Whether you’re thinking about your short-term or long-term business goals, B2B lead generation is as important today as it’s ever been. A strong approach to generating B2B leads can set up your agency for big gains now and well into the future.
Of course, it all depends on the effectiveness of your methods. This is where things get interesting, because there’s no “one right way” of snagging top leads. The key is to get a clear handle on the various factors that go into the process, then to build a system that works—and keeps working—for you and your clients.
The 3 steps of the B2B lead generation funnel
The obvious goal is to quickly convert leads into customers. But what steps are taken to get them from initial point of contact to the conversion? In each case, the customer moves through a process that can be broken into 3 basic steps:
1. Initiation
The customer becomes aware of the product or service.
2. Evaluation
The customer assesses the offerings by comparing it with competitors.
3. Conversion
The customer takes action by buying a product or joining a program.
The main channels for B2B lead generation
There are many channels to choose from when generating leads. Using multiple channels at once will help boost your conversions. Here are some of the main marketing channels you can use when targeting your leads:
Content marketing
Writing content that’s strategized to meet the target audience’s needs.
Social media
Creating engaging ads and sharing posts on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram.
Website features
Building landing pages, minisites and online forms with tracking tools and analytics.
Email marketing
Sending out marketing emails with outbound correspondence aimed directly at potential leads.
Traditional ad buys
Buying PPC (pay-per-click) advertisements on Google and Facebook.
Interpersonal initiatives
Hosting in-person and online events for potential leads to attend.
23 tips to optimize your B2B lead generation strategy
Creating a successful strategy for generating high-intent B2B leads can be a challenging endeavor. That’s why we put together this list of top strategies to help your agency achieve success.
Here are 23 tips to optimize your agency’s B2B lead generation strategy:
1. Optimize your website’s user experience
2. Engage visitors in real-time
3. Boost SEO with a blog
4. Write for other blogs
5. Join an online marketplace
6. Publish research
7. Host webinars and podcasts
8. Use engaging videos
9. Cross-index assets
10. Offer freebies
11. Produce evergreen blog content
12. Stay updated on the latest trends
13. Launch a minisite for your agency
14. Track data and analytics
15. Market on social media
16. Master LinkedIn
17. Incentivize customer referrals
18. Take time to build client relationships
19. Hire relevant micro-influencers
20. Add site automations
21. Network with potential clients at events
22. Host your own live or online events
23. Mix and match marketing tools
1. Optimize your website’s user experience
Your website is your agency’s online foundation and it’s important to make sure that it makes a good first impression on visitors. Because B2B customers traditionally begin with a clear idea of what they want, minimize the barriers to starting and sustaining the customer-company relationship. Imagine you’re visiting your site for the first time, see where you can make improvements. Spend some time interacting with different elements like watching your videos, navigating through different pages and viewing your site on mobile. Take note of what you liked and what you would change and use those insights to optimize your website.
To ensure you’re converting visitors into actual leads, add signup forms to your pages and collect visitor information. The more you customize your forms, the more accurate your segments will be.
2. Engage visitors in real-time
No matter what your online strategy is, you always want to remind potential clients that there’s a human behind every interaction. Consider implementing live chat to engage customers directly on your website. You can respond to questions, offer special deals and increase conversions in real-time. To drive more conversions, set up auto-greetings to inform visitors of recent updates and add a lead capture form to collect their information while you’re offline.
3. Boost SEO with a blog
Virtually all studies of B2B lead generation tactics indicate that creating a blog is as effective as it gets. Blogs are great for SEO. Their posts appear in search results more than any other type of content. Blogs can also raise your industry profile and help define and promote your brand. Many B2B buyers depend on reading multiple pieces of content before making any decisions.
Plus, the more you blog, the better your results will be. Hubspot reports that companies posting more than 15 blog articles monthly generate 4 times as many leads as companies publishing 4 or fewer pieces in the same span. So make sure to keep creating fresh content on your blog.
4. Write for other blogs
Writing for other blogs is considered one of the top practices suggested by SEO experts. It’s also another great area of opportunity for lead generation. If your article can find a home on an established blog, you’ll tap into pre-existing sources, increased domain authority and built-in site traffic.
