B2B sales lead generation is vital for any business if they want to not only survive, but grow. Effective lead generation results not only in increased brand awareness, but also in the ability to nurture prospects and turn them into paying customers. It’s about keeping your marketing funnel and sales pipeline full. Here are a few B2B sales lead generation strategies that will help you create strong relationships with your target audience.

Use SEO Tactics to Rank High on Search Engine Pages

The B2B buyer’s journey has been rapidly changing. Buyers have more access to information, and they often delay interacting with the vendor much later in the buying journey. If your firm is stuck in the traditional ways of doing business, you are leaving money on the table. According to a recent study, 62% of B2B buyers make purchasing decisions based solely on research they have done online.

For your B2B sales lead generation to be successful, you need to be in front of your prospects when they begin looking for information. This means you need to focus on platforms that they frequent. A research study on B2B decision markers showed that 87% of respondents find information from content that they discover through search engines. At the top is Google that presides over 3.5 billion searches every day.

Your goal should be for your website to rank well on key search terms that relate to your business, but this will almost be impossible without quality content. This is the reason why search engine optimization (SEO) is essential. When you show up high on the first page of Google searches, you instantly earn trust and credibility. This may take a lot of time and effort in the beginning, but the dividends gained in terms of brand awareness and improving your thought leadership are well worth it.

To bring more qualified traffic to your website, you must create fresh blog content that are search engine optimized. You have to first get to know your audience. Learn about your prospect’s pain points and develop buyer personas so you can better offer solutions through your content. SEO may seem complicated but there are many tools that can help you such as Google Keyword Planner, Yoast plug-in (if you use WordPress) or as in our case, a paid subscription service called Moz.

Don’t forget to create content according to where your reader is in their decision-making stage. There are some that are just made aware of their challenges and are researching for solutions. Others are already shopping for solutions and comparing products or service providers, while a few are already sales-ready.

Leverage Your LinkedIn Network

After Google, a Pew Research Center poll shows that  74 percent of adults who regularly use the Internet use social networking sites. Studies also show that 85% of B2B buyers find business content through social media. Among social media sites, LinkedIn is the best platform for B2B sales lead generation. In fact, a recent survey indicated that it drives 80% of B2B social media leads and is the preferred social network by CEOs.

Social media has become one of the most important platforms where buyers gather information and LinkedIn is a crucial social network when it comes to B2B sales lead generation. LinkedIn allows you to develop professional relationships, build your thought leadership, and enhance your reputation and credibility.

Connect with people you already have interactions with that are in your database, prospects you have met at trade shows or conferences, or people who are in the same LinkedIn groups that may benefit from your products or services.  

Aim to be active and publish helpful content often. This keeps you and your company top of mind. Be engaged by also commenting on posts from people in your network. Avoid spammy messages or you may find your account blocked. Too much content on self-promotion is also frowned upon. Be sure to respond to comments and always keep it professional.

Provide Engaging Video Content

It is often said that an average reader can only retain 10% of written content, video can help viewers remember as much as 95% of what they saw especially if it can tap into emotions. According to Hubspot, on average, 55% of people watch video content thoroughly. This is why the power of video for B2B sales lead generation should not be ignored. B2B companies can explore various types of videos including:

Educational Videos

Businesses can utilize video to educate prospects about their products and services. It can cover unique features, FAQs and benefits that convince them why they should purchase from your company.

How-to videos are also great videos that help your audience understand how your product works in real time.  Focus on pain points and positioning yourself as a thought leader.

Case Studies and Customer Testimonials

A case study video can show how your product or service addressed a client’s pain point by developing and implementing the right solution. Showing metrics and stats that point to client success will make your case study even more powerful.

A customer testimonial also shows how your company solved a customer’s pain point but is told through the point of view of the actual client who narrates the story. Listening to a satisfied customer brings your company more credibility.

Company Culture Videos

It is often difficult to stand out from the competition, and one thing that can give you an edge is telling your origin story and articulating your values and what your company stands for. You can highlight your company’s strengths and celebrate your employees’ attributes and abilities. These type of videos help you humanize your brand and it makes it more memorable and compelling to the viewer.

Videos like these are especially beneficial for your social media B2B lead generation strategy. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn currently reward users who directly upload natively rather than sharing a link that takes the user out of the platform. Social media algorithms are more likely to push native videos to the top of news feeds, which will help you get higher engagement.

Another platform you shouldn’t ignore for video content is Youtube. Your videos on Youtube gets indexed by Google so you have a good potential to show up on search pages. Optimize your videos by including keywords, descriptions, and URL links as well as by taking advantage of the tagging feature, which helps your video appear in the “related video” section. Don’t forget to include a call-to-action in all your videos whether you want people to visit your website, contact your company, or take advantage of a special promotion. A call-to-action makes it clear to your viewer what to do next and helps get them moving down the sales funnel.

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