B2B LEAD GENERATION STRATEGY

How to Generate B2B Leads?

So, we know why B2B lead generation is important. And we have a better idea of how to separate qualified leads from non-qualified ones. But this brings us to the crucial matter at hand: how to get said leads.

Here are some of the most prevalent lead generation tactics marketers use:

• Social media: Attracting prospects through organic and paid social media marketing activities, often involving the use of lead generation forms or other data collection methods. For B2B organizations, LinkedIn lead generation is popular and effective.
• Webinars: Creating educational and informative sessions that people can register for by providing contact information. Webinars cross over with the previous item, because you can and should promote webinars on social media.
• Gated assets: Similar to webinars, except the prospect is exchanging contact information for a downloadable content asset (often an ebook or whitepaper). Also commonly promoted through social media.
• Videos: Marketers will often include a call-to-action at the end of video marketing content that allows a viewer to take the next step. Videos to tend to get a ton of reach on social media, making them a strong channel for top of funnel lead gen.
• Email: A mainstay for marketers everywhere, but keep in mind that it’s most effective with a highly targeted and opted-in list.
• Website forms: Inviting website visitors to fill out a contact form in order to learn more.
• Search pay-per-click (PPC): Running paid ads on search engines targeting specific keywords that coorelate to purchase intent.
• Customer referrals: One of the most valuable types of leads a company can hope to receive, because they are almost always qualified, and bolstered by the recommendation of a trusted friend or colleague. Some organizations put referral programs in place to encourage these.
• Direct mail: It’s old-school, to be sure, but it can still work in certain situations. Many have actually noticed a resurgence in effectiveness for direct mail in the digital age, as it now stands out more (when done well).
• Lead databases: Drawing leads from pre-existing lists that are often purchased. This is somewhat archaic and not generally recommended, because the data tends to be outdated and records can include leads that have not opted into receiving communications from your business.

B2B Lead Generation Strategy

Let’s take a step-by-step look at how marketers can go about putting a B2B lead gen strategy into motion.

Step One: Determine a Plan for Lead Qualification

Before you start collecting leads, you’ll want to know what you’re going to do with them. Whether through lead scoring, matching against buyer personas, or determining which actions are most predictive of purchase, put a plan in place to segment your qualified leads.

Step Two: Choose Your Lead Generation Tactics

Based on your audience and your goals, select the channels and tools you’ll use for lead generation. Make sure you implement the means to collect necessary data so you can act upon leads once you’ve scored or qualified them. (How will information be submitted? Where will it live? How will it be organized?) At a minimum, you’ll need a way to reach out; the more information you can collect to assess the fit and personalize your approach, the better.

Step Three: Run B2B Lead Generation Campaigns

Campaigns come in many forms. Perhaps you’re simply using content marketing to attract visitors to your website, where they can fill out a form. Or maybe you’re running ads on LinkedIn with Lead Gen Forms (more on that shortly). Or it might be a PPC campaign that strikes your fancy. The best lead generation strategies often incorporate a combination of channels and tactics.

As always, it’s advisable to optimize your campaigns by testing different creative elements and investing more in those that produce.

B2B Lead Form Tips

Lead generation forms are frequently used to collect information for future outreach, consisting of fields where a user can enter their information. But of course, no one is obligated to provide these details. You can increase your chances by making it easy and worth their while.

Here are a few lead generation tips to help increase the likelihood of getting submissions from the prospects you value:

Use Fewer Form Fields

Many users will become intimidated or overwhelmed if they have to enter too much information. Be thoughtful about what you’re asking for and why. The ideal number of fields in a lead form is generally considered to be in the 3-5 range.

Offer Enticing Incentives

Requesting someone’s email address, phone number, or other contact information is a big ask. Make sure you’re offering something valuable in return. If that’s a gated content or webinar, you’ll want it to be ultra-useful for your audience. You could also consider providing a free assessment, demo, or trial of your solution.

Put Privacy Front-and-Center

People are more concerned than ever about their data privacy, and who could blame them? Build trust by making information about your privacy policy visible at the time of the form-fill.

LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms: What Can They Do for Me? 

LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms are designed to provide maximum convenience for both users and marketers. When these forms are presented to a LinkedIn member, the fields are pre-populated with their profile data, drastically cutting the effort needed to fill them out (we all know how annoying typing all the information in can be, especially on a mobile screen).

LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms feature large, dynamic, eye-catching calls-to-action. Because mobile lead gen proves to be one of the biggest challenges for marketers, every aspect of Lead Gen Forms has been optimized for presentation and user-friendliness on small displays.

Here’s how you can implement a strong B2B lead generation process on LinkedIn:

1. Create or Select a Lead Gen Form Template

While in Campaign Manager, navigate to the Account Assets tab and select “Lead Generation Forms.” You can then click “Create new form template.” Fill out fields for:

• Form Name
• Language
• Offer Headline
• Offer Detail
• Privacy Policy URL

You can then choose which fields you’d like to include in the Lead Gen Form. You can pick up to seven, but remember: fewer fields usually means more conversions.

2. Create a Sponsored Content or Sponsored InMail Campaign

Lead Gen Forms are integrated with these two LinkedIn ad options. You can either serve the ad alongside content in member feeds (Sponsored Content) or directly to their LinkedIn inbox (Sponsored InMail). Both ad types will be available to select in Campaign Manager.

3. Write a Custom Thank You Message (Optional) and Enter a Destination URL

Where do you want the member to go after filling out the Lead Gen Form? In this space, you can include a URL to download your asset, or register for your webinar, or reach another destination. You can also use this opportunity to clearly outline when or how they might expect to hear from you. Transparency is always appreciated.

4. Select a CTA Button

Your final step is choosing the button members will click on in the thank you message in order to travel to the destination URL. Options include:

• Visit Company Website
• Learn More
• Download Now
• View Now
• Try Now