Sales 
Lead Generation 
1,411 views
Ginny Dwyer 
April 17, 2024
3157 Views 
46 min read
Share Lead generation is crucial for B2B companies to find and attract potential customers interested in their products or services. The key to lead generation strategies or B2B sales leads is to target those who actually are in market for what you’re offering.
The stark reality is that only 3% of your target audience is ready to buy, and 7% have only thought about it.
So, with 90% not ready, your business needs a way to connect with consumers effectively.
We accumulated and analyzed ways your company can connect and build customer relationships using multiple B2B lead generation strategies. We compared each through the investment, marketing type, risk, benefits, and fast or slow results based on a goal and threshold.
We categorized the top priorities for a lead generation strategy to be successful and achieve one or all of the following:
Successful B2B lead generation requires a combination of these strategies tailored to your specific industry, target audience, and business goals.
Ready to embark on the journey of finding the perfect B2B lead generation strategies for your business? And crank out B2B Sales Leads?
Responsify helps B2B businesses generate more leads by identifying your customers’ challenges and solving their problems with your solution through content.
Let’s start with the foundation and then get you more B2B sales leads . . .
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Table of Contents |
B2B sales leads are potential customers that showed interest in your product or services—in your business. It identifies your ideal prospect to continue working through the sales process or funnel.
Sales and marketing teams can use different lead-generation strategies to attract continued interest from their target audience. In doing so, your business will build brand awareness and a predictable pipeline.
There are two types of B2B leads: Marketing-qualified (MQLs) and Sales-qualified (SQLs). The only difference between the two is that SQLs are MQLs that have progressed further in the buyer’s journey and are deemed ready to speak with your sales teams. Both are more likely to become paying customers.
So, let’s discuss B2B marketing strategies that are working in 2024 so you can stop chasing leads and reach a point where they find you.
The key to lead generation strategies is to find what works best for you. Is it email, video, social media, podcasts, webinars, strategic content, or a combination of a few?
One thing is sure: Today’s B2B buyers rely heavily on digital information to support progress across their entire journey, making the traditional B2B sales and marketing model obsolete.
The key to lead generation strategies is to find what works best for you. We review most of the top B2B sales leads marketing strategies you should consider, if not aggressively implement.
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Trust | Engage | Educate | Brand | Visibility | Traffic | Leads | Acquire | Retain | Cost |
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| Content Upgrades | |
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| Demos | |
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ineffective or very expensive weak or expensive moderate or a bit pricy decent or not so pricy strong or very cost effective
Description: Inbound marketing is a strategy that involves a variety of marketing tactics that revolve around engaging, assisting, and educating your target audience. These tactics include strategic website design, blog content, landing pages, SEO, emails, social media, and more.
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Builds brand trust – Inbound marketing builds brand trust. Your audience will see your brand as a thought leader and be more likely to be interested in what you have to offer.
Audience engagement – One key benefit of inbound marketing is that it allows you to engage your audience with valuable content tailored to their specific needs and challenges. By providing them with relevant information and insights, you can help them better understand their problems and how your solution can address them. This can help to foster stronger relationships between your brand and target audience, ultimately driving greater engagement and conversions.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Inbound marketing is the most effective way to educate your ideal audience about the value of your solution and reduce the length of your sales cycle.
Increases brand awareness – Enhances brand visibility by enabling your target audience to easily discover you based on relevant topics they care about.
Expands visibility – Expands the visibility of your brand and solution on search engines, social media, and email without seeming self-promotional.
Increase website traffic – Inbound helps you own your website traffic instead of ‘renting it’ by gradually increasing traffic without the rising costs of paid ads.
Produces high-quality leads – Increasingly produces high-quality leads over time who have an understanding of the value of your solution and are a good fit.
Increases customer retention – Increases customer retention by having content that can be emailed or found online that keeps current customers engaged.
Cost – Inbound marketing pricing can range from moderate to very expensive depending on how ambitious your goals are. It is best at lowering customer acquisition costs over time as content leads to consistent low cost and better informed lead generation.
Probability of success: 82% of inbound marketers who blog register a positive ROI from inbound marketing; Companies that use inbound marketing strategies save $14 on every new lead acquired; On average, inbound marketing increases the website conversion rate from 6% to 12%. (Sender)
Resources: 40+ Latest Inbound Marketing Statistics (2024 report)
Description: Email marketing uses email to promote your business’s products or services. A retention email is a targeted and triggered message to an existing customer to increase engagement, loyalty, and delight.
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Builds brand trust – Email marketing lets your audience see your brand as a thought leader and is more likely interested in what your brand has to offer.
Audience engagement – Emails can engage your audience with valuable content that helps them understand their challenges and learn about your solution.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – By sending educational content through email, you stay ‘front-of-mind’ with your customers. Sending well-timed emails will help shorten the sales cycle as they get their questions answered through ongoing emails.
Increases brand awareness – Email is an effective way to regularly reach customers with a consistent tone of voice, messaging, and visual branding.
Expands visibility – Email marketing expands the visibility of your brand and solution without seeming self-promotional.
Increase website traffic – Email is a powerful outreach tool to target and inform your subscribers or customers of offers and drive them to specific website pages with links to a specific page.
Produces high-quality leads – By providing valuable content and building trust through email, the quality of the lead increases as they learn more about the solution and can make an educated buying decision.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Email marketing is an efficient way to generate leads at a reasonable cost. It is nowhere near the cost of expensive ads.
Increases customer retention – Through email nurturing, you continue strengthening the bond with your customers and reducing customer churn. You have the ability to create personalized campaigns that increase customer engagement.
