Without a steady stream of high-quality leads and well-researched lead-generation strategies, even the most well-crafted sales strategies can fall flat.
It’s simply not enough to reach out to potential customers; businesses need to engage and convert the right leads – those who are genuinely interested in their products or services.
This is why mastering lead generation is crucial for B2B success. Companies that know how to generate leads not only drive sales but also establish stronger, long-lasting customer relationships.
Hostopia can help every growing company increase its lead generation with simple and effective tools. Keep reading to learn more.
- What Is Lead Generation and Why ‘Chasing’ a Lead Is Important
- 6 Types of Lead Generation Strategies
- Hostopia’s Online Lead Generation Tools You Need to Win the B2B Game
- A Few Great Tips on How to Generate Leads
What Is Lead Generation and Why ‘Chasing’ a Lead Is Important
Lead generation means attracting and turning strangers into potential customers interested in your products or services.
Why It’s Crucial for B2B
In B2B, lead generation strategies are more complex. B2B transactions from sales teams usually have higher stakes, longer sales cycles, and involve multiple decision-makers. This means businesses need to focus more precisely on their target audience to find and engage potential leads.
Lead generation can start from a few sources. Having a favourable position in SERPs is crucial, so utilizing the best tools available will boost your business outline. Like Hostopia.
You can offer your customers Search Engine Assist, a powerful web tool that provides both on-page and off-page SEO. This lead generation tool can help you rank higher for your target keywords, ultimately attracting more potential customers to your business.
Lead Generation Strategies for B2B vs. B2C
Unlike B2C marketing, where you might cast a wide net to capture individual consumers, B2B lead generation is a laser-focused mission.
You need to reach the specific whales in the sea, the high-level decision-makers within your target companies. These are the individuals with the authority and budget to approve your solutions, and they often have complex needs and lengthy buying journeys.
Finding these needles in the haystack can feel like an uphill battle.
Common Struggles in B2B Lead Generation Strategies
- Reaching the right audience: Identifying and targeting the right decision-makers within your ideal customer companies can be challenging.
- Generating qualified leads: Attracting potential customers who are a good fit for your products or services is crucial.
- Qualifying leads effectively: Distinguishing between casual browsers and serious prospects helps avoid wasting your sales team’s time.
Lead Scoring: Your Secret Weapon
This is where lead scoring comes in as your secret weapon. It’s a system that assigns points to leads based on their actions and demographics, helping you prioritize those most likely to convert.
Imagine your ideal customer; how would they interact with your website? How would they interact with your marketing materials?
Lead scoring helps you identify these hot leads so you can focus your efforts on nurturing them to be sales-ready.
6 Types of Lead Generation Strategies
To get a better understanding of the subject and help you with your lead generation efforts, we compiled a list of the most common types of lead generation.
1. Inbound Lead Generation (or Inbound Marketing)
Inbound lead generation focuses on attracting potential customers through quality content and engaging them with information relevant to their needs.
The content can be via a product or service or a blog post on a website, and it’s mostly to build brand awareness and educate potential customers.
Inbound leads involve:
- Content marketing: Creating and sharing informative blog posts, eBooks, videos, and infographics to attract and engage potential leads.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Optimizing your website and content to rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for potential leads to find you.
- Social media marketing: Using social media platforms to share content, engage with your audience, and drive traffic to your website.
- Webinars and events: Hosting online webinars and virtual events to provide value and capture leads through registrations.
2. Outbound Lead Generation
Outbound lead generation involves reaching out to potential customers who may not be aware of your products or services. Usually this is done by your sales team.
This type includes:
- Cold calling: Contacting potential leads directly via email or other means to introduce your products or services.
- Email marketing: Sending targeted emails to a list of potential leads, often purchased or compiled through research.
- Direct mail: Sending physical mail to potential leads with promotional materials or information about your products and services.
- Advertising: Using paid advertising channels such as Google Ads, display ads, and social media ads to reach a broader audience.
3. Lead Generation Through Referrals
Referral lead generation leverages an existing, paying customer or partner to gain new leads. Your existing customers can also earn commissions by bringing in a marketing-qualified lead to your product.
This type involves:
- Customer referrals: Encouraging satisfied customers to refer friends, colleagues, or other businesses.
- Partner referrals: Collaborating with other businesses to refer clients to each other.
- Affiliate marketing: Partnering with affiliates who promote your products or services for a commission.
4. Event-Based Lead Generation
Event-based lead generation campaigns focus on capturing leads during events. This type includes:
- Trade shows and conferences: Participating in industry events to showcase your products and collect contact information from attendees.
- Webinars and online events: Hosting virtual events to provide value and capture leads through registrations and follow-up interactions.
- Workshops and seminars: Conducting in-person or online workshops to engage potential leads and collect their information for future follow-up.
5. Content Syndication
Content syndication involves sharing your content on third-party platforms to reach a broader audience. This type includes:
- Guest blogging: Writing articles for other websites and blogs to reach new audiences and generate leads through backlinks and calls to action.
- Content networks: Distributing your content through networks like Outbrain or Taboola to drive traffic to your site.
- Press releases: Issuing press releases about significant news or events to attract media coverage and generate interest.
