Finding sales leads isn’t easy for B2B marketers. They have budget constraints, multiple stakeholders, and often longer sales cycles.
The definition of a b2b leads varies by company, but typically it includes business contact data, like names and emails or the name and phone number of the person who makes the buying decision. These are referred to as sales qualified leads.
Identifying Your Targets
When it comes to b2b leads, there are three main types: marketing qualified leads (MQLs), sales qualified leads (SQLs) and unqualified leads. Identifying leads involves the deployment of marketing and sales strategies to find and attract prospective customers to your business. This phase usually falls on the shoulders of marketers, whether they’re conducting cold calls and emails, using LinkedIn messages or engaging in other online outreach.
A great way to identify your targets is by developing an ideal customer profile (ICP) and qualifying criteria that align with your business objectives. This can be a very effective starting point, especially when paired with account-based marketing (ABM) strategies that target high-value accounts with specific pain points and needs.
Once you’ve outlined your targets, it’s time to start searching for them. Begin by looking for leads in online spaces that are frequented by your target audience, such as industry-specific forums and social media groups. You can also identify a potential lead by finding the contact information of a company that has interacted with your brand in the past, such as filling out a form on your website or subscribing to your blog.
Developing a Strategy
B2B lead generation is the process of identifying potential buyers and attracting them to a business. It is a crucial first step in the sales funnel and may be the responsibility of either marketing or sales, or both.
To generate a B2B lead, marketers typically collect contact information from prospects using a form. This data is then added to a database and nurtured into sales-qualified leads (SQLs).
A SQL is a person who has demonstrated an interest in your product or service by: sending you an email, direct message on social media, or asking for a demo. These are people who have a clear pain point and can be potentially converted into customers.
Developing an effective B2B lead generation strategy is key to growing your business. Ensure that you have the right resources and essential tools to identify ideal prospects, capture their interest, and nurture them into sales-qualified leads. Consider also attending relevant events and conferences to connect with decision-makers face-to-face.
Getting Started
A successful sales pipeline starts with the right leads. B2B lead generation strategies rely on intelligent methods to appeal to the right potential buyers at the right time. Casting too wide a net can waste time and money and send sellers down fruitless rabbit holes.
The best approach depends on the unique needs and goals of each business. Regardless of the strategy employed, it is important to create content that adds value to the buyer’s experience and position yourself as a trusted resource.
For example, creating an in-depth report on a specific topic can earn your organization a lot of credibility. This is particularly useful when targeting highly analytical, risk-averse business buyers who require the approval of multiple ROI-minded decision-makers to move forward. A well-designed case study is also a great way to drive traffic to your website and generate leads. For instance, Templafy generated 25 marketing qualified leads in one week with a 475 percent ROI for a case study on the benefits of using their software.
Tracking Your Results
Getting sales b2b leads is vital for any business. Without a steady stream of prospects, sales will suffer and you’ll have wasted time and resources on an ineffective campaign. Whether it’s through mass calling or one-on-one calls, you need to produce results at the end of the day.
B2B lead tracking provides valuable insight into your marketing campaigns. Using website visitor tracking software like Clickback WEB, you can easily monitor and analyze leads on a daily basis. From the dashboard, you can view the companies identified by the system, along with visit details and page views.
Behavioral tracking also offers valuable insights into the buyer journey. For example, if a potential customer downloads a white paper from your site, you know that they are researching the product. Using this information, you can create more targeted outreach and nurture these prospects to sales conversion. This will increase your ROI and help your business grow. Moreover, it will give your sales team the time they need to focus on their top priority accounts.