Cost – Email marketing has a low upfront cost compared to other forms of marketing especially when emailing an existing database. Marketing automation, like lead nurture, can help reduce your CAC. A solid lead nurture workflow will help generate more revenue with upsells or additional products to your current customers.
Probability of success: When selling to existing customers, the success rate improves to 60-70%. People typically prefer to buy from brands they know, and triggered emails are 95% more likely to be opened than email blasts.
Resources: 4 types of effective email marketing, Customer retention emails: a complete guide
Description: Lead generation companies gather contact information for businesses that could be potential customers. With your target audience clearly defined, a provider will identify accurate contact information, which helps manage the lead generation strategy. Use email to promote your business’s products or services quickly and get your foot through the door to potential customers.
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Builds brand trust – Using a B2B tool like lead gen providers and email marketing lets you build trust faster with your audience by sending consistent emails.
Audience engagement – Emails can engage your audience with valuable content that helps them understand their challenges and learn about your solution.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – By sending educational content through email, you stay ‘front-of-mind’ with your customers. Sending well-timed emails will help shorten the sales cycle as they get their questions answered through ongoing emails.
Increases brand awareness – Email is an effective way to regularly reach potential customers with a consistent tone of voice, messaging, and visual branding.
Expands visibility – Lead gen can drastically open the prospecting door for your company at a faster rate.
Increase website traffic – Email is a powerful outreach tool for targeting and informing your new potential customers of offers and drive them to specific website pages with links to those pages.
Produces high-quality leads – By providing valuable content and building trust through email, the quality of the lead increases as they learn more about the solution and can make an educated buying decision.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – There is a cost associated with using lead gen providers. However, the ROI is most likely better than any paid ad.
Increases customer retention – You strengthen the bond with your potential customers through email nurturing. You can create personalized campaigns that increase customer engagement.
Cost – Email marketing can be a powerful tool for generating leads. It is one of the most cost-effective ways to reach potential customers. Email has an average ROI of $38 for each $1 spent.
Probability of success: Email marketing promises to deliver the highest ROI of all marketing channels—$42 back for every dollar you spend. Email marketing offers a high probability of success.
Resources: How to generate and close more leads with email marketing, How to send better email campaigns by putting your customer first, [Email marketing] Top 5 tips to generate leads through email
Description: Share valuable information with your list (with an awesome name and a very specific audience, segment the send to only those highly interested)
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Builds brand trust – A frequent newsletter can build trust and loyalty over time. By delivering valuable, relevant content, you show your expertise and credibility.
Audience engagement – Newsletters are an opportunity to interact with your audience and create dialogue and engagement.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – The B2B sales cycle tends to be longer than the B2C sales cycle, but sending a newsletter can help prevent it from dragging on longer as it can show you as the ‘go-to’ brand in your industry.
Increases brand awareness – A newsletter keeps your brand front and center with your customers or potential customers. It can showcase your visual identity and expertise and connect with your audience.
Expands visibility – Newsletters promote your message, offer helpful advice, and keep prospects and customers in your marketing funnel.
Increase website traffic – You can offer a ‘signup’ series or free trial that gets them to your website, news on your blog, etc. It’s a fun way to interact with your prospects and clients.
Produces high-quality leads – When your message in a newsletter is adapted to your reader’s needs the quality of leads will improve.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – These are great pieces for your readers to be able to scan and search for what they need and then go to your website for more detailed information without dependence on costs.
Increases customer retention – One of the best ways to keep customers coming back is regularly send them an e-mail newsletter and let them know just how valuable they are. It is one of the keys to any customer-retention strategy.
Cost – There are various costs associated with email marketing—you need a great email service provider, content for your emails, design work, and more. It’s a great method for generating more leads for your business at a lower cost. Sending regular email newsletters will inform your audience of the latest tips or updates relating to your products or services.
Probability of success: 81% of B2B marketers say their most used form of content marketing is email newsletters.
Resources: How to build a newsletter people actually read, How to add an email newsletter to your website, 10-step email newsletter guide
Description: Well-crafted videos have become one of the best ways for marketers to build brand awareness, demand, and loyalty. 92% of marketers who use video say that it’s an important part of their B2B sales leads marketing strategy.
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Builds brand trust – Video marketing helps brands connect with their audience and build trust and confidence.
Audience engagement – Video can be more engaging and effective than textual content.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Producing strategic videos and content will impact lead quality and help your prospect move through the sales cycle more quickly.
Increases brand awareness – Video can grab your prospects’ attention and hold it longer than other content forms, which helps increase brand awareness.
Expands visibility – People love watching videos on YouTube every day. Focus on creating great content that your target audience will love, and your visibility on social media will expand.
Increase website traffic – Utilizing YouTube’s call-to-action features (End screens, cards, or annotations) is a great way to drive traffic to your website and increase conversions. You can prompt the viewer to take a specific action such as visiting a page for more information.
Produces high-quality leads – YouTube can produce high-quality leads when you create valuable and relevant content that educates and informs your target audience to help solve their problems
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – When YouTube videos are optimized for search (attractive thumbnails, keywords, etc.) and educational content, your leads and channel will grow over time.
Increases customer retention – Video increases customer retention by providing content that can be found online and keeps your prospects and customers engaged.
Cost – Video marketing costs vary from do-it-yourself quick video and you’re spending time to $50,000 for a premium outsourced video. Video content is proven to be one of the lowest costs for customer acquisition. You can create a video and embed it on your blog, social media channels, and more. The content leads to better-informed lead generation.
Probability of success: 80% of U.S. marketers are confident that YouTube videos work as conversions
Resources: Top video marketing and sales stats that matter
Description: Organic social video refers to video content shared using the free, built-in capabilities of the platform.
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Builds brand trust – Videos are proven to capture audiences’ attention in their feeds and encourage them to share the video on their social profiles, which encourages trust. Videos put a face to your business.
