Lead generation in B2B: 5 tips to try

Marketers who rely exclusively on proven online marketing measures run the risk of losing touch with the competition. Online behavior is constantly changing and competitive pressure is constantly increasing. Only those who have the courage to leave well-known paths and rely on creative and innovative thinking and action will be able to assert themselves.

Many people do not seem to be aware that chatbots in B2B can be used to generate leads. As part of the dialogue with interested parties, a bot may already be able to qualify the lead in the chat. Once he has collected the necessary information, he can suggest contacting sales or book an appointment directly.

It makes sense to start by asking the sales team what their biggest challenges are in capturing lead information. Based on this information, a model with possible conversation scenarios between visitor and chatbot can then be developed.

When using a bot, it must be ensured that the language corresponds to that of the brand in order to ensure a consistent brand experience.

Transparency is also important: potential customers must not have the impression that they are speaking to a human being. If the image of a robot appears during the conversation, they know that they are communicating with a bot.

Companies must be aware that customers are not just listed on a contact list, but want to be part of a community, a “community”. You want to benefit from this.

The transfer of knowledge is a core element of a functioning community. When companies offer online courses with quality content, they attract potential customers. When planning training courses, it is important to pay attention to a few basic guidelines:

First, customer persona(s) should be defined. To do this, companies have to clarify who the “ideal customers for further training” are, with which topics and questions they need help and what solutions they are looking for.

A curriculum can then be used to design coherent online courses that offer added value to the respective target group. If you are already convincing in the first lesson, you increase your chances that the participants will “stay on the ball”.

It is important to keep the units short and barrier-free so that people with hearing, visual or learning disabilities can also use them. For example, video content can be better conveyed with subtitles: the participants can also read a text version of the content if necessary.

After the first video course is published, it’s a good idea to use the feedback to improve the project until the feedback is overwhelmingly positive. When this point is reached, the second video course can be tackled.

Prerequisite for success: Users expect information, not advertising. Those who offer added value by imparting specialist knowledge have a good long-term chance of naturally attracting the learners’ interest in their own products or services.

Data is important for content marketing in order to be able to develop a well-founded strategy. The focus is on one question: Which blog content brings the highest conversion rate? Using a cluster conversion report, marketing teams can discover why certain pieces of content are performing better than others, and then strategize to optimize existing content for conversion.

Before the first report is created, the existing blog posts are divided into topic categories – the so-called clusters. Then those responsible create anchor pages, each of which gives an overview of a certain overarching topic and refers to the individual blog posts of the cluster via links.

Based on the subsequently measured traffic and lead data, the following topic clusters can be identified:

• those that have high traffic
• those who have low conversion rates and
• those whose readers show high intentions to act.

Posts from topic clusters that meet these three criteria are eligible for revision, making them potentially effective conversion points.

In a co-marketing partnership, at least two companies work on a joint project and benefit from the jointly generated income. The advantages: More resources can be mobilized and more leads generated. At the same time, companies do not have to spend as much budget on content creation and promotion.

When choosing a co-marketing partner, focus on the following questions:

Does the company reach the right target group with the co-marketing campaign?

Those responsible have to ask themselves whether they get any added value by addressing this audience.

Would the company be more of a partner than a competitor?

A direct competitor is only suitable as a campaign partner in exceptional cases. However, it can sometimes be difficult to discern whether a company is a competitor or not. The following applies here: If companies are courting for the same keywords, no partnership should be entered into.

Does the company publish quality content?

The affiliate should value content marketing as much as you do. This can be verified by companies subscribing to the potential affiliate’s blog updates and newsletters. This should answer the following questions: Was the content created professionally? How often are emails sent? And is there an unsubscribe link?

How many new leads are possible? Is it worth the time investment?

The social media reach of the potential partner company is a good indicator of whether a collaboration makes sense. How many followers does the company have? How many interactions are there? What content does the social media team post? Those who know the answers to these questions will find it easier to decide for or against a co-marketing partner.

Does the company have specific expertise that is lacking in your own company?

If the specialist knowledge fits the general subject area of ​​the company, cooperation can make sense.

Does the company have a good reputation?

A search on Google, Google News or rating platforms provides information as to whether the partner company works seriously or, for example, has an image problem.

Anyone who offers potential customers free versions of their products has a good chance of successful lead generation and lower customer acquisition costs. Of course, this is a decision that must be made by the senior management level.

For users of the free product version, the entry hurdle is lower because there are no costs. At the same time, the tool or the brand receives attention and trust from users. They are often heavy users and willing to share their experiences. This in turn helps the tool provider to further optimize the product based on usage data and feedback. It is important that the company pursues a nurturing strategy in order to convert at least some of the free users into paying customers.

Another option is to offer freemium tools, which are not free versions of the product but are related to the company’s core themes. In this way, too, the company ensures attention and leads. However, the wastage is greater and the bond between users and the company is not as strong.

Companies that want to assert themselves against the competition would do well to try different methods of lead generation and not to stick to the traditional ones. If a method works well, teams should further optimize it. In this way, lead quantity and quality can be further increased.