We’re all aware off the classic B2B lead generation methods like guest blogging, paid search, good old cold calling and others. So why don’t we look at some more off-beat methods to make sure we’re making the most of the abundance of lead gen techniques available to the modern marketer.
1 - B2B lead generation on LinkedIn groups
One method of B2B lead generation that many business owners brush off as useless is being active on LinkedIn groups. Some people will tell you that this tactic doesn’t work. Yes, there might be industry sectors where LinkedIn group marketing doesn’t work, however, the two main reasons for poor results are picking the irrelevant groups and coming across too salesy.
The key is to find the right groups. Unfortunately, LinkedIn’s own search functionality is far from great. I’ve discovered the majority of my favourite groups by looking at influencer profiles rather than using Linkedin’s group search.
As you scroll down through somebody’s profile, you will see “My Groups” section towards the end of the profile.
By looking through profiles of 10 influencers within your sector, you will have probably found enough groups to start with. When it comes to LinkedIn groups, the number of members doesn’t automatically mean a valuable group. For example, in my industry, there are several interest groups approaching half a million members. You’d naturally think joining those would be beneficial for B2B lead generation, however, most of the uber-popular groups end up becoming a platform of self-promotion.
It seems that the sweet-spot of Linkedin groups is member count of between 3,000 and 10,000 with a couple of dozen updates per week. You are more likely to generate and nurture relationships in groups of this size.
2 - Participate in Facebook groups
So, Facebook groups are meant for sharing LoLcats and funny memes, right? Well actually, I have heard some seriously impressive marketing success stories (especially related to start-up growth hacking) from people who have used Facebook groups to build relationships and get the word out.
Surely, you will find it easier to market a B2C products on Facebook groups, however, once you’ve got into it, you will notice that there are plenty of groups related to B2C subjects such as real estate, engineering and professional services.
Similarly to Linkedin, Facebook’s own search is abysmal and at the beginning you will struggle finding valuable English-speaking groups. As you join some groups relevant to your industry, Facebook will start auto-suggesting new groups for you (right-hand section of your profile on desktop devices). Luckily their auto-suggest is much more relevant than their group search.
In Facebook it is easier to develop one-to-one conversations because you can message almost anyone (which you can’t do on LinkedIn). The core strategy is similar – post valuable and insightful updates on the group wall and when you come across somebody who sounds like he knows what he’s talking about, send a private message and start developing a relationship.
3 - Create a tool
Regardless of what industry you work in, there are knowledge gaps and opportunities to streamline processes or develop solutions. A great way of B2B lead generation is to build free bespoke tools. Yes, it is easier in SEO industry – we have no problem coming up with ideas for new tools as all SEO experts are relying on data processing and analysis. However, with data becoming so important across all industries, there must be a way for you to build an online tool that addresses a particular pain point of your industry professionals. If you’re stuck for ideas, please give us a call.
For example, a business finance company could develop a detailed affordability calculator tool. If the tool is better than the basic ones that are found on the big finance company websites, other industry professionals will start talking about your website.
Apart from getting fresh leads in, you will also find it easy to build links to your new tool. This will in turn improve your Google rankings increasing the number of leads from organic search. So, by creating useful online tools you kill two birds with one stone (no, actually, three birds!) you consolidate your reputation as an influencer, you get direct leads from people who use the tool and you get an indirect benefit in shape of increased organic search leads.
4 - Become a listener
Set up Google Alerts and/or Talkwalker Alerts for your brand terms and your main business terms. When setting up Google Alerts, make sure you select “all results” otherwise you won’t get any alerts unless you’re a Fortune 500 company and all the large newspapers are talking about you.
When you find somebody talking about your brand, always make an effort to respond, especially if it’s a complaint or a rant. By responding to negative comments, you have an opportunity to convert the moaner into a fan.
Monitoring business keywords is also important. If you find somebody asking questions on Quora, Yahoo Answers or social media, join the conversation making sure your answer adds value. The most cringe-worthy misuse of this tactic is when you see somebody posting on his social stream complaining about difficulty of getting a loan and then getting annoying “apply now” messages from unscrupulous businesses who have set up auto-messaging.
5 - Make sure your value proposition is consistent
This is not about finding a new channel for lead generation. This is more of a method for maximising the current channels. Your brand message or value proposition should be consistent across all lead generation channels. If you’ve worked on your strategy and decided to position yourself as an expert high-precision metalwork, make sure this message is consistent on your website, paid search campaigns, guest blogging, social media profiles and all other venues.
Your goal is to build brand perception so your message, ad copy and visuals should all work together towards this goal. The number of leads will increase without an increase in traffic if this advice is followed through.
6 - Use partnerships in B2B lead generation
Consider going into a partnership with a company that is not a direct competitor but is working in the same market. The best example of this is a solicitor and an estate agent. If you’re a solicitor and you can get a local estate agent to place your enquiry form on their website, you are pretty much guaranteed to see an increase in qualified leads. Although this is not a cheap method of lead generation, considering the leads come in hot (or pre-qualified), in most cases you will realise that ROI on those partnership leads is much higher than on other methods where the leads arrive cold and need a lot of nurturing to convert.
If your B2B company could do with an influx of fresh leads, let’s have a quick chat to see how we can help you.