Audience engagement – Videos help build relationships and establish credibility in your industry. They get more views and engagement than photo posts on social media.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Videos can educate your audience by showing your solution and helping reduce the sales cycle.
Increases brand awareness – People watching videos will more likely remember your brand.
Expands visibility – Video is highly ranked on LinkedIn’s algorithm. In most cases, your video has a better chance of reaching the top of your targeted audience’s feed.
Increase website traffic – When your audience gets excited watching a video, they tend to visit your website for more information.
Produces high-quality leads – LinkedIn has a large base of B2Bs with whom you can connect over time. Video builds credibility faster with your audience as you use it to position yourself as a thought leader.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – With a compelling B2B video content strategy, you’ll engage more C-suite decision-makers and senior influencers without the dependency on rising ad costs.
Increases customer retention – Video increases customer retention by providing content that can be found online and keeps your prospects and customers engaged.
Cost – People are becoming less responsive to traditional advertising and marketing, making it even more challenging for businesses. They trust videos being shared by their peers which can help lower CAC. The cost can vary depending on native videos which can be embedded into your channel ( a video you record on your phone or computer and upload to LinkedIn) or paid LinkedIn Ads which can be pricey.
Probability of success: Videos perform well on LinkedIn and offer better organic reach. A recent search shows LI videos are shared 20 times more than any other content.
Resources: Video Ads, Organic vs. paid social video: a comparison, How to use LI videos to acquire more customers
Description: Landing pages that generate leads are a great way to nurture your website traffic further and share compelling content with them until they are ready to convert into customers. Adding video to your landing page can increase conversion rates by up to 80%, which increases B2B sales leads.
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Builds brand trust – Videos on your landing pages increase brand recognition and generate more trust in you and your brand. People can see how your product works before they buy it.
Audience engagement – On average, people have spent 2.6X more time on web pages with video than those without.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Videos on landing pages provide value and keep visitors around longer to gather information, which helps reduce the sales cycle.
Increases brand awareness – Videos increase brand awareness. They put a face to your business. The right video can have a lasting impact on a visitor and could be what makes you stand out against your competitors.
Expands visibility – Videos help improve the overall experience for people who visit your landing page, increasing visibility.
Increase website traffic – Video content gives visitors a reason to click-through to your website or offer.
Produces high-quality leads – Landing pages with videos were found to increase conversions by 86 percent compared to those without. The ultimate goal of a landing page is to convert visitors into customers, and just by having a video, you can increase the chances of it happening. This video helps build trust.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – With a compelling B2B video content strategy, you’ll engage more C-suite decision-makers and senior influencers without the dependency on rising costs in ads.
Increases customer retention – Video increases customer retention by having content that can be found online and keeps your prospects and customers engaged.
Cost – Videos can convey ideas that copy cannot. The cost of creating one landing page is between $75 to $3000.
Probability of success: Videos on landing pages increase conversions by 80%
Resources: Why should you use video landing pages? The Benefits of Using Video on Landing Pages
Description: Drive more engagement on your posts, boost visibility, and get more traffic to your profile with carousels. Social selling is a way to build your brand on social media by sharing valuable and shareable content. This tactic you post on your company or personal profile. Personal profiles are more genuine. Posting on other people’s posts helps to spur engagement. LI newsletters are great marketing tools/lead gen to help you build and grow a regularly engaged audience.
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Builds brand trust – Social selling is a way to build your brand and trust on social media by sharing valuable and shareable content. Sharing valuable content is a great way to establish yourself as an authority in your industry and build trust with potential customers.
Audience engagement – Posting content opens up opportunities for people to engage with your brand and its point of view.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Educating your audience on LinkedIn and staying connected with customers helps you close deals faster.
Increases brand awareness – LinkedIn gets your name and company before key decision-makers.
Expands visibility – By strategically posting on LI, you can reach your target audience, encourage interaction, and drive engagement and traffic to your site.
Increase website traffic – By strategically posting on LI, you can reach your target audience, encourage interaction, and drive engagement and traffic to your site.
Produces high-quality leads – LI is a trusted platform for B2B lead generation. Posting educational content can produce better-quality leads.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Organic LinkedIn lead generation is the process of finding potential customers, connecting with them, and nurturing those connections into paying customers without primarily using paid methods. Leads increase over time as prospects engage with your social posts and do more research.
Increases customer retention – You can use LI to improve customer retention by emphasizing frictionless, personalized interactions.
Cost – An intent-driven strategy on LI can lead to lower CAC. The cost is dependent on how long it takes you to create a carousel or comment and interact on other profiles.
Probability of success: LinkedIn carousels receive 2.2X to 3.4X more reach than text and image posts. The increased visibility helps attract the attention of companies or other key industry contacts. However, the click-through rate is low.
Resources: How to create a LinkedIn Carousel [+Examples], Linked In Newsletter
Description: LI events help users interact and engage with their audience. LinkedIn Groups are a great way to build relationships and grow your B2B sales leads and business.
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Builds brand trust – Social selling is a way to build your brand and trust on social media by sharing valuable and shareable content.
Audience engagement – LinkedIn events allow professionals to network and engage in meetups, online workshops, and more.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – LinkedIn events can help you generate more leads in a shorter period of time.
Increases brand awareness – Events on LI help develop your brand identity and create positive and memorable experiences.
Expands visibility – LinkedIn events can be used to build your brand, increase your visibility, and increase your credibility.
Increase website traffic – Events can help you drive more traffic to your website. Creating landing pages, blogs, and social media posts generates more exposure and clicks.
Produces high-quality leads – LinkedIn generates twice as many leads as other social networks. The leads often are high quality as they are connecting with your valuable content and what your business has to offer.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Your live events can continue to generate new views, engagement, and leads after the event has ended.
