Getting a honeybee to actually choose a specific flower is what lead generation is all about!  b2b lead generation has been long acknowledged as a key tool in generating interest among the target audience. This is applied well before they actually move forward in their journey down the buying process. However, a reality check reveals that the road to a successful b2b lead generation strategy is quite rocky!

According to ITSMA technology marketing experts, the biggest challenge that most IT companies quote is surprisingly lead generation. Out of 845 B2B companies that were polled, a little less than 50% conceded that lead generation was indeed extremely challenging!

Source: https://www.conversational.com/survey-reveals-top-10-lead-generation-challenges/

So, what are the key challenges that most organizations face in generating genuine leads?

1. Inability to zero in on credible leads through content: Content is every marketeer’s best friend. However, when not used effectively, content has zero influence on potential leads. Lack of context-specific content fails to connect with the target audience owing to its generic and unappealing character. As a result, you lose the best of leads and opportunities to your competitors who deliver meaningful content.

2. Ineffective lead generation techniques: Many companies unfortunately still follow traditional lead generation techniques such as cold calling, outbound calls, mass print mailing and word of mouth. The lack of knowledge, expertise to pursue online marketing and demand generation without personalisation is a concern. Further, if the process is without personalized content, social media interaction and personalized marketing often lead to lukewarm responses.

3. Inadequate potpourri of strategies: Not being able to find the right combination of marketing strategies and tactics is like a ticking bomb. When it explodes, your organization would face the disastrous consequences of ineffective and goalless leads. Blindly following the competitor’s strategy is another common error. This is called  the copycat syndrome often leads to the “just another service provider or product company” label. Thus not having a differentiated or distinct marketing strategy of your own just brings duplicate leads. This leads to loss of market share.

4. Sacrificing lead generation to get out of a financial crunch situation: When companies are faced with a tough financial situation, one of the first endeavors to be compromised is marketing. The inability to invest in lead generation pulls down the focus on marketing, leading to poor market performance.

So what are the strategies used by successful B2B organizations?

Source: www. emarketeer.com

1. Adopt modern techniques of lead generation:

Online lead generation mechanisms are possibly the effective, with almost immediate target audience response measurable in real time. Marketing funnel management through social media campaigns, thought leadership campaigns, ebook publication and blog posts are the key. In addition, white paper publication, podcasts, webinars, SEO-based content creation, and many many other techniques are precious that help companies beat competition. Exemplary lead traction, with predictability and increased probability of sales is critical .This helps organizations achieve optimal market shares in their business landscape.

2. Leverage content marketing:

A well-documented content-marketing strategy is what organizations bank on for effective lead generation. Engaging and convincing content marketing techniques implemented by content writers specializing in your area of expertise is required. This delivers engaging content that builds an immediate connect with the target audience.

3. Assign scores to your leads:

One of the best strategies that companies are using involves categorizing and scoring leads. This is based on the inputs they derive after connecting with and qualifying the lead. The lead scores or percentage helps in moving quickly down the marketing funnel.

4. Place the right people in the right roles:

Clubbing the lead generation team and the sales team leads to confusion in role definitions. This also called aligning marketing and sales for single goal!. A clear segregation of responsibilities helps bring role clarity, optimizing the sales cycle of the product. As a result, the b2b lead generation teams are entirely focused on deriving a high-quality lead.

5. Explore and work closely with the contact building programs:

Leveraging databases from contact and lead provider organizations such as Hoovers and OneSource. This provides you an effective initial catalyst to effectively zero in on a trustworthy target audience. However, choose only credible partners else this would turn out to be a wasted effort.

Connecting with the right customers and building a lasting relationship with them is critical for the success of your organizations. A hoard of b2b lead generation techniques from personalized communication to customized landing pages and strong call to actions thus form the backbone. This will derive a constant engagement with your target audience. Choose your techniques wisely to derive maximum benefits from these effective approaches.