Tag: B2B Leads

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What is B2B lead generation?

Posted on | by devops
Expert Tips For What is B2B lead generation?

Lead generation is a vital aspect of any business that sells a product or service. In marketing terms, B2B lead generation involves the identification of potential customers and conducting marketing or sales activity to encourage their interest. The greater number of leads you bring in, the more revenue you can make.

As a company operating in the B2B sector, you will have a different set of criteria of what is classed as a qualified lead and requires the collaborative and strategic working of the marketing and sales functions within the company.

Historically, sales and marketing have been known to work in silos. As buyer behavior has changed, so has the way sales and marketing departments interact with potential clients. An aligned approach is vital. Marketing strategy is designed to attract potential leads, qualify them as relevant, and push them through the funnel to sales outreach. 

Why your business needed B2B lead generation

In times gone by, sales and marketing were more concerned about telling the client about the existence of your product. But the nature of buyer behavior has changed drastically due to the internet. Inbound marketing is designed to bring your leads to you rather than pursuing them.

How to define B2B leads

Technically, any business that could benefit from your product or service could be a lead, but this doesn’t help your sales team effectively target their efforts. Instead, they should be categorized by their level of interest. These are usually defined as either a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) or a Sales Qualified Lead (SQL)

MQLs 

When potential clients engage with your marketing campaigns, they will be identified as an MQL. This engagement could include downloading content, attending a webinar, interacting on social media.

High-quality MQLs are vital in providing the sales team with a solid pipeline of leads. This will also increase your chance of conversion and improve ROI.

SQLs 

The next stage of the marketing funnel involves moving MQLs to SQLs. When a lead is deemed an SQL, then this is the point where your sales team will usually reach out and initiate contact.

The move from MQL to SQL usually involves more signs of real intent. This can include emailing for more information, filling in an online form, or signing up for a free trial.   

Who is responsible for B2B lead generation? 

B2B lead generation strategies and lead management is usually the joint responsibility of the sales and marketing departments. Whereas it used to be common for sales teams to be solely responsible, that is no longer the case, and the sales and marketing departments must collaborate closely to achieve targets.

Modern sales departments are usually split into separate roles to create efficiencies and focus talent in the right areas. Sales development roles identify possible leads, conduct initial engagement, and set any calls or meetings.

Business development managers are those who work at a more strategic level with leads. They communicate with prospects, give presentations and demos, and close deals. 

By running the sales function in this way, you create a very efficient department where everyone’s roles are clearly defined.

Marketers also fall into different categories when it comes to their main roles. Growth marketers are becoming popular in start-ups where revenue is needed fast and with little budget. They tend to alter strategy quickly, trying new ideas and dropping others that aren’t getting quick results. This approach works well at the start-up stage but generally can’t scale effectively, where a more sophisticated marketing setup is needed.

Inbound and demand generation marketers focus on developing strategies to engage potential clients and fill up the marketing funnel.

Depending on the size of your company, you may use one or more agency partners to handle various parts of your B2B lead generation activity.

Larger marketing departments may consist of digital specialists, content marketers, lead generation, and growth hacking.

B2B lead generation activities  

Several different B2B lead generation strategies can be conducted to bring in new business. There is still a place for traditional sales cold calling when it is targeted to the right organizations.

These include:

Outreach – the traditional approach of calling relevant people and attempting to get them to agree to a meeting, demo, or receive more information.

Email – similar to telephone outreach, this involves emailing potential leads. This can be done via personal email or an email platform.

Social – targeting and developing contacts through social media platforms and LinkedIn.

Alongside traditional sales outreach, the main b2b lead gen strategy is run by the marketing department.

Content marketing – creating and publishing interesting and informative content on a range of channels. Lead capture then pulls leads into the marketing funnel, where they become an MQL. Content can include videos, podcasts, webinars. Ebooks and blogs.

Account marketing – the buyer personas at each company are identified, and campaigns are created to target them specifically.  

Technology in B2B lead generation  

Modern sales and marketing initiatives run on technology. Aside from the platforms you choose to run your campaigns on. Internal systems allow you to capture the campaign data.

A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system is vital to tracking and recording potential client data and your interaction with them.

Another invaluable platform is marketing automation. Save time and money by automating your entire inbound marketing strategy rather than manually handling all aspects of the funnel.  

