrain your brand name in the consciousness of a customer such that they return or become referral channels, especially if you practice what you preach.
An Integration
Since all these lead generation techniques tend to make an adequate impact in their own rights, it makes common sense to simply integrate them all into one big large machine of B2B lead generation. Albeit a little more complex when used all at once, integrating all aforementioned methods of B2B lead generation will almost always yield positive results if done right. As a matter of fact, many organizations and businesses today make use of all these methods in a bid to stay relevant in the ever-dynamic online marketplace.