Increases customer retention – LI events focus on creating an engaging atmosphere that delivers value and builds rapport and trust with your customers.
Cost – It’s free to create a LinkedIn event. Social media has one of the lowest acquisition costs.
Probability of success: The success rate of an online event is contingent on your target audience and the content. Most events use Event Ads to maximize results. The probability of success is lower than other marketing strategies, considering the resources and time needed.
Resources: Got Questions About LinkedIn Events and LinkedIn Live?
Description: Podcasting can be an effective way to generate leads for your business. “By creating compelling and engaging content, building relationships with your listeners, and utilizing call-to-actions and lead magnets, you can turn your podcast into a powerful lead generation tool.” Podcasting is all about converting interested listeners into customers.
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Builds brand trust – Podcasts build trust between you and your listeners. Podcasts give you credibility.
Audience engagement – Through podcasting, businesses can engage in a more personal and compelling way. This helps build strong relationships.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Podcasting builds stronger relationships with your audience, which will help reduce the sales cycle.
Increases brand awareness – Listeners tend to become engaged. This can effectively cultivate brand loyalty.
Expands visibility – Through podcasting, your business can reach a broader audience.
Increase website traffic – You can repurpose your content from the podcast on your website, blog, email, and social that increases your exposure and boosts traffic.
Produces high-quality leads – Podcasting is an effective way to generate leads as it builds relationships with your listeners, who begin to know, like, trust, and remember you and your business.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – You can increase leads over time as you build your audience. There is a cost associated in the beginning with the right equipment needed.
Increases customer retention – Podcasts are a powerful tool to engage and retain your clients or customers. They showcase your expertise, build trust and provide value.
Cost – Podcasting costs can vary based on production quality and scale. Podcasting as a business could cost from $500- $5000. ‘Podcast advertising raises positive perceptions of brands and encourages listeners to take buying action.’
Probability of success: There is approximately a 50% chance of success with the time, resources, and consistency needed for a successful podcast. Success in podcasting comes with time and experience.
Resources: How to generate leads through podcasting
Description: Lead magnets help generate leads by offering a valuable resource in exchange for a prospect’s contact information. Think premium offers like eBooks, free courses, video tutorials, calculators, etc.
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Builds brand trust – A lead magnet provides valuable content that conveys your message and builds trust.
Audience engagement – When lead magnets are crafted effectively and provide value to your audience, they are more likely to engage with your brand and become customers.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Lead magnets focus on addressing a specific challenge your prospect has, and content gets created around that specific topic or challenge. By doing so, you can tailor the sales funnel to their exact needs and buying journey.
Increases brand awareness – Lead magnets give you an opportunity to showcase and provide value to your audience upfront, building trust, credibility, and brand awareness.
Expands visibility – The best lead magnets give you an opportunity to continue nurturing a lead, expanding your visibility.
Increase website traffic – Lead magnets are an excellent way to drive quality traffic to your site provided you give them a valuable asset.
Produces high-quality leads – The primary purpose of a lead magnet is to attract high-quality leads by offering something of value and addressing a specific problem in exchange for their contact information.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – When you offer valuable and relevant lead magnets to your audience, strategically place them on your website, social, email, etc., and integrate them into your marketing plan, leads will increase over time with no dependence on cost.
Increases customer retention – Lead magnets can strengthen customer connections, increasing retention.
Cost – Collecting leads organically through a lead magnet is a cost-effective approach to customer acquisition. For businesses, the costs are associated with their research and creation. A lead magnet ‘sweetens the pot by providing additional insight on the same exact topic your visitors were reading about.’
Probability of success: Companies with the most success tend to convert at around 20-25%.
Resources: What is a Lead Magnet?, 20 Lead magnet ideas and examples [+Step-by-Step]
Description: “A live demo really is your best chance to show your prospects that you understand their pains and have a solution that will save them time, money, frustration, or some combination of all three.”
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Builds brand trust – Interaction is key to building trust and loyalty. To drive sales, you should build trust and demonstrate the effectiveness of your product.
Audience engagement – Live demos enable immediate interaction with prospects. It fosters rapport and starts building long-lasting connections.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – An educational demo lets your prospects see how your solution solves their challenges or pain points faster.
Increases brand awareness – Live demos help introduce your products to consumers, show what your product does, and help improve brand visibility.
Expands visibility – Brands use demos to highlight essential features when prospects are in the consideration stage or decision stage. This helps generate the need for your product.
Increase website traffic – Once a prospect engages with you on a demo, they tend to continue their research on your website.
Produces high-quality leads – Product demos showcase key features and benefits, which is great for helping your prospects understand the product better and leads to a better-qualified lead.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Demo videos are an effective demand-generating tool to increase leads at no extra cost, and build brand awareness.
Increases customer retention – Creating a demo of an updated version of the product will inspire customers to repurchase.
Cost – There are many product video makers that can help create a demo inexpensively. There are many variables to account for. Entry level product demo videos fall within the $1000 to 5,000 bracket and increase from there. Leads acquired through a demo request are much more likely to convert due to their high intent and interest. Lead nurturing emails after the demo will help answer other questions or highlight the benefits.
Probability of success: According to Consensus, a demo video can increase conversions by 85%.
Resources: What are live sales demos?, Brand benefits of product demo videos
Description: A pre-recorded demo is purposely used to generate leads. It’s a great way to screen prospects interested in your product and introduce new products or updated versions of your product into your sales funnel.
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Builds brand trust – A recorded demo can start to build trust with your audience as it introduces and showcases your product or service to potential customers when they want to view it.