6. Lead Generation Through Social Media
Using social media platforms to generate leads by engaging with your audience and sharing valuable content. This lead generation process includes:
- Organic social media: Regularly posting content, engaging with followers, and participating in discussions on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
- Paid social media ads: Running targeted ad campaigns on social media platforms to reach potential leads based on their interests and behaviors.
- Social media contests: Hosting contests and giveaways to encourage engagement and collect lead information.
Hostopia’s Online Lead Generation Tools You Need to Win the B2B Game
It’s time to equip yourself with the tools needed to fine-tune your B2B lead generation strategies.
We offer a powerful arsenal of web solutions designed to help your sales team attract your ideal customers and turn them into loyal brand advocates.
Our 2 Exciting Products
- Search Engine Assist (a Search Engine Optimization powerhouse): Imagine your company at the top of search engine results, the first name potential customers see when they search for solutions like yours. That’s the power of Search Engine Assist. Our SEO tools help your website rise above the competition, ensuring your target audience finds you when they’re actively looking for what you offer.
- Online Directory Management (Be Everywhere They Look): In today’s digital age, potential B2B buyers rely heavily on online directories for research. Our Online Directory Management service ensures your company has accurate and up-to-date listings across all major industry directories. This boosts your online visibility, streamlines your sales and marketing efforts, and makes it easier for qualified leads to find you when they’re researching solutions.
The Power of Visibility in Lead Generation
By combining these tools, you create a powerful magnet for your target audience and create some solid lead-generation marketing strategies.
Search Engine Assist attracts qualified leads actively searching for your solutions, while Online Directory Management ensures you’re present in all the right places they’re looking.
It’s a one-two punch that drives high-quality traffic to your website, setting the stage for successful lead-generation strategies.
A Few Great Tips on How to Generate Leads
Apart from employing Hostopia’s tools to help you increase a business’s marketing reach, here are some additional lead-generation tactics that every marketing team should use:
1. Send More Emails
Email marketing is a powerful tool for lead generation. Of course, there’s no best lead generation tool. Every tool is unique, and email marketing is great for both sales-qualified leads and marketing-qualified leads.
Sending regular, targeted emails can help you stay top-of-mind with potential customers. Here are some tips:
- Personalize your emails: Use the recipient’s name and tailor the content to their interests and needs. Do that right in the email title for a more successful lead generation strategy.
- Segment your email list: Divide your email list into segments based on demographics, past interactions, or purchase history. This allows you to send more relevant messages and is more useful from a broader marketing perspective.
- Include clear CTAs: Every email should have a clear call-to-action (CTA) that guides the recipient on the next step, whether it’s visiting your website, downloading a resource, or signing up for a webinar.
- Follow up: Don’t just send one email and forget about it. Follow up with a series of emails that provide additional value and keep the conversation going.
Find out more about the importance of business email in another Hostopia blog.
2. Use Social Media More
Social media platforms are excellent for reaching a large audience and generating leads. Here are some ways to use social media effectively:
- Engage with your audience: Respond to comments, participate in discussions, and show that you value your followers’ opinions.
- Share valuable content: Post content that is informative, entertaining, or useful to your audience. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, and more.
- Run social media ads: Use targeted ads to reach potential customers based on their interests, demographics, and behavior.
- Host contests and giveaways: Encourage engagement and attract new followers by hosting contests and giveaways. Make sure to require participants to provide their contact information to enter.
3. Optimize Your Website for Lead Generation
Your website should be a lead-generation machine. Here’s how to optimize it:
- Use lead capture forms: Place forms on high-traffic pages to capture visitors’ contact information.
- Create landing pages: Design dedicated landing pages for your marketing campaigns with clear CTAs and minimal distractions.
- Offer valuable resources: Provide free resources such as eBooks, whitepapers, and webinars in exchange for contact information.
- Use live chat: Implement live chat to engage with visitors in real-time and answer their questions instantly.
4. Leverage Content Marketing
Content marketing is an effective way to attract and nurture leads. Here are some tips:
- Create high-quality content: Produce content that addresses your audience’s pain points and provides solutions.
- Utilize SEO: Optimize your content for search engines to increase organic traffic.
- Promote content across channels: Share your content on social media, through email marketing, and on relevant forums and communities.
- Use gated content: Offer premium content that requires users to fill out a form to access, helping you capture leads.
5. Network and Build Relationships
Building relationships is crucial for generating leads. Here’s how to do it:
- Attend industry events: Participate in trade shows, conferences, and webinars to meet potential leads.
- Join online communities: Engage in online forums and groups related to your industry.
- Partner with other businesses: Collaborate with complementary businesses to co-host events, create joint content, and share leads.
- Follow up with contacts: After meeting new contacts, follow up with a personalized email or message to keep the relationship going.
6. Utilize Paid Advertising
Paid advertising can help you reach a larger audience quickly. Here are some options:
- Search engine advertising: Use Google Ads and/or Microsoft Ads to target keywords related to your business.
- Social media advertising: Run ads on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram so you can reach specific audiences.
- Retargeting Ads: Show ads to people who have visited your website but didn’t convert, reminding them of your products or services.
Attracting more leads from these tips is a great way of increasing your chances of converting them into long-term customers.
For more information on Hostopia’s lead-generation products and services, please visit hostopia.com or email us learnmore@hostopia.com