5. Join an online marketplace
Another great way to quickly generate qualified leads is by joining an online marketplace. Businesses typically use a marketplace to hire an agency or freelancer to help with services like SEO, marketing and web design. Adding your agency’s offerings in a reputable marketplace will help you generate high intent leads, so you can further filter projects by budget, service and intent.
6. Publish research
B2B customers tend to appreciate hard data, well-researched advice that’s freely accessible online. By this point, there are countless forums that deliver research on demand. Crafting an eBook remains a popular tactic, especially if you explore a topic that speaks directly to your target. For something shorter, consider writing a white paper or illustrating an infographic. The best content is not only engaging but shareable, generating conversation around your brand.
7. Host webinars and podcasts
Webinars and podcasts have become increasingly easy to produce and promote—a positive development for agencies. Most webinars are used to sell, but leading with educational materials will bring real value to your potential clients. Webinars are also a great way for agencies to build and establish their areas of expertise. Focus on topics your agency knows best. Doing this will draw in your target audience and build a sense of trust. Plus, webinar participants are typically encouraged to provide their email addresses, so you’ll be generating leads right off the bat.
Podcasts still draw a relatively small number of people but can be very effective for the quality of those audiences. Podcast listeners are likely to follow a series and tune in on a weekly basis, making them loyal and highly engaged with your content.
8. Use engaging videos
YouTube isn’t just a place to share and watch video content, it’s actually the world’s 2nd biggest search engine behind Google. Today, creating quality videos is easier and more affordable than ever with intuitive video maker tools. Find ways to create and post engaging content of your own, for example on YouTube or other growing platforms like Vimeo. Consider making how-to guides or serialized features inspired by your product. Be sure to keep these videos fast and fun to prevent losing interest.
9. Cross-index your assets
By generating various kinds of content, you give yourself opportunities to cross-promote, which will then widen your reach. In your webinar, feature a link to your blog. On your blog, embed a video that’s posted on YouTube. In your YouTube video description, include a hyperlink to your eBook. You should be able to leverage every piece of content through cross-promotion.
10. Offer freebies
Free, gated content can help further qualify your leads. Prospects will be more educated on what your agency has to offer. Data also suggests that customers build both strong awareness of and positive associations with companies that serve up free valuable content. You have a wide range of options you can offer your potential clients, from a free eBook to a free online workshop. Try creating a few different types of content and see which asset attracts your target audience.
11. Produce evergreen blog content
With any content marketing strategy, it pays to keep long-term objectives in mind. Sure, you want your content to address hot topics that will draw immediate interest. At the same time, seek out subjects that stay relevant, and that will generate traffic later down the road.
12. Stay updated on the latest trends
Lead generation strategies and tools are constantly evolving. It’s important that your agency adapts to these changes to get ahead of the game. A good way to stay up to date is by following the latest agency trends and innovations. Take the updates that are relevant for you and integrate them into your strategy.
13. Launch a minisite for your agency
If you want to further segment your customer base, consider creating a smaller, self-contained version of your site that focuses on a particular feature or area of interest. Such sites can be especially effective for long-tail keywords. For example, “Hire digital agency for web design.” While pure search volume for long-tails isn’t particularly high, potential clients are more likely to convert when they find the exact thing they’re searching for.
14. Track data and analytics
With site analytic tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar you can track your site visitors’ activity and assess exactly how well your lead generation is working. Once you’ve collected this data, use it to determine what visitors like on your website, then optimize your webpages to boost engagement.
15. Market on social media
Social media marketing always causes a lot of debate, and the data around its effectiveness in B2B lead generation remains uncertain. For example, the numbers indicate that Twitter is not a strong tool for B2B leads, despite previous claims to the contrary. Facebook, on the other hand, appears to work better—when used properly.
If you do intend to budget time and resources for social media marketing, dig deep into the figures and make sure you’re using the latest trends to make the most of your ads.