Audience engagement – There’s limited engagement with pre-recorded demos.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – The demo helps the buyer establish if the product can solve their problem. If it can, they are more apt to reach out to sales to talk more.
Increases brand awareness – These videos show your products in action and educate prospective customers about different features.
Expands visibility – Using pre-recorded demos gives your audience a chance to see how your products or service works and how they can best use the product. This helps with visibility as a potential thought leader in an industry.
Increase website traffic – Recorded demos are prepared so the customer can watch on their own time. When the video is embedded on your site, they are more apt to click through to other content and expand your audience reach.
Produces high-quality leads – Product demos showcase key features and benefits which is great for helping your prospects understand the product better and leads to a better qualified lead.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Demo videos are an effective demand-generating tool to increase leads at no extra cost, and build brand awareness.
Increases customer retention – Demos are powerful customer acquisition strategies that can help businesses attract and retain customers.
Cost – Product video costs include the video length, script, equipment used, music, animations, etc. Leads acquired through a demo request are much more likely to convert due to their high intent and interest.
Probability of success: 21% of live demos /opportunities close. We can assume it’s less than that for pre-recorded as there is no rapport or ability to ask questions.
Resources: Ultimate guide to a product demo that converts, How much does a Product Demo Video cost?
Description: Free trials allow potential customers to try your product before making a purchase.
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Builds brand trust – Free trials increase customer trust and confidence. It builds credibility and transparency between your business and your customers.
Audience engagement – A free trial provides potential customers with hands-on experience on how your product or service can help them which can increase engagement.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Free trials reduce the risk to your consumers and help educate them by giving them the ability to use the product.
Increases brand awareness – Free trials are a proven way to boost sales and grow your brand.
Expands visibility – Offering a free trial allows your customer a chance to see your products or services and how they will fit in their business. This helps with visibility as a potential thought leader in an industry.
Increase website traffic – You give customers a taste of your product and what it has to offer. This piques interest to coming back to your site for more educational content.
Produces high-quality leads – Free trials can lead to a higher quality lead by allowing potential customers to experience the product firsthand.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Free trials are an effective demand-generating tool to increase leads but it can be costly for businesses to provide. They require customer support and marketing with no guarantee the customer will convert to a paying customer at the end of the trial.
Increases customer retention – If the customer believes the product is worth it and wants it, they will be back for other products or solutions.
Cost – Trial periods create intrigue and let your potential customers explore the value of your product. Free trials are a sales strategy that can lower your cost of new customer acquisition. The overall cost is associated with tracking the trials and administration.
Probability of success: 62% of companies get 10% or more of their business from free trials. Another study suggests that free trials are the most effective strategy, contributing to 66% of B2B conversions.
Resources:
Description: Blogging or blog marketing is valuable as it helps a business rank in search engines for keywords their ideal customers are searching for. It also gives your business a way to educate and inform your customers and position your company as a thought leader in your niche.
It is a strategy centered around engaging, helping, and educating your target audience.
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Builds brand trust – Consistent and authentic blog posts will establish trust and credibility with your readers.
Audience engagement – With a strong blogging cadence and helpful, educational, and relevant content, you will see comments, shares, and other forms of engagement.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Producing content can increase close rates and shorten sales cycles. You can create strategic content tailored to your audience in the different phases of the buyer’s journey to help reduce the length of the sales cycle.
Increases brand awareness – It attracts users to your brand by providing useful content in the form of text, video, or audio.
Expands visibility – With well-researched and search intent keywords for your audience, blog posts will improve website visibility on search engine results pages (SERPs.)
Increase website traffic – Blog posts can increase your brand’s awareness and bring visitor traffic to your website.
Produces high-quality leads – Tailoring your content to your audience’s problems and needs can impact their decision-making process and deliver high-quality leads that are already informed and educated through your content.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Brands that blog generate 67% more leads. Blogs gain potency as they grow, meaning they have a longer lifespan than ads. Gradually increases leads over time without dependency on rising ad costs. Inbound leads occur as prospects do research.
Increases customer retention – Blog posts will boost customer retention by keeping customers happy, informed, educated, and engaged.
Cost – The cost is dependent on whether you do it yourself or hire an agency. You can take several approaches with differences in each service and pricing. A small agency will run between $500-$2500. With medium size agency from $3500 – $15000 and larger $20,000+. While cost and budget are a consideration, prioritize the vale and results you expect. Blogging continues to be a highly effective customer acquisition channel for businesses. Blog posts introduce your brand, solve customer problems, and indirectly offer your solution to the problem.
Probability of success: 80% of bloggers report that blogging drives results.
Resources: The complete content marketing guide
Description: Case studies are an effective marketing and sales tool to engage prospects, add credibility, and prove that your product or service helps your customers. Use an existing customer as an example of what your solution can achieve.
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Builds brand trust – ‘The purpose of a case study is to provide a detailed account of how a company has helped a customer in the past and how that experience can be replicated for other potential customers. By doing this, case studies help build trust and credibility, and demonstrate the effectiveness of a company’s offerings.’
Audience engagement – When you align your case study with your potential customers’ needs you enhance their engagement and likelihood of conversion.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Case studies will expedite your sales cycle as potential customers trust the positive outcomes you show for a current or past customer.
Increases brand awareness – Case studies build brand credibility. The studies are unique and they stand out because they’re real. Potential customers relate to them.
Expands visibility – Publishing your research and data openly increases the visibility of your company.
Increase website traffic – Case studies on your website will drive more traffic from interested consumers reading about the results of a similar challenge and strategic solution.
Produces high-quality leads – The story you tell in the case study helps people understand what they can expect from working with you, which helps build trust and creates more qualified leads.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Using case studies can increase your leads and sales revenue by as much as 185%.
