How To Find Leads: 11 Best Sources for Business
Who doesn’t crave finding good leads for your business? Every day, we at Belkins receive 50+ inbound inquiries from SMB and enterprise-level companies to help with lead generation.
Some look to get immediate leads and grow revenue (mainly startups), while mature businesses are eager to explore new lead generation tactics and put them on the rails.
Having accumulated data on best practices to generate sales leads and source B2B leads for 7 years, we packed this article with only proven methods. Moreover, each practice is illustrated with a case study.
Let’s dive deep.
Understanding Lead Generation
What is Lead Generation?
Lead generation is the process of attracting and converting a potential customer into a lead. It involves creating and distributing content, building relationships, and nurturing and capturing leads through various channels. The goal of lead generation is to capture the contact information of potential customers and move them through the sales funnel. Effective lead generation efforts require a deep understanding of the target audience, their needs, and preferences, as well as lead nurturing. By leveraging lead generation strategies, businesses can generate high-quality leads, increase conversions, and ultimately drive revenue growth. Effective lead generation involves utilizing various lead generation channels to capture and nurture potential customers.
Why is Lead Generation Important?
Lead generation is the lifeblood of any business, playing a pivotal role in driving revenue growth and expanding the customer base. By implementing effective lead generation strategies, businesses can attract and convert potential customers into quality leads, which are more likely to result in successful sales. Here’s why lead generation is crucial:
Identifying Your Target Audience
Understand Your Buyer Personas
Understanding your buyer personas and creating an ideal customer profile is crucial for successful lead generation. A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer, including their demographics, behaviors, and preferences. By creating detailed buyer personas and utilizing customer segmentation, businesses can tailor their lead generation efforts to resonate with their target audience. This involves identifying their pain points, interests, and motivations, as well as their preferred communication channels and content formats. By understanding their buyer personas, businesses can create targeted content, messaging, and offers that speak directly to their needs, increasing the likelihood of generating quality leads.
How to Use Personas in Your Content Creation
Creating content that resonates with your target audience is essential for effective lead generation, and using buyer personas is a key part of this process. Here’s how to leverage personas in your lead form and content creation:
Effective Lead Generation Efforts
Effective lead generation efforts are the backbone of any successful business strategy. By focusing on attracting and converting potential customers into paying clients, businesses can achieve their sales goals and boost revenue. A well-planned lead generation strategy is essential for reaching the right audience and nurturing them through the sales funnel.
To start, it’s crucial to understand that lead generation is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Each business must tailor its lead generation efforts to align with its unique goals and target audience. This involves a combination of tactics, from content marketing and SEO to social media engagement and the use of advanced lead generation tools.
By investing in effective lead generation efforts, businesses can build a steady pipeline of quality leads, ensuring a consistent flow of potential customers ready to convert. This not only drives immediate sales but also fosters long-term relationships, leading to sustained growth and success.
Strategies for Optimizing Lead Generation
Optimizing lead generation requires a strategic approach that combines various methods to attract and convert potential customers. Here are some key strategies to consider:
By implementing these strategies, businesses can optimize their lead generation efforts, attract more leads, and convert them into loyal customers.
Best Practices for Consistent Results
Achieving consistent results in lead generation requires a combination of best practices that work together to attract and convert potential customers. Here are some best practices to follow:
By following these best practices, businesses can achieve consistent results in their lead generation efforts. Remember to track and measure your results, continuously optimize your strategy, provide value to your leads, use personalization, and stay up-to-date with industry trends. This will help you build a strong pipeline of quality leads and drive long-term success.
Where and how to find lead generation strategies for your business
There is no universal answer to “Where can I find leads for your business?” because it depends on the specific business case. I could easily suggest, “Roll up your sleeves and use LinkedIn, Google’s tools, or leverage cold sales,” and these will be correct for one company but less effective for another without a solid lead generation strategy.
So before jumping into lead generation channels, you’ve got to know where your target audience spends their time (i.e., create an ideal customer profile to avoid getting unqualified leads and spending the budget in vain).
Secondly, follow the rule of thumb, “Start small and iterate.” We recommend choosing 2–3 actionable lead generation tactics, testing them, analyzing results, and iterating based on what works best.
Now, explore different lead sources.
Quick note: Mastering lead generation is a must for business growth, but not everyone has enough time and resources for that. Outsource lead research and appointment setting to professionals — to get up to 200 new opportunities yearly.
1. Google
Thanks to its vast reach and sophisticated targeting capabilities, Google stands as an unparalleled source for generating B2B leads.
