A multi-channel for b2b lead generation.

Looking for a full-funnel strategy to generate more B2B leads?

You’ll need to target your ideal customer with precision, maintaining a consistent multi-channel messaging strategy from the top of the funnel to the bottom (including post-funnel).

In this article we have covered important steps every marketers need to know for effective lead generation.

1. Define Your Target Audience

The first step to B2B lead generation is identifying a clear target audience. But how do you know who to target? Well, the good news is that you likely have all of the data already.

By using Google Analytics (or another analytics solution), you can find all the characteristics of your highest converters.

This means looking at demographic data, which includes:

• Age.
• Gender.
• Interests.
• Location.
• Language.
• Browser.
• Device.
• Channel.
• Source.
• Referral.

Are you wondering what your competitors are up to? Don’t worry – Google Analytics and other similar tools pull prime conversion data from those in similar market positions.

When it comes to B2B lead generation strategies, however, keep an open mind. Just because you see a tactic from a competitor, don’t assume they’re always implementing it appropriately or have the exact target market you do.

2. Test Your B2B Lead Generation Strategy Against Competition

Step two comes next, which requires you to dive into competitor research to uncover where your competitors are investing.

The good news is, you can find out everything your competitors are doing using tools like Google Analytics Benchmark Reports, SimilarWeb, Semrush, SpyFu, and Pathmatics.

These tools will show you which networks they’re advertising on and how much they’re spending to do it.

Then, you need to figure out what is in-between where you are and where your competitors are.

What Each Digital Marketing Channel Means

With your audience and competitor research well underway, you’ll need to start evaluating all the digital channels available to you and how they fit into a B2B lead generation strategy.

Here’s a simplified way to think about each platform.

• SEO – Where you provide answers to questions.
• Paid media – How you create awareness, nurture, and convert.
• Media buys – Useful for generating awareness and consideration.
• Outbound marketing – Reserved for highly targeted efforts.
• Social media – Drive awareness, nurture and convert audience members.
• Public Relations (PR) – How you can drive broad awareness.
• Reporting and Analytics – Necessary for tracking actual results, KPIs.
• Events and Offers – The central core of all other campaigns.

With an understanding of how to optimize each channel, you can then move on to implementing the specific and actionable steps below.

3. Make An Enticing Offer

Let’s talk about offers for a moment. In B2B marketing, it’s important to have a hook that incentivizes your ideal prospect. It’s important to always remember that B2B sales and marketing go hand-in-hand.

In order to get customers to share their information, you have to make the exchange worthwhile. Although trends in “lead magnets” have evolved over time, use the below list as inspiration for your B2B marketing

Quizzes and Calculators

First, find the biggest pain point and create a quiz around it. You can use quiz interest as a micro-conversion.

Some examples might include interactive tests like:

• How Much Could You Save on Taxes By Using Us?
• Or, What’s Holding You Back From Being the Top Real Estate Agency in Your Market?

Use a title that draws attention to a specific problem, and develop strong content around that topic.

Events

Events are critical to a B2B lead gen strategy.

Host a webinar, for example. Invite partners to speak and, most importantly, advertise it with a registration form to kick as many qualified prospects into your funnel as possible.

Industry Case Studies

For this idea, you’ll need to create your own industry case study and then gate the content behind a download form or landing page.

You can then advertise the study, pay for a press pitch, use it for a linkbait opportunity, or create social media graphics using the data.

Awards

It’s always beneficial to create a list of the top awards in your industry and go after them. Win them, and display your badges and accolades. You may also choose to create your own award system for partners and clients.

4. Advertise Your Irresistible B2B Offers

Once you’ve decided on your irresistible offer (or offers), you must advertise each one of your and track them from micro to macro conversions.

You may also consider advertising customer testimonials, pain points, and answers to common questions.

Additionally, there are three types of video formats that you can leverage to create and publish high-performing advertising campaigns.

• The Explainer: A strong problem statement sets up the product as the solution.
• The Product Demo: Make the product shine by setting it up as the hero from the very first impression.
• The Straight Offer: This approach is “all offer” and makes people click with a compelling deal or message.

5. Analyze User Response to Advertisements

When using video, always dissect them by the users’ response. Examine what frames lead to the highest engagement and what sequence drives the highest conversion impact.

This process is crucial because it’s precisely how you run top of funnel to bottom-funnel segmented remarketing ads and use that data to target new customers.

Ultimately, this is very important for B2B lead generation.

6. Leverage Data to Your Advantage

Many companies want to know how to do B2B lead generation, but they might not be ready to consider how instrumental reliable data is to the process. Make no mistake – you can’t accomplish the big picture results without good data.

In fact, companies that adopt data-driven marketing are six times more likely to be profitable.

Combine that with the truth that 69% of marketers want to improve ROI measurability, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for data-driven B2B marketing campaigns.

Beyond that, reliable data can help you distinguish between a quality lead and an unqualified one.

7. Nurture Your B2B Leads

What do you do once you have a solid lead? You nurture it!

With a clear sales funnel aimed at retention and re-engagement campaigns specifically targeted to your existing or fringe leads, you can nurture a potential lead and maintain a competitive advantage.

Think about it this way. The whole point of B2B lead generation is to create a consistent pipeline of potential leads. If there’s a break in the pipe, you risk losing as many leads as you catch.

The lead nurturing strategies below can help you successfully nurture your leads or customers and keep them coming back for more compelling offers.

8. Harness the Power of Email Marketing

In the B2B space, email marketing is one of the most important channels. It all starts with capturing the email address of the lead.

You can do this off the website or directly on the website with tools like:

• Email capture pop-ups.
• Nano bars.
• Footer captures.
• Gated content.

It is critical that you map every page on your website to a micro-conversion for improved tracking.