Increases customer retention – Case studies can increase customer retention as they see more and more results of other customers it increases brand loyalty.
Cost – The cost depends on the case study creator. In-house requires significant time and effort from your team. Outsourcing offers experience, high-quality results but at a higher cost. Businesses can significantly reduce customer acquisition costs by publishing case studies or success stories that potential customers can relate to. They can see exactly how your product helped someone in the same situation.
Probability of success: Case studies are highly effective in the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey when they actively compare solutions and providers to solve a problem they’re experiencing.
Resources: The benefits of using case studies for lead generation, Why do case studies create better leads
Description: Chatbots mimic human conversation and are a conversational way for your business to convert website traffic into sales-qualified leads and offer 24/7 customer support.
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Builds brand trust – Chatbots can provide immediate assistance and capture lead details for follow-up which garners trust.
Audience engagement – Implementing chatbots on your website will engage with visitors. They can deliver targeted messages to your audience.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Chatbots can do some of the heavy lifting as they provide information that could move a prospect down the sales funnel.
Increases brand awareness – Chatbots increase brand awareness by helping you communicate and engage with visitors on your website.
Expands visibility – Chatbots try to provide a seamless user experience that can improve rankings and visibility.
Increase website traffic – They can be used for customer service and support, leading to increased website traffic.
Produces high-quality leads – Chatbots can capture customer data and send it to your CRM to get ‘scored’ and qualified based on their actions.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – They guide your potential customers and consumers through a sales funnel.
Increases customer retention – They improve customer interactions which can help increase customer retention rates.
Cost – Chatbots provide customer support around the clock, and deliver personalized messages which can help improve customer acquisition. chatbots can be free to start but usually do not come with customization and configuration options. Chatbot prices can range from approximately $5000-$20000 to customize.
Probability of success: Business leaders believe that the use of chatbots can increase sales by up to 67% on average.
Resources: How to use chatbots to improve your sales, How to us chatbots to automate lead generation
Description: Co-marketing is a strategy that involves brands or organizations partnering to expand their reach. Co-marketing shares expertise and offers value for both audiences.
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Builds brand trust – When people see your brand associated with another product they love, they are more likely to have faith and trust that you will also deliver comparable value to them.
Audience engagement – If you run a co-marketing strategy with another organization, you’re likely to double the reach and engagement of other campaigns.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Webinars or co-authoring a piece of content helps educate your audience and their audience, as well as get backing from your partner as a trusted source.
Increases brand awareness – Co-marketing can provide substantial value by helping you grow your brand identity and reach a larger pool of potential customers.
Expands visibility – Co-marketing can empower you and your partner brand to gain access to a larger audience.
Increase website traffic – Both companies benefit from each other’s audience, increasing website traffic.
Produces high-quality leads – The content (e.g. eBook or webinar) typically sits behind a lead generation form to capture contact information. The goal is for both partners to share the downloads from the offer, getting twice the quality leads they usually would.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – By working with another business, you leverage their existing resources, such as their customer database, social media following, or marketing channels, which can help to reach new audiences and generate more leads without incurring additional costs.
Increases customer retention – Co-marketing campaigns create a sense of trust among customers, which can help a business retain consumers instead of spending money on acquisition costs.
Cost – The cost of hosting a webinar can vary significantly. It depends on your platform cost, equipment, promotion and marketing costs. Having a partner allows you to leverage their sources without extra cost.
Probability of success: Partnerships drive a ton of value. According to research presented at SaaS Connect, partnerships can contribute between 20 to 40% of an organization’s revenue.
Resources: What Is Co-Marketing? A guide to Co-Branding Marketing Campaigns The Business Cost of Hosting a Webinar
Description: Guest blogging is a marketing tactic that involves writing articles/posts for other websites in order to promote your brand.
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Builds brand trust – Guest posting builds trust and credibility with a new audience.
Audience engagement – Through guest posting, you can effectively engage with your target audience, engage in meaningful connections with industry influencers, and drive growth for your brand.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Guest posting can help shorten the sales cycle by building trust and credibility with potential customers.
Increases brand awareness – Guest posting is a part of an overall awareness strategy. You can use your author bio and the post to help establish yourself as a thought leader within your industry and increase brand awareness.
Expands visibility – The goal of guest posting is to provide valuable content to another website’s audience while promoting your brand and increasing your online visibility.
Increase website traffic – With guest posting on other websites, you tap into their audience and drive that traffic back to your website.
Produces high-quality leads – Guest blogging is a way to reach a new audience and generate leads for your business.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – For the most part, once you post on another website it is there to view for a long time without any cost to your business.
Increases customer retention – Increased visibility can help create brand recognition, which creates more brand loyalty.
Cost – Cost depends on the estimated amount of traffic and the domain authority of the site. For example a DA of 40+ could cost from $130-$300 with traffic ranging from 100k to 500k. When you have the right topic and the right site, you’ll achieve more views, shares, links, search visibility, and a greater potential for leads, lowering your customer acquisition cost.
Probability of success: Guest blogging provides 3x more leads close to conversion.
Resources: Mastering guest posting: Advantages, techniques, and ideal partnerships
Description: Referrals are an extremely effective way to generate leads for your business. When you have happy and satisfied customers they are likely to refer others to you.
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Builds brand trust – Happy customers who refer your business will build trust and establish a positive reputation.
Audience engagement – Referral programs help improve the relationship with the users and increase engagement.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Decision makers select your company based on a referral which helps speed up the sales cycle.
Increases brand awareness – A referral program is a great way to boost brand awareness and get new customers.
Expands visibility – Your customers who are happy with your product or service take the time to recommend your business, which can help expand your visibility.
Increase website traffic – Referral traffic can be a valuable source of visitors. Visitors can be directed from other sites such as social media, blogs, etc.
