Every B2B company wants more leads… but it’s not like great leads grow on trees! It takes effort to generate leads. It takes even more effort to generate QUALIFIED leads.
How do you focus your efforts to attract prospects who are ready to work with you? How do you fill your pipeline with ready-to-buy prospects instead of stone-cold “leads”?
In this guide, we’re covering some of the most effective B2B lead gen strategies to get more Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) in 2024!
The Entry Point: Marketing-Qualified Leads
Marketing-Qualified Leads (MQLs) refer to potential customers who have shown an interest in your product or service through their engagement with your marketing campaigns. This interest is often measured by the presence of specific actions, such as clicking an ad, attending a webinar, downloading a sales catalog, filling out a form on your website, or sending your company a direct message on social media.
The key to getting more MQLs is to understand your target audience and create quality content that’s tailored to their needs, pain points, and interests. But, you need to take this a step further and make sure your content entices them to take action — to message you, book a call, download a whitepaper, etc.
While MQLs may not be ready to make an immediate purchase, they have at least shown an interest in your product or service. With that in mind, your sales team can be fairly confident in focusing their efforts on nurturing them into paying customers.
The Next Step: Sales-Qualified Leads
Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs) are even more qualified than MQLs, as they have demonstrated a higher level of intent to make a purchase. They have progressed down your sales funnel and are ready for the close.
The criteria for identifying SQLs involves the presence of more explicit actions. These might include activities like requesting a demo, signing up for a product trial, asking about pricing, or requesting case studies.
Having these materials (pricing, customer testimonials, case studies, etc.) on-hand can help your sales team expedite the sales process. Time is of the essence when it comes to converting ready-to-buy prospects into paying customers.
B2B Lead Gen Tactics for More SQLs
Want to generate more B2B sales leads in 2024? If so, you’ll want to incorporate these strategies into your lead gen efforts!
1. Content, Content, Content
When it comes to generating more SQLs, the goal should be to provide a wealth of information to help prospects make their purchase decision. Prospects should not be fruitlessly searching your website or social media for pricing, product demos, testimonials, etc.
Your brand should be creating various types of content, for every stage of the Buyer’s Journey. This should include content that appeals to your audience’s needs and concerns, content that introduces your product/service, and content that describes next steps for working with you.
Here are some examples of what this might look like for your B2B content strategy.
Top of the Funnel
- Blog post: “10 Trends Shaping [Industry] in 2024”
- Infographic: “The Anatomy of [Solution] Success”
- Educational webinar: “[Industry] Best Practices You Need to Know”
Middle of the Funnel
- Case study: “How [Client] Increased [Metric] by [Percentage] with [Product/Service]”
- Whitepaper: “The Comprehensive Guide to [Specific Industry Challenge]”
- Product demo: “See [Product] in Action: Live Demo Session”
Bottom of the Funnel
- Free trial: “Get a 14-Day Free Trial of [Software]”
- Comparison guide: “[Product] vs. Competitor Solutions: Which is Best?”
- Customer Testimonials: “Why [Client] Trusts [Your Company] for [Solution]”; Google reviews; website reviews
For more SQLs, be sure to create in-depth, valuable content that addresses the pain points and challenges of your target audience. This might include whitepapers, case studies, and ebooks that showcase your expertise and demonstrate your solution in action.
2. Host a live webinar for direct Q&A
Prospects don’t want to wait around for answers. They want information NOW. And while many B2B companies wait to deliver the goods until during the sales call, there are sometimes better ways to get valuable information to prospects fast.
Live webinars are a great medium for connecting with prospects in real-time. You are able to share valuable information and answer your audience’s most burning questions, even before they book a sales call.
This allows you to build trust with prospects and equip them with the information they need to make a purchase decision. If they are already itching to buy, closing the sales is made so much easier.
You can use B2B webinars or virtual workshops to cover topics relevant to your industry. For example, you could host a webinar on “Embracing Digital Transformation in Law” where you discuss the latest trends, technologies, and strategies for law firms wanting to thrive in the digital era. Then, you can position your company as a thought leader and solution provider (perhaps, legal CRM software) in the realm of digital transformation.