A B2B’s digitally driven revenue steadily increases, reaching 41% of a revenue share as traffic climbs with a purpose. Google becomes an even more valuable source, whether you’re seeking information, finding a product or service, solving a problem, or looking for leads.
There are 3 main channels for generating leads from Google:
Paid ads
Google Ads’ advantage is its ability to target ads based on keywords, location, previous interactions with your site, and even the type of device being used. This makes it a highly flexible option for B2B businesses aiming to reach their niche audience.
Moreover, Google Ads’s CTR for the first position for hardware manufacturers is 51%, with 60% for auto manufacturers, according to CXL research.
Although it seems like a sweet spot for getting B2B leads online, it’s controversial. First of all, B2B niches are highly competitive, making the cost-per-click sky-high. For instance, the offshore accident lawyer keyword will cost you $815.00 on average (per one click!).
Below is a breakdown of the most expensive keywords in B2B for those who are curious.
So, Google Ads is deemed to be an effective but too expensive means for B2B startups while a go-to tactic for mature businesses.
📚 Recommended reading:How much does Google Ads really cost? 2024 CPC analysis
Organic search
Organic search, driven by effective content marketing, is a long-term strategy that can yield significant results for B2B companies. 71% of B2B marketers have said that content marketing has become more important to their organization in the
2. LinkedIn
Want to be amazed by the power of LinkedIn for networking and creating new B2B opportunities? I recently contacted the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany on LinkedIn, and the conversation moved further.
The same thing happened to me when I reached out to executives of The Howard G. Buffet Foundation. It took me one well-personalized connection request and a good deal of time studying the activities of both organizations.
For B2B businesses, LinkedIn is a silver bullet too. For example, Born & Bred, a brand agency, achieved a 297% year-over-year growth with our LinkedIn influencer and appointment setting services.
How to replicate the success?
If boiled down, LinkedIn's growth rests on 3 pillars.
1. Networking
Build a brand and grow followers to network with by participating in relevant discussions, supporting your community, and sharing your stories, actionable insights, successes, and failures. A meaningful, value-driven, regular activity shows LinkedIn algorithms that your content and profile are valuable, prompting your page to a broader audience.
2. Sales Navigator prospecting
This prospecting tool comes with 3 massive benefits to finding new business leads:
📚 Recommended resources:
3. LinkedIn Ads
To get the most out of LinkedIn advertising, make sure you're targeting the right audience. That's how you'll reel in some really good business leads.
For instance, in January 2024, our ads were on fire, thanks to ClickRoads' management. They became our top-performing channel after cold email. We generated 270 leads, converted 123 into deals, and achieved a sweet 43% conversion rate.
The best part? Our cost per deal was just $341, resulting in supereffective and cost-efficient campaigns.
3. Lead databases and lead generation tools
Lead databases and lead generation tools, including lead magnets, can be a gold mine for finding business leads by helping you quickly get contact information and company details to enrich your sales pipeline for nurturing and cold sales campaigns.
Here are the best ones to use.
Best for SMBs (value for money):
Best for middle- and enterprise-level businesses (advanced triggers and data quality):
📚 At Belkins, we’ve tried and tested over 30 B2B sales tools. Surprisingly, we use only the best 12 of them. Read on our “why and how”: The 12 Best B2B Sales Tools to Use in 2023 (+ Belkins Toolkit).
4. Online communities
Online communities are great places to connect with potential leads and nurture those relationships. The guiding principle you should follow here is this: value first, convert later. Build trust through genuine engagement.
Here's how you can make the most of online communities:
Active participation and thought leadership in groups and threads
Identify online communities focused on your industry’s niche — LinkedIn groups, Facebook groups, or Slack and WhatsApp communities.
For instance, our BLKNS Community for sales pros with over 3,000 members worldwide you’ll find on Slack. Joining it would give access to top industry voices and specialized channels to jump into different discussions and events.
💡 Belkins advice: Once you join a desired community, don’t just be a lurker. Answer questions, comment on posts, and share useful insights, trends, and news. Active participation in these communities not only helps in building relationships but also plays a crucial role in lead nurturing. Lead nurturing campaigns provide valuable information and engage with leads, helping to convert them into customers.
And what will really set you apart? Your own experiences.
Show off your company’s case studies and successful strategies with data-backed examples to establish yourself as a thought leader.
Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions
“Ask Me Anything” sessions are another fantastic way to showcase your expertise and network with potential leads. Offer to host an AMA in a relevant online community or participate in one hosted by an influencer in your field (you can find amazing industry-specific AMAs on Reddit).
