2018 Round Up: Top 7 Most Effective B2B Lead Generation Strategies
How to Move the Needle and Get More Leads
As 2018 comes to a close, we’ve been reflecting on which marketing strategies and tactics have been most effective this year. We not only provide marketing services for B2B companies, but we also do our own B2B marketing, so we’re always aware of what works to get more leads.
Here are our top 7 most effective B2B lead generation that have been moving the needle in 2018:
1. Create quality content more frequently
Content marketing is not going away. If you aren’t already on board, it’s time to start creating quality content. And if you are already sharing content online, keep it up, and do it more often. We know as well as anyone how hard it can be to make time to create unique, interesting content that will draw in your target audience! But it’s important to prioritize this. Whether you’re writing a blog, creating e-books, hosting webinars or sharing other helpful tools, keep brainstorming and creating. Create content that speaks to the leads you want.
2. Look alive on social media
Many B2B clients think social media isn’t important for them. However, you need to at the very least “look alive” with your social networking. For B2B companies, LinkedIn is probably the best place to focus efforts. But you should also consider sharing on Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram, especially for recruiting purposes. Potential employees like getting a sense of a company through social media. Spend your time wisely, but don’t write these platforms off entirely. Some of your leads may vet companies across their online presence before deciding who to reach out to, so don’t be absent.
3. Optimize your website for mobile
More and more online visitors are checking your company’s site out from their mobile phone or tablet rather than a computer. Put yourself in their shoes: how does your site look and perform on mobile? Can you find what you’re looking for, and does it look nice? One way to immediately turn away prospective leads is by having an unattractive, non-functional website. Avoid this by optimizing your site for mobile.
4. Try video marketing
Video is also a growing marketing tactic that appeals to a variety of personas you want to reach. Think about the type of people you want to contact you – in what situations would video help you get your message across to them? Try creating educational or informational videos about your products or services, or use video to tell your company’s story. There are so many ways to draw in new leads through video.
5. Don’t stop email marketing
Email marketing is still one of the most effective ways to get new leads. Don’t give up on it if it hasn’t been working for you! Just rethink what you’ve been doing. Are you saying the right thing to the people on your lists? Should you tailor your messages more? Do you need to create a compelling new offer? One of the great things about email marketing is that it can hit a potential lead at just the right time – you may have already sent them 10 emails that they didn’t engage with, but if you say the right thing at a time when they need your business, that contact can convert to real lead!
6. Take advantage of intent signals
When you know what visitors are doing on your site, you can take advantage of that information to get more leads. With tools like Google Analytics or others that provide data on what visitors are doing on your site, you can learn where you’re engaging people and where you’re losing them. You can even find out what specific leads are up to, then tailor your follow-up messaging with that knowledge. Data is power, so take advantage of all the tools out there that provide you with this valuable information
7. Track interactions at all stages of the funnel
When someone engages with you at any stage of your sales funnel, take note. Monitor traffic to your site and to specific content. Track comments and likes on social media, pay attention to who’s reading your emails and follow up with anyone who provides contact information at any stage. When following up, use the information you’ve gathered at other stages to create responses that speak specifically to that lead, helping move them further down the funnel.
Regardless of which B2B lead generation tactics you choose to employ, make sure you’re constantly fine-tuning them. This is not a set it and forget it job. Lead generation is complicated, ongoing and constantly changing.
