5 B2B Lead Generation Tactics that Work in 2021

The concept is fairly simple—generate leads, grow the business.

That’s just about where the simplicity ends, really.

B2B buyers are savvy people, no longer falling for the traditional advertisements we relied upon in the past. Now, they look up information on their own and will hardly reach out to you unless they are genuinely interested in your offerings.

For many of us, initiating this interest is where the trouble lies. To save you the trouble of dabbling in trial-and-error, check out these lead generation tactics that work in the digital marketing space.

1.  Use Lead Generation Software

Lead generation requires teams to gather information about online visitors and use it to drive communication.

Without the right tools, it becomes a tedious, time-consuming, and frustrating task even for professional marketers.

A lead generation software offers a more convenient and efficient method of contacting and gathering data about your prospects. It can help you identify buyer behavior and provide insight into website traffic and what pages drove the traffic.

With this info, you can create highly personalized campaigns that speak to the different prospects.

How do you choose a suitable lead generation service?

• Identify existing lead generation challenges. Your challenges will help you know which features to look for when comparing different lead management software.
• Choose a service that addresses your challenges and provides the results you desire measurably.
• Look at your internal capabilities. Is the software easily downloadable to multiple devices? Can it integrate with your CRM software and other data processing systems?
• Understand the terms and conditions of use. Most of us click “accept” at the bottom of the page without reading through the terms. Read and query anything that you don’t understand.

2.  Cold Calling

Cold Calling is one of the best ways of creating awareness about your offerings. You get to explain what you’re about briefly and see if it generates sufficient interest to proceed to the next stage.

Since it provides instant feedback, this tactic is perfect for qualifying leads. You’re quickly able to determine those that are worth pursuing and those who aren’t interested.

To ensure higher success while using this strategy, here are some tips:

• Research your prospects to enhance the quality of the call. Highlighting recent achievements or shared interests creates an impression of genuine interest and may help break barriers.
• Segment your prospects. Businesses fit into different audience personas, and knowing which category they fall under will help you tailor conversations and solutions that apply to them.
• Capture their interest in the first 10-15 seconds of the call by highlighting a pain point wrapped in a customer-focused story. It may help pique their interest and keep them on the call.
• Make calls at the right time. Research shows that cold calls garner more positive results between 10 am-11 am and 2 pm-3 pm. While you are at, avoid Mondays and Fridays.
• Cold calling is an art that is mastered with practice. So practice calling with colleagues or your partner and ask them to provide varying responses. It will help give you a sense of real-life calls.

3.  Social Selling

Social selling is about relationship building—identifying your ideal prospects, then actively connecting with them on social media.

This strategy differs from traditional lead generation tactics since you’re placing less stress on your prospects for an immediate response. You’re there for the long haul and your focus is on building connections.

Here’s how to generate leads through social selling:

• Have a plan. Identify key accounts you want to crack, contact persons, and their social consumption behavior.
• Learn stuff about their industry, keep up with industry updates, and find useful information that you can share.
• Lead with trust. People buy from people they trust, know, and like. Use social platforms to build trust and not push sales agendas. Be the person who answers questions accurately, points businesses in the right direction, and even connects them with those who can help.
• Optimize your social profiles for selling opportunities. Use professional images and write in the first person about the problems you solve, without mentioning your products/services. Support your story with case studies and include keywords to ensure you attract your ideal audience.
• Post bite-size posts regularly to keep your brand fresh in your prospects’ minds. You can share videos, blog articles, and industry trends, etc.
• Hone the skill to move conversations from social talk to real-world conversations surrounding their needs and your solutions. Doing so provides opportunities to showcase your capability in real-world situations.

Finally, “don’t be that person.”

Don’t be that person who blasts cold sales pitches within seconds of connecting with people. That’s spammy selling. It puts off prospects, reducing your chances of securing deals to near zero if not zero.

4.  Think Local

Most digital marketing tactics place you before a global audience, which is good for maximizing reach and sales.

But you also need a tactic that ensures businesses in your local area can find you.

Here’s how you can use local marketing to stand out in your area/region:

• Leverage local SEO. Improve visibility by identifying keywords used in local searches and include them in your URLs, meta descriptions, and content. List your company in Google My Business and other local online directories and ensure your site is easily accessible through mobile devices.
• Create localized lead magnets. Create gated content specific to your area, for example, “How New Tax Laws Affect Businesses In (Your Area/Region).”
• Use local paid advertising to ensure your brand and offerings are visible to local users looking for solutions similar to what you provide.
• Create localized landing pages if you have branches in different locations. Having landing pages that are specific to those local areas will help attract local leads.

5.  Referral Marketing

Big brands are already using referral marketing to generate more leads. There is no reason you shouldn’t.

Referrals carry with them the trust factor. People tend to trust recommendations from people they know, increasing your chance of success.

They are also profoundly targeted since the customer only refers your products/services to those who need them.

What’s the best way to obtain leads from this strategy?

• Request existing customers to provide email addresses at least three contacts they believe can profit from your solutions.
• Come up with reward programs for customers who successfully refer to other businesses. The incentive may be a discount coupon, gift card, or any other reward for your customers’ value.
• Reward the lead as well. It will encourage them to buy as they can see something in it for them, over and above the value of the product/service.
• Encourage customers to drop positive reviews. Social proof influences the opinions people form about you and drives leads, too.
• Leverage Influencer Marketing. When people see industry experts or people they regard highly recommending you, they are likely to sign up.