Lead generation ranks highly on the list of top B2B marketing challenges. And rightly so since buyer needs are evolving at breakneck speed.
What was a deal breaker yesterday, may not necessarily be a fundamental issue tomorrow. Pricing, for example, was huge years ago but today’s customers are willing to pay a premium for better customer experiences.
If you’re re-evaluating your existing strategies or looking for lead generation tactics that deliver worthwhile marketing ROI, we have lined up some fantastic options for you.
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Embrace Account-Based Marketing
Under conventional lead generation practices, marketers cast their nets wide to pull in many leads and then qualify them. Account based marketing takes an almost opposite approach.
Sales and marketing teams synchronize their efforts to build a specific list of prospects then develop personalized messages for them and measure progress. Both teams are kept abreast of all development to ensure transparency and a situation where everyone speaks in one voice.
The resultant effect is that you target a small number of leads who aren’t just a good fit but are also likely to generate high ROI.
The personalized solutions you offer these prospects allow you to build and nurture deep relationships that may lead to higher conversion rates and increased customer lifetime value.
To execute this strategy effectively:
- Start by targeting the right accounts. You’ll want to target accounts that are worth the investment you’re making. Use website analytics, marketing intelligence, and social listening to identify these accounts based off their values.
- Create buyer personas. How do these accounts interact with your brand or the competition? What are their buying preferences and what motivates purchases? What content appeals to them? This information will help you put together relevant marketing content.
- Connect with decision-makers. Direct mail is a fantastic opportunity to connect with senior-level decision-makers and interest them in your business solutions. These custom gifts help you build relationships and keep the door open for when they are ready to buy.
Optimize Your Landing Pages
The best way to view your landing pages is as ground zero for your marketing campaign’s success or failure.
If you’re seeing conversions off it, then it’s probably not bad, but if you’re not, then you need to revamp it.
Consider the following:
- Run a split test. Like you would in A/B testing, duplicate your landing page and vary your primary headline, which will typically be your unique selling point. Monitor both pages’ performance over time to find a winner.
- Incorporate fear of missing out. Create time-based offers and let your visitors know. Leverage words that motivate them to make decisions based off time factors such as cut-off dates or limited availability.
- Share proof. To convince visitors that they will be receiving legitimate value from your business solutions, share quantitative numbers about ROI, links to case studies, and social proof.
- Simplify the design. Professional pages don’t have too much stuff going on simultaneously. Minimize the use of colors, make your fonts legible and only write copy that’s relevant to the offer on hand.
Use Email Marketing
And no, we don’t mean blasting generic emails to all the contacts on your list. Those emails may not reflect their present needs or pain points and may probably find their way into the “unread oblivion.”
We’re talking about targeted email marketing that speaks your recipient’s language and addresses their situations in ways that compel them to take action.
The best way to do this is by segmenting your audiences into groups such as
- By location. This allows you to reach audiences in specific locations with messages and offers that take into account the laws and conditions affecting those regions. Targeting those close to you, proximity wise improves your chances of convincing them because you’re nearby, in case of anything.
- By preference. Does your target audience prioritize pricing over everything else? What content do they like and in what format? Do they appreciate relationship-based approaches or go by hard facts?
- By behavior. Consider the typical length of their purchase cycle, decision-makers (buying committees), and how much sway peer reviews and other social proof have on them. You’ll also need to check what features and functionalities matter to them.
Make Cold Calls
Fear of judgment, inability to read non-verbal cues, and thinking on your feet are but some reasons salespeople give for not making cold calls.
Well, having your every word gauged and used against you all the while being unable to gauge what your prospect is thinking, can be unraveling.
So, it’s easy to see why teams shun cold calling even when research proves that senior-level buyers actually want to have phone calls over other communication formats. But setting aside the phone is like leaving money on the table for competitor brands to bag.
Best practices include:
- Prepare thoroughly. Researching your lead, preparing your script, and practicing beforehand helps boost your knowledge and confidence over the phone. Even after practicing, keep an outline of what you want to discuss nearby to ensure you don’t overlook crucial points.
- Ask intelligent questions and listen. Talking about your solutions is great, but that might not elicit as much response as asking leading questions. Compile thought-provoking questions that compel the lead to consider your solutions, then pay attention to their responses, hesitations, and objections.
- Qualify your leads. The intelligent questions you ask may help you understand the lead’s business, needs, motivations, and buying propensity. You can quickly determine whether the lead is worth pursuing or should be shelved for a later time.
- Learn to ask for your goal. While prospects don’t like being shoved along the selling process, it’s important to guide them along while making them feel in control of the process. Part of guiding involves setting clear steps for what needs to be done.
Partner with a Lead Generation Agency
The need to drive higher revenues has businesses going into overdrive and overstretching their teams trying to figure out this lead generation stuff. Without much positive outcome, if I may add.
But delegating this all-important task to an agency that specializes in lead generation can make all the difference. And here are the top reasons why:
- They are results-oriented. They focus on the value they need to bring to your business, which is producing positive outcomes. This allows your team to focus on building relationships.
- You get immediate expertise. There are plenty of resources that teach on lead generation and through time investment, effort, and error you can catch up. But with stiff competition on the rise, you may not afford this luxury, making this partnership with already experts a wise decision.
- They devise solid strategies for prioritizing and following up leads. They have mastered the art of follow-up and will advise your team regarding leads that are ready to be contacted and those that need further nurturing.
- They employ proven strategies to generate leads. Gone are the days when brands opened social accounts and expected leads to flow. Lead generation agencies incorporate innovative ideas and strategies to help ensure you capture significant opportunities.
