A fully integrated lead generation strategy can get you good leads. B2B marketers need to have a comprehensive plan for lead generation. They can use and leverage the techniques that worked best for them in 2021 and also focus and invest in new lead gen methods strategically to help convert leads into customers.
A lead doesn’t always equal a sale. A lead may not convert into business even after going through the initial stages of the sales cycle. Therefore it’s important to think of lead generation as a strategic activity! It’s not a one-size-fits-all kind of an activity as every business is unique.
Let us see top 5 techniques to accelerate lead generation in 2022
Prioritize quality over quantity
Lead generation is not about volume alone, as number of leads won’t get you or sales but quality of leads will certainly enhance your sales and ROI. To increase the conversions, analysing leads and categorizing them into good leads and bad leads is important.
You can use BANT (Budget, Authority, Need, Timing) to qualify a lead and convert it into business
Budget: Evaluate if your lead has the budget for your services. This will actually decide whether they would be converted into customers.
Authority: Is the lead you are communicating with the actual decision maker? This is important to know because it will decide the amount of time the conversion might take to happen.
Need: One of the most critical aspects of lead generation is to identify if the service or product is actually going to meet the needs of the lead.
Timing: Timing is everything! When or how soon does the lead need your service or product? Also think of how to capture the timing of their budget availability for faster conversions.
If you want to build a healthy and consistent sales pipeline, you need to focus on qualifying good leads so that they convert quickly into business.
Nurture leads
Lead generation is not a quick-fix solution for by b2b organization. It’s a process that involves various techniques at various different stages. Leads can quickly convert into customers if you nurture them well.
Lead nurturing is a crucial stage in lead generation. Nurturing can be done through email marketing for instance. Create content assets that are aligned with the customers’ needs and create some innovative email campaigns to help build a rapport with the customers, offer customized solutions and to keep nurturing the leads.
Make social media your lead magnet
Social media platforms such as LinkedIn are great for b2b for many reasons. You will find plenty of b2b customers looking for solutions on LinkedIn. Social media can act as your lead magnet if you use it strategically. Staying in the eye-line of the customers is one of the best ways to capture leads.
Staying active on social media through meaningful content insights can attract leads that already know you or have known your brand on social media. This helps in reducing the sales cycle, as the leads approaching you may have already made up their minds to do business with you or it’s easier to convince them as they are familiar with your brand.
Optimize your website
Website is another lead magnet for b2b organizations to speed up their lead generation process. Focus on call-to-actions, speed and accuracy when it comes to your website. Your website visitors could be your potential customers and hence having a simple and content rich website is a must if you want to attract good leads. Have smart call to action to be able to engage the website visitors further. Hence optimizing your website is a smart technique to attract and convert good leads.
Create relevant content insights
Content is the fuel you need to accelerate lead generation. Content is the brand voice and the best means to reach out to your target audience and nurture leads. Offer great content assets to attract engage and convert leads. Leads that have downloaded your content assets can be good leads who would probably take lesser time to convert.
Conclusion:
Establishing human connection with the audience is one of the most critical aspects of successful lead generation. B2B marketers cannot afford to forget that their leads are human beings. Building buyer personas, staying in the eye-line of the customers and building brand familiarity through email marketing are some more techniques to adopt, while you must also focus on creating great content assets for each stage of the sales cycle.