Sales and lead generation techniques are always evolving as per the customer requirements, and market statistics. But it was the year 2020 that truly made innovation in lead generation and a change in the approach to sales necessary for b2b marketers.
Come 2021 and businesses are rapidly adopting some new ways of generating leads and redefining old ways too for better business outcomes.
It’s a known fact that leads act as the fuel for b2b businesses. The more leads you generate, the more sales you’ll make.
However, getting more leads isn’t enough. Companies need to ensure that the leads they generate are high-quality and marketing-qualified leads that ultimately can become the SQLs, ready for conversion.
Research reveals that b2b professionals consider increasing lead quality as their topmost priority, followed by increasing lead volume.
This blog discusses 3 simple lead generation methods that will help you improve the quality and volume of your leads.
Why Do Lead Gen Techniques Need to Evolve in 2021?
Lead generation has been around since the 80s, when television advertising was on the rise. Back in the day, the idea was to sell with a lot of noise to attract prospects. Up until recently, advertisements involved sales messages that included a repetitive call to action, telephonic reminders with very less focus on what the customer actually wants.
While these methods are still in play to a certain extent, the focus has moved to the customers’ requirements.
The strategies have now become more consumer-centric, wherein the brand’s advertising revolves around what its customers need.
The pandemic has further contributed to this trend, as consumers have become extra-conscious when it comes to choosing brands. The same goes for b2b customers as they now heavily depend on independent research.
In response, businesses need to evolve their lead generation techniques and align them with the requirements of the modern-day customer.
They need to evolve the way they communicate or simply stay in the eye-line of the customer with solutions that the customer is looking for.
Lead Gen Techniques for 2021
Naturally, b2b lead generation in 2021 is going to look slightly different than it used to all these past years. Let us take look at some simple methods that can help marketers generate leads and why they should focus on these methods more.
Use of Gated Content
B2B Gated content is in existence for quite some time now, and its importance has increased even more in 2021.
With customers becoming tech-savvy and choosy, they are also willing to be more specific about what they want and are expecting more reliable sources than ever before.
Gated content such as different types white papers, e-books etc. that consumers want to access comes against an exchange of information or valuable data from the prospect. Usually it’s made accessible after a form fill or similar activity.
When you use gated content, you provide users value in exchange for their information. Since the content you provide to them is helpful and informative, the customers who are serious about making a buying decision are ready to give information. This also reveals the intent of the customer and these can be treated as good leads who can be easily converted.
Hence, using gated content can help you generate high-quality leads with ease.
Evolved B2B Lead Nurturing Techniques
If your lead nurturing plan only includes sending automated emails to your subscribers, you’re missing out on potential sales opportunities. Brands need to adopt content marketing as their key lead nurturing strategy.
As 93% of B2B buying processes begin with an online search, so developing a robust online presence is crucial. Here’s where content marketing comes into play.
And don’t forget to combine your content marketing tactics with personalized email marketing. Creating content assets that are aligned with the requirement is critical for success.
Lastly, continue nurturing your leads even after they convert. According to DemandGen, only 29% of brands nurture their existing customers. Since acquiring new customers is way more expensive than retaining the existing ones, brands should focus on nurturing their current consumers.
Focus on Fine Tuning Buyer Persona
So, you conducted your initial research and worked hard on creating accurate buyer personas. But that’s only the first step. Consumer behavior keeps on changing, and thus, your personas need to be readily updated.
Businesses typically have various sources of data, such as:
- Own database
- Social media analytics
- Web analytics
You can leverage this data to fine-tune your buyer personas and align them more closely with your customers. Then, conduct A/B testing to compare your updated personas with the previous personas to determine which one performs better.
Conclusion
Lead generation has changed drastically, and businesses need to adapt. The way businesses find, engage, and convert potential customers isn’t the same anymore. This requires new lead generation techniques that not only increase the number of leads acquired but also nurture and convert them into high-paying customers.