Lead generation is critical for businesses, and yet, it’s the one activity that most companies struggle with. In fact, 61% of marketers consider it their biggest challenge. The reasons are numerous. Not having enough people to generate leads or the right kind of people to generate leads, identifying a correct strategy or offer to get information, creating relevant content to attract potential leads, generating high-quality leads, lack of time and resources, lead quality, and it goes on.
As a B2B business, the challenges are multiplied, and the avenues for generating leads are much fewer than for B2C companies. In addition, the market is much more saturated than even a decade back, with multiple businesses jostling for attention and occupying critical space online.
It is also true that effective lead generation can have a significant payback for businesses and even help them surpass revenue goals. And there are ways to circumvent common lead generation challenges. If you want to know how to reap lead generation rewards, check out our list of 10 practical and proven ways to generate B2B sales leads in India.
How Can You Generate a B2B Sales Lead in India?
1. Use Remarketing to Retarget Visitors
The B2B sales process differs from the B2C sales process, and lead generation requires a completely different mindset and approach. B2B sales are generally longer, which means that leads may fall out of the sales funnel or lie waiting before converting into customers. Remarketing through PPC campaigns is one way to win back leads and keep them in the mix. And the statistics add up. B2B retargeting ranks ahead of B2C retargeting by almost 150%. Retargeting can also increase website visits by 700% and result in 147% higher average conversion rates.
Let’s see how this works in practice. A visitor interacts with your business by visiting your website or using an app. When that happens, a cookie is placed on their system, which then triggers an ad each time the user comes in contact with an ad network like Google Adwords.
Some other popular advertising platforms that you can use for remarketing campaigns include Twitter, LinkedIn, Quora ads, etc., where similar functionalities exist.
2. Leverage Peer-Review Aggregation Directories
Much like B2C lead generation, B2B lead generation also depends majorly on trust and reputation. Statistics show that 92% of business-to-business (B2B) buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a trusted review, and displaying five product reviews can increase conversion rates by 270%. Online reviews are critical if you are looking to generate B2B sales lead in India, as trust is a big issue in the online community amid increased customer frauds like B2B financial frauds and identity thefts.
As a B2B company selling a product or service, you can list yourself in online directories like G2Crowd, Capterra, and Trust Radius. Other online directories to list your products include Yelp, Bing, LinkedIn Directory, Google My Business, and SaaS Genius.
3. Set-up Live Chat to Capture Leads from your Website
B2B buyers are more careful than B2C buyers; this is why the buyer’s journey for a B2B product or service is longer. With multiple phases and a lot of time to convince a B2B buyer, you need to find ways to shorten the process. Live chat is one tool that can help make the process both shorter and more efficient.
Studies have shown that 42% of customers prefer live chat over automated messages for asking questions.
4. Partner with B2B Database Providers: Zoom Info, UpLead, etc.
To generate leads as a B2B business, you will need the data of the companies you will be approaching to send them emails, for instance. And for that, your contact list needs to be comprehensively updated.
You can update data from the available resources, but with the rate at which information changes, this method is not likely to be accurate or particularly efficient. Enter-B2B database providers like Zoom Info and UpLead take care of collecting information and maintaining its accuracy, so your lead generation outreach is most effective.
5. Using Google AdWords
So far, we’ve been stressing organic lead generation methods. However, organic methods take time to show results. If you want results quickly and have the budget to invest, consider investing in lead generation ads on Facebook and Twitter, which you can also use to collect email addresses.
In addition, using Google ads helps optimize the number of high-quality leads being generated and provides a quick way for the brands to reach potential buyers. Lead generation using Google ads also has a positive impact on the organic reach of the brands. Using Google ads to generate leads is also cost-effective because you can tailor your campaigns to work for and as it says, you only pay per click (PPC).
6. Use LinkedIn and get a Sales Navigator account
Using Linkedin for lead generation is a no-brainer. The professional website is 277% more effective for lead generation than other social media networks, and with 55 million businesses using the platform regularly, your options are unlimited. The key, however, is optimization. First, create a robust presence on the platform by making your company page and providing a link to your website landing page. Then, engage with businesses on the platform, join relevant LinkedIn groups, ask interesting questions, respond to comments already posted, use direct messaging to offer products or services to relevant customers, and provide valuable insights regarding your business’s usefulness to potential leads.
Another way to fast charge your Linkedin lead generation efforts is by using its dedicated premium social selling platform Sales Navigator which offers a range of features to find and convert your ideal B2B customer. Sales Navigator is available to anyone with a LinkedIn account and different pricing options depending on your needs. Sales Navigator provides several benefits like automatic lead generation through the Lead Recommendations feature, advanced search to find relevant leads based on keywords, location, and comprehensive B2B sales insights.
7. Create an Email Automation Workflow
Emails are the most common lead generation tactic used by B2B marketers. But the key to sending emails is personalization. Statistics show that personalized emails are 75% more likely to be clicked by recipients. Once you have updated your contact list, customize cold emails to send to each business.
A standard template email will not reap the lead generation awards you want. Instead, make time to research a cold email prospect beforehand and craft an email that shows you’ve put in the legwork. Once you have the information in hand, you can use marketing automation programs to segment customers and target them with specific messages to get the conversions you want. If you’re looking for a detailed guide on how to find someone’s email address, you should definitely read our previous article.
8. Run Ads on Other Social Platforms like Facebook and Twitter
Account-based marketing (ABM) is a popular concept in B2B marketing that involves using sales and marketing channels to target specific organizations using tailored messages. The way it works is you first need to decide the pain points of your core audience by tracing them across different social channels. Subsequently, you create targetted content that addresses their pain points, and finally, you use hyper targetted ads to promote educational and conversion offers and familiarize prospects with your company. You can put up ads using this strategy on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media channels.
9. Use Content Discovery Platforms like Taboola and Outbrain
Content discovery platforms are a great tool to showcase brands and the value they offer. They work in practice by displaying ads in the form of organic-looking recommendations across popular sites where your audience can be found. Unlike Google ads which look well like ads, content discovery platforms like Taboola and Outbrain display ads that look native to the page. Discovery ads that are a common form of native ads promoted by Tabool look are in the form of “sponsored or “recommended” posts below articles and do not look like traditional banner ads.
10. Create a Newsletter
Newsletters are an excellent way to introduce new products and services and nurture and engage with prospective leads. 31% of B2B marketers say email newsletters are the BEST way to nurture leads. By creating and sending out a periodic B2B newsletter, you can passively generate B2B sales leads in India. It is also a better way to connect with your audience on the verge of converting.
Newsletters are also an excellent way to showcase your industry expertise, thought leadership, and reputation, further serving your lead generation efforts. Make sure to vary the kind of content you offer through newsletters. It is advisable not to focus solely on hard sales content like a new product or service features. But also include general educational content that provides valuable information regarding how your product or service can help the B2B customer.
Make Lead Generation a priority
To wrap up, all we’d like to say is that generating leads is not enough-quality leads are what’s most important. It’s essential to focus on generating quality leads and nurturing them effectively to reap long-term benefits. Use our techniques above to kick your 2022 lead generation efforts into high gear and modify based on results and analysis.