Be ready to answer questions about your industry, your services, and the challenges faced by your target audience.
After the AMA, follow up with folks who expressed interest to guest post or asked insightful questions.
📚 Recommended reading:
Advertising on community platforms
If the platform allows advertising, seize the opportunity to promote your services directly to a prequalified audience within the community.
Always read the community rules to avoid being kicked out due to any missteps.
Recommended by LinkedIn
5. Webinars, podcasts, and trainings
All of these let you deliver laser-focused content that tackles your ideal customer’s challenges as part of a comprehensive lead generation process. Attract attendees who need your solutions and feature established figures in your field — it’s that simple. These events can be part of comprehensive lead nurturing campaigns that keep potential customers engaged over time.
We at Belkins also prioritize building community, so we offer regular free webinars with industry leaders and practitioners to discuss the latest trends in outreach, sales, marketing team and lead generation.
Attendees get quality, valuable information and a lot of juicy details while we increase the list of potential business leads. So, webinars are a win-win for both sides. “Online events are great for lead gen. At Belkins, we get up to 300 registrations per webinar. But the real power lies in lead nurturing and generating leads in the long-term. The evergreen content showcases your expertise to potential clients for years to come.”Margaret Lee, CMO at Belkins Another powerful example of integrating webinars into lead generation strategies is Wine & Web by Orbit Media
The development company hosts webinars every month as part of their outreach strategy own leads. By signing up for their events, attendees become potential leads, and the company has all their contact information for lead nurturing after the webinar.
I like their approach here because they put the main focus on meeting the Orbit team and becoming a part of the community, which feels inviting and not pushy at all.
Apart from webinars, we also host the Growth Podcast with renowned B2B and B2C sales experts to uncover golden nuggets, bloopers, and inspirational learnings.
What’s interesting is that despite the overlap of webinars and podcast audiences and the fact that they target the same people, new leads coming from these 3 channels could have never visited a webinar landing page or vice versa.
📚 Recommended reading:How to generate leads from webinars
6. Third-party listings and niche business directories
Third-party listings and niche business directories can help you identify potential leads and sales leads that align with your ICP.
There are different types of third-party listings and directories, such as:
Spot potential customers by looking for buying signals. Scan listings for the relevant keywords and prioritize recently active businesses.
If a third-party platform allows it, consider buying intent data to target businesses already researching solutions in your field. It might be expensive, but it’s definitely worth it.
📚 Recommended reading: Top 20 B2B directories to generate quality leads and increase business demands
7. Review platforms
Review sites act like word-of-mouth for online businesses. Positive reviews on trusted sites like Clutch, G2, and UpCity convince potential customers you’re reliable. Positive customer feedback on these platforms can significantly enhance your credibility and attract more leads. Lead nurturing plays a crucial role in building trust and credibility by consistently engaging with potential leads and guiding them through the decision-making process.
The best part: Review sites often rank high in search engines, so if your local business often gets positive reviews, more potential leads might notice you.
But … getting good reviews when you’re new is tough.
Back in 2017, we were a young company, and building trust and brand awareness was quite challenging. To solve this, we chose the Clutch platform as part of our strategy.
First, we asked happy customers to leave positive reviews on Clutch. Then, we assigned someone from sales team to handle Clutch reviews every day and created a system to collect reviews from happy clients.
The outcome was great:
Once customers start noticing your quality, the reviews keep coming in on other platforms as well.
A review like this carries more weight and influence than any ad or marketing campaign:
💡 Pro****tip: If possible, take advantage of promotional opportunities offered by review platforms, such as premium placements and comparison pages.
8. Collaborations and partnerships
B2B companies can benefit greatly from working together and attract many business leads that way, especially when sales teams collaborate effectively. Of course, only if those partnerships are built on clear communication, shared goals, and a win-win mentality. Lead nurturing plays a crucial role in building these relationships and achieving shared goals by continuously engaging potential leads and guiding them through the sales funnel.
Here’s how B2B companies can collaborate using specific tactics:
9. Industry conferences and events
Industry conferences and networking events, like Web Summit, local meetups, and exhibitions are great places to attract a concentrated group of people interested in your industry.
Unlike online interactions, conferences allow you to connect with potential clients in person, which is crucial for understanding their needs and optimizing customer relationship management your sales process. This lets you build rapport, understand their needs better, and make a stronger impression. Lead nurturing plays a vital role in building these relationships and understanding customer needs over time.
Many events also offer attendee lists or badges with information about their companies and titles. Use these to prequalify leads before approaching them so you can focus on those with the greatest potential for conversion.