Conclusion 

B2B lead generation is an important part of any business. Generating these leads needs strong business direction and an aligned sales and marketing department. By deploying a range of strategies across targeted marketing channels, you’re increasing your chances of attracting and converting more leads through your funnel.

Each lead generation strategy will be slightly different, and you’ll be competing with others in your industry for the attention of your target market. By defining your buyer personas and targeting your campaigns precisely, you’ll improve your ROI as wells as your conversion rate.  

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The Basics of B2B Marketing

Posted on | by devops
Tips From Professional Digital Marketers

Marketing is a universal term. However, it means different things to various types of businesses. Particularly, there are two main types of marketing that relate to specific audiences – B2B and B2C marketing.

In this article, we’ll break down the significant difference in both terms and explain the basics of B2B marketing in particular.

What is B2B Marketing?

Business to business (B2B) marketing is the practice of promoting and selling products to companies. Popular companies that have B2B target audiences is HubSpot, Microsoft, and Adobe.

B2B products or services are typically aimed at helping businesses increase their profits or make operations happen smoother. Popular B2B marketing methods include content marketing, Social Media Lead Generation, and event marketing.

There are distinct differences between B2B and B2C marketing that will be explained in the following section.

What is the Difference Between B2B and B2C Marketing?

Business to consumer (B2C) Marketing is the practice of promoting and selling products and services directly to individuals. Local businesses and restaurants typically have B2C target audiences.

The main difference between B2C and B2B Marketing is the difficulty of sale. It’s much easier to sell anything to an individual consumer. This is because B2B customers must go through a chain of command before they receive the authorization to make a purchase.

For example, a vendor selling a marketing product to Apple won’t likely be in contact with Tim Cook, the CEO of the company. Instead, they’ll be in contact with the marketing manager who must do his or her’s due diligence of researching the product, gaining approval from his or her’s supervisors, etc.

Additionally, B2B companies must use precise methods to reach out to businesses instead of individual consumers.

Unlike B2C consumers, B2B consumers only buy what they need and not what they want.

Therefore, it can be fairly difficult to convince a business to invest their resources in a product or service, while encouraging people to buy a product or service can be simpler depending on their motivation.

Having a great reputation is essential for practicing B2B Marketing as businesses are very careful with who they work with. People, on the other hand, are more willing to work with unknown companies.

B2B v B2C marketing

What’s the Difference Between B2B Sales and Marketing?

B2B sales and marketing may be interchangeable terms, but the end goal of each term is significantly different. In business, marketing entails generating interest in a product or service.

Sales involve the journey of getting a prospect to make a purchase. Once you have received a lead through your B2B marketing efforts, you’ll need to guide them down your sales funnel.

The most standard sales funnel B2B companies use is the Buyer’s Journey. This roadmap features each stage of consumerism, from the moment of awareness to the final point of sale.

B2B sales and marketing are intertwined. Though, these terms have different meanings. As a result, your sales and marketing teams work together to capture and refine leads to boost your revenue.

If you need help in configuring your own B2B marketing strategy, contact Agency Partner Interactive today to learn how we can help you!

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3 Proven Ways To Increase B2B Leads Through Social Media

Posted on | by devops
Tips From Professional Social Media Marketers

Many businesses think of social media as a brand-building tool more than a lead generation one. The truth is that social media can be used to generate and refine leads in both B2B and B2C markets.

With the right strategy in place, you can capture leads on-the-spot and add them into your sales funnel. This article will bring you information on how you can specifically capture more B2B leads from your social media profiles.

1. Choose the Right Platform

There are several social media platforms to choose from. However, you’ll be making a critical mistake by signing up for every social media platform and expecting results.

This is because different types of individuals gather on specific channels. Facebook is an easy choice for B2B marketers because it has the largest following in the world.

Though, many marketers neglect LinkedIn, which is arguably a better-suited platform for bringing in B2B leads.

Make sure you conduct extensive research on your target audience before you randomly choose a platform to advertise on.

2. Use Video Content

Video content is a popular form of Content among Millenials. Rightfully so, creating videos for your brand is a great way to showcase your products and services in a digestible manner for your target audience.

For Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you can produce captivating videos and promote them to millions of users.

The main takeaway here is to get creative with how you display these videos.

Don’t waste your time mindlessly drilling into your prospects’ heads about how your products or services are the best for them. Instead, allow your prospects to make their own decisions.

