Knowing how to generate B2B leads is a big challenge for companies that work with this type of target audience. This happens because, when we talk about B2B business, it is not common for the customer to make purchases “first” and/or impulsively.
Also, to give you an idea, according to a study carried out by Marketing Sherpa with a wide variety of B2B companies, it was revealed that about 73% of leads are not ready to close a purchase the first time they come into contact with a brand .
Therefore, it is necessary to take into account a longer sales cycle and, to make the prospect advance in the purchase funnel and become more and more likely to become your customer, you can follow some good strategies for success.
And a powerful strategy for this is to invest in generating B2B leads for your e-commerce. But after all, how to do this? Also, is it more important to have a larger amount of leads, or a smaller but more qualified amount of prospects? These are the questions we will answer below. Follow!
How to generate B2B leads: focus on quantity or quality of prospects?
When talking about how to generate B2B leads for e-commerce, you need to be aware of these two measures: quantity and quality. That’s because, yes, the quality of the leads is more important, however, the ideal is to balance both points .
After all, having a greater volume of prospects is necessary to scale your e-commerce sales. However, the more specific your ideal client profile and persona are, the fewer leads you will win. On the other hand, they will be much more qualified and will be closer to becoming your client.
Therefore, it is essential to seek a balance so that your sales funnel is not empty – that is, to conquer a good volume of leads , – and, also, to dedicate yourself to transforming the largest number of these prospects into qualified contacts who are really willing to buy on your B2B e-commerce.
How to generate qualified B2B leads for your e-commerce? Check out 4 tips:
Well, now that you’ve understood the importance of combining quantity and quality when it comes to knowing how to generate B2B leads, it’s time to check out our tips for effectively generating prospects.
1. Know your target audience and create your ideal personas
The first step to learn how to generate B2B leads is to know your ideal audience profile. That is, create the personas that make sense for your business. That’s because, when defining your personas, you’ll know the best way to communicate with prospects, the communication channels to use, the most appropriate language, among others.
2. Use content marketing as your great ally
Producing materials with rich , in-depth and relevant content is a great strategy to know how to generate B2B leads. This is because these materials are important to generate greater authority and credibility for your company in the market.
In addition, it is a way of showing that you know what you are talking about and that you are really looking to bring solutions to the life of the lead, and not simply “push” a product for him to buy .
Content marketing , in addition to helping to educate your target audience, shows your experience in the area.
Furthermore, a good tip when making your content marketing strategy is to use success stories and/or testimonials from satisfied customers with your product/service. This is social proof that can be very important to help you convert your leads.
3. To learn how to generate B2B leads, use your social media strategically
According to a study carried out by B2B Content Marketing , social networks are among the main communication channels used by companies to work on B2B marketing actions and campaigns.
Furthermore, it is worth emphasizing that, in the case of the B2B public, it is common for the best business opportunities to be present on LinkedIn , a social network more focused on this objective.
However, as there is no sure recipe for success, it is important to check if other social networks and other communication channels can also be relevant to achieve better results and generate more leads for your B2B e-commerce.
4. Build your own lead list
The idea of buying ready-made contact lists may even seem interesting to bring quick results to your business, but believe me, this will never be a good option.
This is because, by using these lists, you will be communicating with people who have never heard of your brand and/or have never shown an interest in interacting with it. This way, your image may be tarnished, your emails may end up in spam boxes and, depending, your brand may even be denounced, suffering penalties.
So build your own lead list from scratch. For that:
- Take care in creating attractive landing pages , which generate the desire of the lead to register;
- Offer a qualified e-commerce , in which people feel attracted to offer personal information in exchange for benefits and/or personalized information;
- If you have a physical store, register visitors through these channels as well;
- Participate in events and workshops in your area to publicize your brand and also attract new prospects, among others.
There are several solutions for you to know how to properly generate B2B leads without having to buy contact lists.