There is no contest. Lead generation is a proven effective method in driving conversion for any business. Many B2B marketers today are planning their own lead generation strategies and campaigns, but various B2B companies are still struggling with it.

Insight: The better the quality of the lead, the higher the probability of conversion.

Data: According to the Marketing Insider, 77% of companies today are still focused on improving the quality of leads.

Key Action Point: Increase the quality of the leads you are generating for the business.

Not All Leads Are Created Equal

Any person that shows interest in your product or service can be considered a lead. Some marketers and business leaders still believe that when it comes to generating leads, it’s quantity over quality. However, acquiring 200 leads per month won’t matter if none of them actually buys from you. Going after every lead can be very costly.

The better the quality of your leads, the higher the conversion rate. For an effective lead generation strategy, it is crucial for B2B marketers to have the means to identify qualified leads.

Quality leads are those that show the highest interest in your products or service. They are ready to buy and so can move through your sales funnel very fast. Most importantly, quality leads reduce the total cost of your marketing and sales efforts.

Nourishing Leads to Turn Them to Customers

Think of the many different leads that enter your website. Not all of them will be the right fit. Some of them may not be ready to buy at the moment. But just because they aren’t in the prospect to make a purchase right then and there does not mean you cannot continue to nurture them until the opportunity for them to purchase appears.

According to Tech Target, “The goal of lead generation is to build a database of prospects that can be nurtured into a pipeline.”

Though it’s true that you need to have a system that allows you to prioritise your high-quality leads, you still need to have a database that captures and considers all these leads no matter where they are in the buyer journey. If not, you can lose out even more if you disqualify them too early in the pipeline.    

B2B Lead-Generating Tactics that Deliver

Marketing Automation

Many businesses are already turning to marketing automation not only to improve efficiency and refine processes but to also drive leads and nourish them.

Data from VB Insight points out that 80% of marketing automation users saw an increase in their number of leads increase and 77% saw the number of conversions increase.

With marketing automation tools, you can segment your audience better and send more personalised and targeted emails. Marketing automation also allows you to target potential leads across multiple platforms and channels.

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Content Marketing

A high-traffic and high-converting blog can be your best lead generation tool. Not only does great content marketing help you create brand awareness and promote your products and services, but it also helps you attract and nourish the most leads to your website as well.

By building on the needs of your audience and creating content that is relevant in today’s time, you are sure to continue to attract qualified leads that drive more long-term business.

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Social Media

The social media is an ideal place to meet your target audience and turn them into new leads.

Social media platforms have a ton of audience targeting capabilities that help you reach your target audience. But before you begin your lead gen efforts, ensure that you are choosing the right platform. While almost everyone has a Facebook profile, one should not assume that it’s the perfect place for your business to acquire leads.

Calls to Action

No matter how engaging or relevant your content may be, it doesn’t make much of a difference in driving leads unless you have the means to convert them through calls to action (CTAs).

It is essential to add a clear and specific CTA that guides interested leads as to what they should be doing after reading your article. Some CTAs you can use are —

• Subscribe Now

• Download This Ebook

• Share with a Colleague

• Buy Now

With a clear CTA that describes a specific action or the next step for them, you leave a lesser room for hesitation.

Email Marketing

Although most may find it dated to still send emails, it remains to be one of the most effective lead generation tactics that drive opens and click-throughs. For B2B audiences, email is still the third most effective source of information, driving an average ROI of 3,800 percent.

Videos

There’s a reason video is fast becoming one of the most important forms of content for your marketing strategy. Today, 74% of B2B marketers agree that video converts better than any other type of content. Even 70% of B2B consumers watch videos when making a purchase.

But in order for video to work, it is important to identify the best channel to distribute your content for it to attract the most number of leads. Social media platforms would be the first option to go to since majority of B2B buyers are active on social media and do their research from there before making a purchase.

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Partnering with Influencers

You can’t escape the reach of influencers. They are everywhere and for good reason. They have millions of followers and brands are turning to them to promote their products and services. So when it comes to lead generation, partnering with influencers gets you the traction you need to reach a larger audience — far beyond your own.

Are you struggling to attract more high-qualified leads in your lead generation campaigns? Let Step Change help you find out what you can do to drive the numbers you need.