With that said, create videos that show why your offerings can be an invaluable aspect of your prospects’ lives. For example, a software company could ideally create a video that displays the difficulties their customers face without their product and tie in footages of what life would be like for them with their product.

A theme like this, combined with a clever call-to-action (CTA) can encourage your target audience to give your products or services a shot without any direct promotion.

3. Share Links to Gated Content

Gated content is exactly what it is – it’s content that’s only accessible to people who provide some form of credentials.

Usually, businesses require people to submit their email addresses to receive a whitepaper or e-book.

This is an example of how gated content works. Fortunately, social media is an incredible way to share your gated content. The best way to do this is to create an enticing call-to-action and offer a case study embedded in the content you’re giving away.

For example, a company selling marketing automation software could structure their social media ad to say, “58% of our clients have reported a 124% increase in revenue of our automation software. Figure out how by grabbing a copy of our case study today.”

Business leaders are always looking for new ways to make money on social media, and an ad like that could be too enticing to pass up. By creating valuable content for your target audience, you can receive quality leads who will provide you with their email addresses so you can convert them at a later date.

Do you want to begin attracting more leads through Social Media with professional help? If so, contact Agency Partner Interactive to learn more about how we can help you.

Not big on reading? That’s okay. Watch “3 Proven Ways to Increase B2B Leads Through Social Media?” instead.

Using the power of Artificial Intelligence, we turned this Blog into a video for you. Check it out below!

 

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3 Tactics To Gain More B2B Leads

Posted on | by devops
Increase Your B2B Leads With 3 Simple Tactics
Tips From Digital Marketing Experts

Looking for the key to capturing high-quality B2B leads? This article aims to unlock the secret by offering simple tactics to increase relevant leads with a high conversion rate. From an old classic like email marketing to new trends in content marketing and social media, we’ll show you three top tips to capture leads in 2019. 

Use Content Marketing to Reach B2B Leads

Are you one of the 91% of companies using Content Marketing for B2B Leads? If not, it’s time to create a content marketing strategy. As a whole, it costs 62% less than traditional marketing and yields approximately three times as many leads. In this age of authenticity, 70% of consumers would rather learn about a company through content than through an advertisement. 

Create content that is well-written, relevant, and valuable. Be sure to optimize the custom content with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) keywords to increase your chances of being found on search engines. Offer solutions for readers at the exact time they’ve searched for it, positioning your company as an expert in your field. This high level of trust means that readers will consider hiring your company instead of your competitors. Incorporate a lead magnet into your content to capture an email address and add the lead to your sales funnel. 

Email Marketing 

In 2018, the number of Email Addresses Worldwide reached 3.8 million. That number is only expected to grow in the coming years. With an average return on investment (ROI) of $38 for Every $1 Spent, this is excellent news for marketers. 

To capture email addresses, offer a free resource in exchange for your prospective customer’s email address. Then, utilize automation functionality to nurture leads, and position your company as the answer to their problems. Set up highly customized funnels and track results to increase your conversion rate. 

Social Media: LinkedIn Leads and More

For companies focused on B2B leads, LinkedIn is a veritable gold mine of potential clients. In fact, 80% of B2B leads, and 46% of social media traffic to B2B Websites comes from LinkedIn. The potential to gather LinkedIn leads is so high that this is a social media platform you can’t afford to ignore.  

Join active groups in your niche on LinkedIn and get involved. However, forewarning, don’t break the cardinal sin of LinkedIn by flooding groups with unsolicited link-drops. Wait for the appropriate time and place to introduce your business as a solution once you’re respected as a helpful voice in the group. 

LinkedIn also offers advertising solutions with robust targeting to reach high-quality leads. If your research shows that your target businesses are on other social media platforms– Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram also offer advertising options. 

In the US, 80% of Internet Users Interact with Social Media and blogs. With social and content marketing strategies in place, you’ll be one step closer to increasing your customer base. If you want to improve and gain more B2B Leads Strategy, Agency Partner can help. Let us create Email Marketing Campaigns with highly clickable subjects, corresponding landing pages, and video that’s sure to create high engagement. Get discovered on Google with our Search Engine Optimization that drives revenue. Want some help on the social side? We offer Social Media Marketing Services to increase Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn leads through creative campaigns. Get in touch and let’s talk leads!

Not big on reading? That’s okay. Watch “3 Tactics To Gain more B2B Leads” instead.

Using the power of Artificial Intelligence, we turned this Blog into a video for you. Check it out below!