B2B Lead Generation: What Is It and 17 Strategies to Boost Sales

It can be challenging to find and sustain a customer base—that’s true for established businesses and young companies alike. No business is immune from the challenges of finding customers, but generating leads is what leads to sales and longevity. The two types of marketing, business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B), are different and therefore what works for the one might not work for the other.

B2B lead generation defined

B2B lead generation helps interested parties better understand who might be inclined to buy their products or services. Based on these insights, sales teams will need to evaluate the quality of leads to understand how to best target them.

In contrast to B2C, which has lower stakes, a B2B lead generation strategy can be more involved and time-consuming. Business decision-makers might need more touchpoints before they decide to make the purchase because they might have to justify their decisions to superiors and other stakeholders. That’s why B2B lead generation is usually more about steady progress than overnight results.

B2B vs B2C Lead Generation: Understanding the Nuances

Companies in the B2C segment market to customers who may be more apt to make purchases on a whim. That’s because there isn’t necessarily an expectation of a return on investment. The purchase price might be less, too, which makes the entry barrier less steep. B2C buyers tend to be more inclined to buy on emotion, while B2B buyers have to be more objective and measured when managing a corporate budget.

B2B, by definition, involves an exchange of goods or services between business entities. B2B prospects usually take longer to go through the sales funnel because they have to consider the chain of command. There are often multiple people weighing in before the sale, which requires business leaders to get creative about lead generation.

Types of B2B Leads: Understanding the Pipeline

Not all leads are the same, even in the B2B context. These are the types of leads in the world of B2B lead generation:

Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs)

These are groups of potential buyers who’ve indicated an interest in your offerings. They might have taken actions like downloading a white paper, interacting with a social media post, or signing up for news about product releases. MQLs need more convincing to educate them about your offerings and motivate them to commit.

Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs)

This cohort might have a greater sense of urgency to buy. They are more likely to have requested a product demo, engaged with your sales team, and/or articulated that your product or service solves their problem. SQLs are more ripe for conversion, so sales teams will dedicate resources to leading them through the sales funnel.

Why are B2B marketing leads important?

You need ample B2B leads to maintain a healthy sales pipeline. Think of leads as your business’s future, where the right strategy can set you up for success in the long term. You’ll have a consistent flow of qualified leads, so your salespeople can devote their time and attention to closing deals instead of trying to drum up business from a wider audience.

17 Bold B2B Lead Generation Strategies: Get Creative and Stand Out

Translating your B2B sales strategy into results isn’t always easy. It might take some time and experimentation to develop B2B lead generation strategies that produce results. Here are a few that might work for you and your organization:

1. Invest in Content Campaigns

The right content mix can be a means to attract and pull in leads. You might lean on thought leadership posts, speak to industry trends, and educate leads about how to do their jobs better.

2. Run an A/B Test

Don’t get complacent and be open to switching things up every now and then. See how your audience might respond to various content formats, calls to action (CTAs), and landing page formats through A/B testing. This experiment can help you understand where there’s potential to adjust or improve your marketing to get more favorable results. You can’t manage what you don’t measure, so be sure you’re tracking outcomes.

3. Get Survey Results

You’re not a mind reader. Customers, however, might be inclined to provide valuable feedback about your company via surveys. Such insights can provide a glimpse into their habits, needs, and frustrations and help you push out messaging that speaks to their individual situations.

4. Publish and Promote More Case Studies

When marketing to the B2B segment, it’s important to position your company as the authority and establish trust. Publish case studies on your website that show how you’ve helped others solve similar problems.

5. Align Content with B2B Lead Personas

Don’t think of leads as a homogenous group. Instead, curate buyer personas to help guide your marketing strategies. From here, take time to review your website content, email newsletters, and other digital assets. All of these elements need to resonate with each buyer segment.

6. Build a Free Tool to Generate B2B Sales Leads

Lead generation tools, like white papers, can make the case for why your product or service is the answer to their challenges. You can use them to expand your CRM database with lead contact information.

7. Produce and Promote Educational Resources

Your target audience might be interested in learning about industry trends, forecasts, and best practices that will help them get ahead of their competition. Curate these insights into digestible formats like e-books, white papers, or webinars to offer value.

8. Personalize Your Website with Dynamic Web Pages

Invite leads to engage deeper with you online. You might change your content and offers based on the visitor’s location and other variables. Personalization is king in 2024.

9. Attend Industry Events, Trade Shows, and Conferences

Most of these tips concern online activities, but don’t forget about in-person engagement. People do business with people, after all. Face-to-face interaction at industry conferences or trade shows might be what you need to get people on the fence to sign on the dotted line.

10. Develop a Referral Program

Current customers might be inclined to tell their colleagues about your company, you just have to ask. You might consider offering discounts or other incentives to get them to sing your praises and refer new customers to your business.

11. Entice Them With a Free Trial

Some people are hesitant to make a purchase without any firsthand experience. They might perceive it as too risky, especially if the product requires considerable investment. A try-before-you-buy option can make sense in this case. Some leads will become paying customers after getting a taste of your product or service.

12. Identify Partnerships for Growth

Leads might be hiding in plain sight. Consider tapping into your network to see if other businesses align with your and your audience’s needs. There might be synergy and ways to work together to co-market and do more with less. Think joint webinars, cross-pollinating content, and other ways to reach a broader audience and generate B2B leads for both companies.

13. Invest in Paid Ads

Google Ads or LinkedIn Ads are ways to reach the right types of people in the places they already frequent. Paid ads are best done in tandem with headlines and landing pages that reinforce the message. You can run A/B tests to identify the most effective methods.

14. Up Your Video Marketing Game

Video content has dominated the internet for some time—and that’s not expected to change anytime soon. Communicate your value proposition with videos. There’s no shortage of angles you could take, from product demos, customer testimonials, and even how-to guides. Be sure to get the most mileage from them by posting on social media and landing pages.

15. Cultivate Online Connections

Go where your leads hang out. Frequent industry-related online communities and other contexts to create top-of-mind awareness. Don’t enter these forums with the intent to sell. Instead, contribute in a meaningful way, and it will pay off. Over time, decision-makers will associate you as the authority and trusted resource. This can help improve your sales numbers.

16. Launch Contests and Giveaways

Contests and giveaways can create excitement around your brand, just make sure the offerings are useful to your audience. Free consultations, product subscriptions, and exclusive discounts are a few ideas. Whatever the specifics, be sure to ask for their contact information so you can follow up.

17. Up Your PR game

Earned media still matters. A solid public relations (PR) strategy can help you get press in industry publications and appearances on podcasts. To set you up for success in this way, distribute press releases, approach beat journalists with story ideas, and sign up for platforms like Qwoted to secure press coverage.

Master B2B Lead Generation with Podium

B2B lead generation is both an art and a science. Podium’s AI-powered platform can shorten response times so you can connect with leads at a critical time. The conversational AI works hard on your behalf, nurturing leads 24/7. It also features automated lead qualification, which takes pressure off your sales team so they can be more strategic in their efforts. Plus, Podium makes it easy to ask for and collect reviews, so your team can benefit from data-driven insights to enhance lead generation strategies for greater impact.

With Podium’s AI Employee, you no longer have to settle for mediocre results in B2B lead generation. Podium can help your sales team feel more confident in their prospecting efforts and change your business’ trajectory. Watch a demo and explore these features in action.