The marketing world is focusing more and more on digital measures. Sophisticated online marketing can create the decisive difference in sales figures. In the process, two terms keep popping up: Leads and lead generation.
These methods can be used to generate new leads and we will now show which modern lead generation measures are best suited for which industries.
What is lead generation?
Lead generation is the process by which a company acquires new potential customers. Attracting new customers has become one of the most important goals of many companies.
Since the emergence of the Internet, this has been taking place primarily online. A distinction is made between the B2C and B2B sectors. Many measures can be used in both areas. Only the content has a slightly different focus.
What are classic ways to generate leads?
The classic Lead generation basically consists of wanting to generate a response from the interested party through certain advertising measures. This happens, for example, when an order is placed. The contact makes a purchase at that moment, but at the same time reveals information about himself that could be used in subsequent promotions.
What is modern lead generation?
Modern lead generation in B2B (business-to-business) or B2C (business-to-consumer) can take place via various channels. Push and pull marketing, SEO and high-quality content are used. All measures used in marketing to generate new customer data are summarized under the term lead management.
There is a wide range of options that a company can use to ensure that it increases the number of people interested in its services and products. Modern lead generation is essentially based on a well-functioning website, which creates the first impression of a company and thus represents a very important aspect in modern lead generation.
Three phases can be distinguished in the acquisition of new customers:
- First finds the Lead Attraction takes place, in which the potential clientele is made aware of the company.
- This first phase is followed by the Lead Capture, where users turn into a real lead.
- In order not to lose these acquired leads, the Lead Nurturing-phase, where the relationship is deepened and the contact is slowly guided towards closing the sale.
There are several methods that can be used for modern lead generation. These are presented below.
Content Marketing
Content marketing works for both B2B and end-customer lead generation. This form of marketing is part of inbound marketing, because prospects and interested parties are attracted to high-quality content. A user-friendly and engaging website is especially needed now, so that visitors can quickly find what they are looking for.
In the process of content marketing, landing pages are integrated that give a first impression and lead to the desired products or information. The actual sale is not in the foreground at first. Rather, the company wants to draw attention to itself and build a bond with the user.
However, it is crucial to adapt the content to the phase the contact is currently in on his or her buyer's journey. During a first visit to the website, different information is important than during a repeated visit to certain product pages. Content marketing describes the use of words, images and video, examples of successful content marketing measures are the following:
Whitepaper
Whitepapers are particularly suitable for modern lead generation in the B2B sector, as this is usually characterized by well-planned purchases. Quick spontaneous purchases are rather rare, an investment for the company wants to be well thought out. Whitepapers give you the opportunity to present your products and solutions under a more scientific aspect. High quality content with a lot of relevant information about innovative products are crucial to get the attention of B2B customers.
Specialty blog
An online magazine is another very good option to provide information to business clients. Showcase your expertise in your field. Don't just promote the features of your product, but generate quality content around your topic.
Webinars
A service or product with a high need for explanation is best marketed through a webinar. Within the scope of an online event, your target group can learn live about the respective subject area. Depending on the lead phase, this can cover overarching topics or already product-specific information. It is important that the interested parties have the opportunity to interact and have their questions answered live.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
One point that is strongly related to content marketing is search engine optimization. This is an efficient lead generation measure that can be used in the acquisition of new customers.
Content is adapted to the search queries of customers through SEO measures. The user should remain in the foreground and not the readability by the search engine. If, for example, keywords are placed in large numbers on a page without added value, Google also quickly devalues a website. High-quality content combined with smart SEO is the perfect combination to attract the attention of interested parties through good positioning on search engine results pages and to encourage them to stay with good content. SEO and content form the foundations for successful, modern lead generation.
Social Media Marketing
Billions of people use social media platforms every day. This means that a large proportion of potentially interested parties move around on a wide variety of social media. Depending on which platform your target group moves on, you should integrate it into your marketing strategy.
However, you should avoid pure self-presentation in your social media posts. It's best to combine product presentations with other content that adds value for your potential customers and generates leads for you.
Paid advertising
Although today more emphasis is placed on inbound marketing, meaning that users should find their way to the website themselves via high-quality content, push marketing is also an important component for modern lead generation. This includes, in particular, advertisements that specifically lead to brand awareness and conversions in the attraction phase.
For example, Google offers interesting and variable advertising options that can be used to target your pre-defined audience. You can create links to Landing pages integrate that have attractive call-to-actions and forms. This way, you collect contact data that can be used for lead nurturing.
Lookalike target groups
An attractive option offered by many advertising portals such as Google, Facebook and LinkedIn is the creation of lookalike audiences. For this purpose, already existing contacts such as qualitative leads as well as customers are used as a starting point for the creation of a target group . The artificial intelligence of the advertising platform then searches for similar users with the same interests and demographic characteristics. As a result, your ads are targeted to users with a high probability of conversion. This enables particularly effective lead generation.
Which method is suitable for which industry/business?
Depending on what industry you're in, certain methods may be more successful for modern lead generation. End customers are usually easier to reach on social media platforms. An initial spot or banner can be used to direct a lead to the landing page. This way, you increase your company's visibility and traffic to the page at the same time.
High-value and expensive products are more likely to succeed on certain social platforms. Ads can be placed on LinkedIn as well as on Facebook or Instagram to attract new leads.
Products and services that are intended for B2B customers can best be lured with white papers or informative blogs. By signing up for a newsletter, additional content can be sent via email that is helpful for the leads. Sales can then target qualified leads and set up personal appointments.
Tips for lead generation in B2B
Before starting modern lead generation in B2B, the target group should be defined. Only when the potential clientele is precisely described can lead acquisition be carried out in a targeted manner.
Make sure that not every lead is the same. Time is a valuable resource in sales that should not be wasted. Evaluate your leads with lead scoring to see what stage potential customers are in and how certain a close is.
Marketing automation solutions can evaluate leads and perform lead qualification. Which online activities lead to success can also be analyzed with the help of these tools.
Conclusion
Modern lead generation in B2B is a crucial prerequisite for success as a company. Analyzing potential customers is just as important as setting goals. Interested parties should be accompanied step by step on the buyer's journey. High-quality content adapted to the lead phases must be available so that the contact does not lose interest and makes the purchase.
Both B2B and B2C contacts are already well informed and respond particularly strongly to high-quality content that offers added value. Online, contact details are only disclosed if the website is considered safe and reputable. A well-thought-out marketing strategy should be geared to the target group and consist of a smart mix of high-quality inbound marketing and targeted outbound campaigns to advise interested parties and lead them to the conclusion of a purchase.
This article is a guest post by Sortlist.
