Lead generation is the process of attracting and converting strangers and prospects into company’s product or service and it describes the marketing process of stimulating and capturing interest in a product or service for the purpose of developing sales pipeline. Prospects can come in the form of names and addresses, names and phone numbers, email addresses and fax numbers.
Why Lead Generation is Important ?
Lead generation is the fundamental way to provide channels of revenue into any company. In order to effectively make sales, you have to have qualified leads and it is incredibly important in keeping your sales and marketing pipeline alive. Lead generation is a win-win for both the buyer and seller.
Following are the 7 Essential Steps that marketers can use to Improve B2B Lead Generation.
Developing Better Marketing Content – Every content marketing strategy starts with the goal. How are you going to measure the success of your campaign? Is it with traffic? New subscribers? Social shares & engagement? Sales? Your content should be integrated in such a way that it helps you achieve your organizational goals. A content marketing strategy is a road-map that not only tells you what you are going to create, distribute it, and ultimately how to use it to attract and convert readers into buyers.
Greater Personalization – Marketing is all about delivering valuable information about a product or service at the right place and the right time. Personalized marketing is a strategy of its own that you can integrate into your different types of marketing mediums to generate better results. The main benefit of personalized marketing is the ability it gives you to reach specific audiences or prospects.
Personalization depends on
- Demographics – Age, gender, location, career and more. This also includes their problems, needs, and wants.
- Behaviors – Data includes the type of content they digest, where they spend their time, how they shop, what kind of information they are looking for.
- Sources – Defines how your leads find you, or how you are generating and acquiring new customers. Is it campaigns you run? Referral programs? Social activity?
Create irresistible lead magnets – A lead magnet is a tool that you use to incentivize potential leads to interact with your brand. In other words, you’re trading the valuable piece of content for something you want, like the user’s email address. The best lead magnets offer value far and beyond what you might post on your blog. Ideally, they’re immediately useful for your target audience. Whatever you choose, make sure you can pinpoint its value during the lead-generation process.
Some of the most effective lead magnets include the following
- E-books
- In-depth case studies
- Tools and calculators
- Free demos for your app
- Free trials for your software
- Report or white paper
Link your Call To Action [CTA] to a dedicated landing page – The call to action is a core component of B2B lead generation. Call to Actions may have changed over the years, but the goal hasn’t changed: Put the right message in front of the right people at the right time.If you focus on your email newsletter to educate customers, including the call to action is a great opportunity to present them with relevant offers to generate leads and Website visits. Linking your call to action to the exact landing page will improve your customer engagement and number of leads.
Creating word-of-mouth referrals – Word of mouth marketing is not just about creating a message it’s about delivering real human experiences to the masses. Word-of-mouth marketing isn’t easy, but with a little tactical planning, any business can create a real buzz in their local community. According marketing survey 92% of prospects trust referrals from people they know or their relatives, and 80% of consumers are more likely to buy a new product when learning about it from friends or family.
Be Active on Social Media for lead generation – With recent updates, many social media platforms are becoming more important than ever. Creating great content directly to your followers is one of the easiest ways to gather detailed information about prospects using social media. Social media is great for not only spreading brand awareness but also converting followers into leads. Believe it or not, the tools you already use to establish and promote your brand can become B2B lead-generating machines.
However, don’t discount other social platforms, including the following:
- YouTube
Chat with your users with live chat – Going live is a great way to directly interact with your prospects or customers and engage with them in real-time. By answering questions and generating awareness about your products or services, live chats give you the opportunity to position your brand as an expert in the industry. You can also drive cross-channel traffic by directing participants to branded content, creating promotional images or banners, landing pages, and offerings.
Final Thoughts
Lead generation is essential for all businesses that wish to drive higher profits and ROI. It plays a role in every business’s marketing strategy. The lead generation funnel allows brands to reach their best leads, nurture that interest, and capture necessary data before delivering truly qualified leads to sales. Hope these tips will increase the effectiveness of your outreach effort.
About the Author
Michael Anthony works as a Content Marketer for USAExeList, a high-end B2B Email Lists provider based in Addison, Texas. He has been promoting high-quality content in select niches for his clients.