The biggest advantage: People are ready to buy at industry conferences and events (or start a conversation). They’re there to find solutions and are open to learning about your offerings.
It’s also beneficial to host your own event if you have the means.
If you choose this route, pick some event management software to gather as much client info as you can from your event. When executed effectively, this strategy can yield fantastic results.
For instance, Growth Blazers used Accelevents for their Growth Innovate Conference and obtained over 900 leads!
📚 Recommended reading:Ultimate event lead generation guide: How to use events to get leads
10. Social media
LinkedIn is the first platform that comes to mind for B2B lead generation, but it’s not the only one that works. Other social media channels can be awesome for selling B2B products and services online, too.
Take Mailchimp, for example. They’ve been crushing it on TikTok recently with their creative video content. By using funny skits, step-by-step tutorials, and educational content with cool interactive graphics, they’re reaching a younger audience who might be interested in their products but haven’t seen them elsewhere.
This approach attracts, entertains, educates, and, most importantly — sells.
Salesforce also uses a great approach to garner more leads through its YouTube channel. They primarily create educational videos about lead generation, email marketing, CRM, etc.
The number of views is the best proof that people actually love this — some videos have more than 5 million views! Even if only a tiny percentage of these viewers become leads, the number will still be huge!
Educational videos on relevant social media networks work because they provide helpful info without being too salesy. Lead nurturing plays a crucial role here by building trust and providing valuable information over time. They show expertise, build trust, and make people want to learn more.
📚 Recommended reading:How to generate leads on social media
11. Crowdfunding platforms
Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo are great launchpads for new projects. Being on these platforms helps more people, who can become your customers, notice your project.
Here’s how you can leverage them to generate more leads:
📚 Recommended reading:The essential guide to crowdfunding
12. Content Marketing for Lead Generation
Content marketing is a powerful lead generation strategy that involves creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. The goal of content marketing is to drive profitable customer action, and it can be an effective way to quickly generate leads for your business.
Content marketing works by providing potential customers with valuable information that addresses their needs and pain points. This builds trust and positions your business as a thought leader in your industry. Here’s how to leverage content marketing for lead generation:
Online Lead Generation
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a critical component of online lead generation. By optimizing their website and content for search engines, businesses can increase their visibility, drive more traffic, and generate more leads. SEO involves using relevant keywords, meta tags, and descriptions to help search engines understand the content and relevance of a website. By ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), businesses can increase their credibility, build trust with potential and current customers both, and drive more conversions. Effective SEO strategies can help businesses generate leads online, increase their online presence, and ultimately drive revenue growth.
Measuring and Improving Lead Generation
To optimize your lead generation strategies and drive revenue growth, it’s essential to measure and improve your efforts continuously. Here are some key steps:
How to Qualify Leads
Qualifying leads is a crucial step in ensuring that your sales efforts are focused on the right audience. Here’s how to qualify leads effectively:
How to Improve Lead Generation Strategies
Staying ahead of the competition and driving revenue growth requires continuous improvement of your lead generation strategies. Here’s how to enhance your sales lead and efforts:
By following these tips and continuously refining your lead generation strategies, you can drive revenue growth and achieve long-term success.
FAQ
How do I find startup lea
Use social media platforms, business directories, and industry-specific communities. Also, attend industry events, conferences, and webin
s.
Use social media platforms, business directories, and industry-specific communities. Also, attend industry events, conferences, and webinars.
Offline Lead S
Offline lead sourcing is a crucial aspect of a comprehensive lead generation strategy. It involves generating leads through in-person interactions, events, and traditional marketing methods. By leveraging offline lead sourcing, businesses can reach a wider audience, build relationships, and ultimately drive more sales.
e sa
Offline lead sourcing is a crucial aspect of a comprehensive lead generation strategy. It involves generating leads through in-person interactions, events, and traditional marketing methods. By leveraging offline lead sourcing, businesses can reach a wider audience, build relationships, and ultimately drive more sales.
e sa
How can I generate leads fast?
Paid LinkedIn Ads or Google Ads can help you with faster reach, but make sure to target strategically.
How do you generate free leads without advertising?
Create valuable content on social media; do cold outreach with personalized emails or LinkedIn messages; use directories, forums, and communities; and partner/collaborate with complementary businesses
What is the best source for leads?
The “best” source depends on your industry, target audience, and budget. A strong strategy combines several methods, and it's the only way to make it wo
the only way to
The “best” source depends on your industry, target audience, and budget. A strong strategy combines several methods, and it's the only way to make it work.
the only way to make it work.