Lead generation is a top measure of success for 85% of B2B marketers. However, generating leads and getting them to convert isn’t always easy. In a report, only 6% of B2B businesses felt their team’s efforts were “highly effective.” The average conversion rate for a B2B business is less than 2%.
In this article, we explore eight lead-generation techniques you might not be using that will elevate your sales funnel, drive sustainable business growth, and boost your conversion rate.
Embrace Telesales
An independent study at Cognism found that the average cold-calling success rate is 4.8%. By following a few tips, this rate can increase.
Use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software
With a smart CRM system, you can manage and organise contacts, leads, and customers. Logging everything in the system means you will have an understanding of user behaviour, preferences, job titles, personal interests, and contact history. These insights help you tailor your communication.
Train your telesales agents
Research from US recruiters found that 82% of B2B buyers felt sales representatives were underprepared. These buyers cited that sales reps lacked case studies and information on how the solution could help their problem – and some reps simply didn’t understand the business.
Make sure your agents have the training they need on the business, offering, and how to build relationships. With the right training, they can warm cold leads, address objections, nurture leads, and remarket to existing clients.
Create engaging content
Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional channels and brings in three times more leads. Content has a longer lifespan than an expensive out-of-home ad campaign that only runs for weeks or months.
Creating unique and engaging content that shows you or your brand as a source of knowledge will attract your target audience and put you as a trusted source.
You can give away lots of your content for free in the form of blogs and infographics. Content that works well behind a form could include:
- eBooks
- Whitepapers
- Exclusive interviews
- Free trials
- Podcasts
- Articles
Promote your content marketing through social media, paid ads, and organic search. Follow SEO best practices to make your content discoverable through Google and other search engines.
Social Media
Social Media platforms are a place to reach your audience and engage with them. You can use the platforms for customer service, community, and content sharing.
Tap into new audiences when you use social media ads. You can select a demographic of users that fit your audience and advertise to them for a fee. User-generated content and influencer content is another way to generate leads and showcase your product or service.
Paid Search
Using paid Google Ads and Bing Ads will allow you to bid for keywords. Your content may then appear on the search site or other websites. This is a targeted approach that helps enhance your visibility and attracts people looking for your service or offering.
You can target based on interests, demographics, and browsing behaviour. You have control over the budget and the keywords you are targeting. Just remember to keep an eye on your campaigns and adjust as needed.
Email Marketing
Email marketing is a powerful and cost-effective lead-generation tool. According to research, email marketing drives 50% more sales than other lead generation methods.
Once you’ve captured data from your content marketing campaigns and forms, you’ll have a database of people who are engaged with your company.
Emails don’t have to be manual. With email software like Hubspot and Mailchimp, you can segment your email lists by interests, job titles, purchase history, and more. With segmented lists and workflows, you can set up triggers for when to send automated and highly personalised campaigns.
In your emails, you can include offers, content, updates, recommended products, and valuable information your reader will be interested in based on your data.
Create brand advocates
Your happy customers are your biggest cheerleaders and brand advocates. Implement a referral program where your clients and customers are rewarded for sharing your brand.
You could offer discounts and exclusive access to content for customers who refer you. For some businesses, it might make sense to offer a financial incentive if the referral converts.
Customers trust digital referrals and reviews, too. Make sure you are asking your customers to review your business on external sites such as Google and Trustpilot.
Landing Pages
With a well designed landing page, you can build your email list with warm leads.
Your landing page needs to be clear and simple. The form should be easy to fill in with minimal fields. The call to action should encourage direction. Think, “Get my report” rather than “Submit.” This is a door to your business; make it stand out with an excellent design.
What to include
Our research and A/B tests have found that a successful landing page should contain:
– A short headline
– A brief description of what is on offer
– At least one image or short video
– Supporting proof elements such as testimonials, customer logos, or security badges
– A form on the landing page to capture information
– A call to action / submit button
According to a study by Hubspot, videos boost landing conversion rate by 38.6%.
Track your effort
Keeping track of your efforts and the results will help you understand what’s working and inform your future strategies.
You can and should A/B test everything from landing pages and subject lines to email campaigns. Analyse the results and see which option resonated with your audience best and drove the most conversions.
You can learn more about A/B testing landing pages here.
Master lead generation
Become a lead generation powerhouse when you get smart with your lead generation activities. From talking to cold leads on the phone and following up with automated emails to creating content to promote your landing page content, your lead generation strategy will help you gain more conversions and nurture them into advocates.
Designing high-impact landing pages and email campaigns is key to boosting lead generation. Understand the data behind your campaigns and make changes using A/B testing across emails and landing pages. Read our blog on how to A/B test landing pages for maximum impact and leads.
At FullSphere, we’ll help you master your lead generation through design and strategy, giving you the best results.