Produces high-quality leads – Referrals are some of the highest-quality leads a company can receive. The leads have heard about your solution from a reputable source, i.e. friend or family member who has experienced your challenge and solution.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Referral leads can generate more leads and grow your customer base.
Increases customer retention – The impact of referral marketing helps retain your current customers as they experience incentives from you to stay and spread the word. Referral programs increase customer loyalty.
Cost – Word-of-mouth is great as it generates business without incurring marketing costs. People are 4 times more likely to buy when referred by a friend. This helps drive down customer acquisition costs as your current customers are spreading the word for you.
Probability of success: People are 90% more likely to trust and buy from a brand recommended by a friend. (Source: Nielsen) 55% of B2Bs with referral programs believe their sales efforts are “highly effective,” compared to 35% of companies without referral programs. (Source: Influitive)
Resources: 7 Surprising Stats about customer referral programs, How to generate leads through referrals
Description: Attending conferences is a way to help support salespeople when you have face-to-face conversations. They are typically opportunities to exchange information.
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Builds brand trust – Face-to-face interaction at live events will build brand trust. Events offer a personal way for consumers to interact with your brand and products.
Audience engagement – Networking events allow companies to create a more interactive experience leading to brand loyalty and meaningful relationships.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – In-person events and conferences attract the decision-makers that will help shorten the sales cycle.
Increases brand awareness – Conferences are a powerful way to boost brand awareness and reach new audiences, your target audience. In turn, they can create a lasting impression.
Expands visibility – Conferences give you the ability to network with peers and showcase your expertise.
Increase website traffic – Events give your company increased exposure driving more traffic to your website.
Produces high-quality leads – According to research by Chief Marketer, more than 50 percent of B2B marketers rank in-person events, like conferences, as the best source for high-quality leads.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Events teach potential customers about your product or service. This leads to improved lead generation over time. 85% of marketers concluded that events increase sales and lead generation and also increase the volume over time. But there is a cost associated to get to the networking event.
Increases customer retention – Being involved in conferences and events will strengthen retention rates and help reduce churn. The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%.
Cost – Events are a way to connect with interested prospects and acquire new customers. Events can make customer acquisition even easier but do come with a hefty price tag. The cost of travel, hotel etc. for employees to attend is something to consider.
Probability of success: Events are most often used as sources of new prospects and business opportunities (64%), as lead gathering, cultivation and prospecting opportunities (63%), and for face-to-face customer meetings (60%).
Resources: 10 reasons why attending conferences benefits B2B event marketers
Description: Infographics are a popular way for people to consume content as they are visually appealing. They are a great tool to help condense and simplify complex concepts using visual aids.
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Builds brand trust – Visual marketing can break down complex information into a simple format that is easier to understand and that can help build trust with your brand.
Audience engagement – Visual marketing, such as using infographics, can engage your audience with eye-catching visual elements. Infographics are more likely to catch the attention of a potential customer. Your potential customers tend to focus on ‘information-carrying images’, more than they read a page’s text. All leading to higher engagement rates.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Infographics make it easier for visitors to learn and retain information which should help reduce the sales cycle.
Increases brand awareness – Infographics can highlight key features and benefits to capture the attention of potential customers. This can lead to increased brand awareness and conversions.
Expands visibility – People are naturally drawn to visuals that help capture attention quickly and are more likely to be shared which will increase your brand’s visibility.
Increase website traffic – Sharing and promoting infographics ensures they reach your audience and drive website traffic. Also, any business you use as a resource tends to share the information as well driving additional traffic. Infographics increase traffic by 12%, and articles with a large number of visuals can double social media shares.
Produces high-quality leads – Infographics can impress with numbers and graphics positioning you as an expert. When they know, like, and trust you, your leads become higher quality.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Infographics are great from an SEO standpoint. They tend to be shared more than traditional text content, making Google+ see them as relevant, important content. This could make Google rank them higher (using the right keywords and addressing the challenges your audience faces). There is a slight cost associated with infographics, as you need a specific design skill set.
Increases customer retention – Staying consistent with visual branding and messaging is key to brand recognition and improving customer retention. “With information presented in a digestible format, customers receive the same amount of value they would from a blog article or case study in a fraction of the time.”
Cost – Prices can range from $100 to $1000 for more intricate designs. There are also free templates you can use that will cost your time for research and some design skills. Infographics can tell a story and support your message making it easier for your audience to remember you when they are in-market.
Probability of success: According to research, infographics and illustrations are the visual content types that perform the best in terms of engagement. These visuals produce solid engagement of 41.5%, while charts and visualizations come in second at 25.7%.
Resources: 25 stats that make the case for infographics in your marketing, How to use websiteinfographics to boost website traffic
Description: Trade shows bring potential customers, competitors, and industry experts together. They showcase your latest products and services to your targeted audience while giving you the chance to network with potential customers and thought leaders.
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Builds brand trust – Face-to-face interaction at trade shows will build brand trust. They offer a personal way for consumers to interact with your product.
Audience engagement – Trade shows allow companies to create a more interactive experience leading to brand awareness, engagement, and meaningful relationships. Engagement is the key to unlocking trade show success.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – If done right, the goal of the trade show is to make your visitors feel like they are getting a personalized experience catered to their needs, which educates them on your product as a solution.
Increases brand awareness – Trade shows are a powerful way to boost brand awareness and reach your audience.
Expands visibility – Exhibiting at trade shows provides increased visibility and credibility to your business.
Increase website traffic – When you do some pre-show promotion (post on social media before) as well as during and after, it will bring visitors to your website for more information.