16. Master LinkedIn
If there’s a social media option that’s ahead of the pack for B2B lead generation, it’s LinkedIn. It’s currently the platform of choice for content-distribution among B2B marketers. According to recent studies, 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn and 94% of B2B marketers use Linkedin. You can also use their tools like the LinkedIn Sales Navigator. This tool helps agencies target the right audience, understand key insights and create a personalized outreach on their platform.
17. Incentivize customer referrals
While it may seem old-fashioned, word-of-mouth is still a very powerful sales tool. It remains the primary engine driving roughly half of all buying decisions, and agencies that lean on referrals generate significantly higher conversion rates and faster closing times. Think about incentivizing the referral offers you make, for example, you could offer your clients a discount on your monthly site maintenance subscription.
18. Take time to build client relationships
Landing the best B2B leads typically requires tenacity and resourcefulness. From the start, you must be dedicated to nurturing prospects, cultivating relationships and seeking opportunities in unlikely places. B2B relationships tend to have long lifespans. If you make your lead-generation efforts as distinct and personalized as possible, you’ll set the right tone going forward.
Take time to get to know your target audience. Look at their offerings, goals and overall mission. Bridge the gap by sending them emails, setting up calls and attending relevant events to find out what they’re interested in. Remember, this is a 2-way relationship, so you’ll want to feel as comfortable with your customers as they are with you.
19. Hire relevant micro-influencers
Famous influencers can be pricey and overexposed. Micro-influencers, on the other hand, represent a less-tapped and more cost-effective source for lead gen. Despite having fewer followers, they can exert the same relative sway. Take travel photographers with 10,000+ Instagram followers—they might have a smaller reach, but they have direct access to an eager, engaged subculture of nature lovers.
Consider finding a professional that’s relevant to your agency. For example, if your agency offers SEO, find SEO experts and ask them to write a post for you. Then, ask the micro-influencer to share it.
20. Add site automations
Automations can be a big game-changer when it comes to getting more conversions. For example, you can send automated emails triggered by site actions. Let’s say a visitor signed up for a webinar, and that triggers an automatic confirmation email that showcases your related services. This will entice them to learn more about your offerings and increase the chances of them converting.
21. Network with potential clients at events
Although COVID-19 has minimized interpersonal activity these days, it’s only a matter of time before we’ll resume in-person engagement. And it’s worth remembering that B2B lead generation is not exclusively an online concern. When the time comes, embrace opportunities to connect with potential clients and really get to know them. This includes setting up booths at trade shows, attending as many conferences as you can and participating in panels and forums.
22. Host your own live or online events
B2B marketers traditionally allocate about a quarter of their budget for live events. When things settle, consider assembling your own slate of activities. The goal is to excite prospective clients and generate buzz that starts after the event ends. Try to emphasize variety, maybe have your micro-influencer host a webinar, followed by a panel that gathers industry leaders to discuss a pressing issue, and then a happy hour where you talk about anything but business.
Each event gives you the opportunity to send out signup forms and follow up with questionnaires.
23. Mix and match marketing tools
Peak lead-generation is rarely achieved by a single tool, but instead through a combination of tools. Lead generation tools come in a wide variety whether it’s contact forms or email campaigns. Choosing the right tools and organizing them into a logical flow can actually multiply the value of each individual tool. Research the best marketing tools to carry out your lead generation strategy and build a martech stack.
In the B2B world, the biggest clients often play by their own rules. While the above tactics are useful, quickly consider a few additional considerations when attempting to score a high-end account.
Learn their methods
Take time to understand the particulars of how the company does business, both in terms of its operating systems and its corporate culture.
Know their decision-makers
Find out as much as you can about company leaders. Follow them on social media and directly reach out at the appropriate time.
Get everyone involved
A big pitch is an opportunity to organize your whole team around a collective endeavor, and solicit ideas every quarter. Conduct frequent group meetings and keep your communication lines open.
Maintain balance
Be careful about allocating a disproportionate amount of your resources to landing a specific account—you don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket.
Enjoy the process
Big companies are particularly methodical when making important decisions. Don’t force anything. Like all the best B2B generation strategies, emphasize the organic. The results will follow.
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