Produces high-quality leads – Trade shows attract your potential customers who are actively looking for products you deliver, making them high-quality leads.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Trade shows teach potential customers about your product or service. This leads to improved lead generation over time. 85% of marketers concluded that events increase sales and lead generation and also increase the volume over time.
Increases customer retention – Trade shows help nurture existing relationships with your established customers.
Cost – Trade shows can be an effective way to acquire new customers. But expenses are associated with trade shows from both booth displays to travel expenses for multiple employees.
Probability of success: 52% of business leaders believe that trade shows and events provide the greatest ROI compared to other marketing channels. Companies can see a 4:1 return on investment (ROI) for their trade show expenditures.
Resources: Lead generation through trade shows and exhibitions
Description: Google Ads is a platform for businesses to generate leads and help improve their marketing strategy by using the keywords their target audience is searching. You are buying visits to your site rather than achieving them organically. Search engine advertising is one of the most popular forms of PPC that includes display ads and retargeting ads.
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Builds brand trust – Ads are typically viewed as self-serving by companies so it does not help build trust.
Audience engagement – Not likely to engage your audience as they are more product-focused instead of customer-centric.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Does not typically educate. Ads don’t offer any helpful information aside from features and a few benefits.
Increases brand awareness – Ads do help with brand awareness in the beginning. (until your audience becomes immune to the Ads)
Expands visibility – Helps with brand visibility by showing brand in the search results.
Increase website traffic – Does not help significantly drive website traffic as PPC is often used for lead generation rather than content promotion or consumption.
Produces high-quality leads – Can produce decent lead quality on high-cost keywords for ads. Since most conversions are new to the brand, there is usually a low brand trust.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Allows for faster lead quantity as it’s a pay-to-play game. The more you spend the more results you can get despite high costs. It is dependent on cost.
Increases customer retention – Does not help with customer retention as ads do not help your customers stay engaged with your solution in any way.
Cost – PPC costs are expensive. Your average small and medium sized business can expect to spend around $10,000 per month on PPC. Ads can become more cost-effective over time as insights get better and ads get optimized.
Probability of success: The average conversion rate of Google Ads on the search network is 4.40% across all industries.
Resources: Google Ads for lead generation
Description: Facebook retargeting uses Facebook ads to target people who have visited your website.
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Builds brand trust – It can as your prospects have visited your site and have shown an interest.
Audience engagement – Ads typically have poor engagement.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – Does not typically educate. Ads don’t offer any helpful content/ information aside from features and a few benefits.
Increases brand awareness – If you are running ads targeted at potential customers who have not heard of your business it could drive brand awareness and traffic to your site.
Expands visibility – Retargeting can build visibility as it allows you to reach an audience that has already shown an interest in your product or service.
Increase website traffic – The ad allows you to promote a specific URL which could send traffic to your website.
Produces high-quality leads – Facebook lead ads have a reputation for generating low-quality leads.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Allows for faster lead quantity as it’s a pay-to-play game. The more you spend the more results you can get despite high costs. It is dependent on cost.
Increases customer retention – Does not help with customer retention as ads are not adding more value to your customers.
Cost – You decide what you want to spend—$5 a week or $50,000 a week. Results vary with an average cost-per-click of $1.68 across all industries. Typically high customer acquisition cost.
Probability of success: Most Facebook ads fail due to poor targeting.
Resources: Conversion rate for Facebook Ads, What to expect
Description: Paid social video refers to advertising and promoted messages shared through the platform’s marketing toolset.
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Builds brand trust – Does not help build trust with audiences since most ads are self-serving by companies to sell solutions.
Audience engagement – Ads typically have poor engagement. The ads are not typically created to engage your audience as they are not topic or content-based but more product based.
Educates and reduces the sales cycle – The ads can educate an audience on the product but most prospects do not click on the ad as they do not want to be sold to or entered into a sales funnel.
Increases brand awareness – It is a way to get in front of decision-makers with a presence on LI, as LI is known for its business professionals and leaders.
Expands visibility – Social media platforms have become known as helping increase brand visibility.
Increase website traffic – The ad allows you to promote a specific URL which could send traffic to your website.
Produces high-quality leads – LinkedIn leads are considered to have a high intent compared to other social networks.
Increases leads over time (without dependence on cost) – Allows for faster lead quantity as it’s a pay-to-play game. The more you spend the more results you can get despite high costs. It is dependent on cost.
Increases customer retention – Does not help with customer retention as ads are not adding more value to your customers.
Cost – Your LinkedIn ad costs are based on the type of activity you’re paying for. LinkedIn advertising costs, on average, $2.00 – $3.00 per click, $5.01 – $8.00 per 1000 impressions, and $0.26 – $0.50 per send for Sponsored InMail campaigns. Typically high customer acquisition cost.
Probability of success: The average conversion rate for LinkedIn ads is 6.1% in the U.S.
Resources: The comprehensive guide to generating leads with LinkedIn, Organic versus paid social video: a comparison
Using the right lead generation strategy is a must for your B2B business. The best way to generate leads is to give your potential customers a reason to want to buy from you and seek out more information.
The B2B sales process is repeatable. Identify your potential customers, reach out through one of the many marketing strategies, build relationships, understand their needs, and present the solution.
This will close more deals.
There are challenges—extended sales cycles, trust issues, too many decision-makers, etc. However, if you start implementing some changes in your business today, you’ll start to see the efforts of your ways tomorrow.
Responsify understands the importance of content that resonates and engages with your audience. We understand you want more leads but better quality leads. As a growth marketing agency, our team is equipped to offer the most efficient lead-generation strategies for your best ROI. If you feel you’re ready to generate better B2B Sales leads, let’s chat about your possibilities.
Get a fresh perspective on your marketing with a free assessment.
Also Read – Email Nurturing: What is It and How to Do It Successfully
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