But, don’t forget that call-to-action (CTA)! During your webinar, you should give viewers multiple opportunities to contact your company, whether that be via a call scheduling link, providing your phone number, or providing a link to a downloadable ebook.
3. Capture search intent with SEO
Google Search is one of the most common platforms people use to find information, brands, and products. What better way to drive SQLs than to capture users who are already searching for your product or service?
Enter Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is the practice of optimizing your website (and other online assets) for organic search by implementing keywords, on-page (website) updates, and technical improvements.
There are a few ways to do this:
- Long-form content: You can publish articles, blog posts, videos, or whitepapers that pertain to common search queries your audience is using. Tools like Semrush.com allow you to find these queries (keywords), explore Search Volume, and come up with topic ideas relevant to your audience.
- Win on branded terms: Your brand should rank #1 for all keywords containing your company or product name. Using Semrush, do a search for these terms. Then, make sure you have web pages or articles that are optimized for these keywords. For example, look for keywords like, “[brand] review”, “how much does [brand] cost”, “where to buy [brand]”, “best [brand] alternatives”, etc.
- Gain placement in industry publications: Even if your website doesn’t have a ton of traffic yet, you can still capitalize on the authority of larger websites. Getting mentions, articles, and interviews in industry publications can help you rank your brand and even get authority-boosting links back to your website.
- Improve technical SEO and UX: Google’s algorithm tends to prioritize sites that are fast and user friendly. Turn to Google Search Console for recommended User Experience (UX) and pagespeed updates to improve your website’s rankings.
Optimizing your website for relevant keywords will help ensure that you rank for your branded terms and any other queries your prospective customers are searching for. This will also allow you to gain a competitive edge over other contenders.
4. Build trust with UGC
User Generated Content (UGC) has become a valuable asset for B2B companies looking to build trust and credibility among their audience. Today’s customers rely heavily on the opinions and experiences of others when making purchasing decisions. That’s what makes reviews and testimonials so powerful.
But there are other types of UGC content than just Google reviews. UGC content could also mean customer videos, Influencer Marketing, YouTube tutorials, and more.
As a B2B brand, you can incorporate UGC into your social media strategy and leverage the authentic voices of your existing customers to build trust with prospects.
Here are four ways B2B companies can effectively utilize UGC on social media:
- Share positive feedback from satisfied customers on your social media channels to showcase real-life success stories. Whether it’s a glowing review of your product or a testimonial praising your exceptional customer service, these authentic endorsements can significantly impact the perception of your brand and build trust with potential customers.
Example: Post a screenshot of a LinkedIn recommendation from a client praising your company’s expertise and reliability in delivering results. Accompany the screenshot with a caption expressing gratitude to the client and highlighting the key benefits they experienced with your product or service.
- Turn your customers’ success stories into compelling case studies that demonstrate the tangible results they’ve achieved with your product or service. Share snippets of these case studies on social media, showcasing specific challenges faced by your customers and how your solution helped overcome them.
Example: Create a series of Instagram carousel posts featuring before-and-after snapshots of a client’s business metrics, such as increased revenue or improved efficiency, alongside quotes from the client detailing their experience working with your company.
- Encourage user participation by launching hashtag campaigns that invite customers to share their experiences with your brand. Create a branded hashtag and encourage customers to use it when sharing photos, videos, or testimonials related to your product or service.
Example: Launch a Twitter campaign encouraging customers to share their favorite features of your product using a branded hashtag like #MyFavoriteFeature. Retweet user submissions and showcase them in a dedicated highlight on your profile to celebrate customer success stories.
- Harness the power of your employees as brand advocates to amplify the reach of your UGC efforts. Encourage employees to share user-generated content on their personal social media profiles, adding a human touch to your brand’s online presence.
Example: Encourage employees to share customer testimonials or success stories on their LinkedIn profiles, accompanied by personalized captions highlighting the impact of your company’s solutions on customers’ businesses. This not only amplifies the reach of your UGC but also humanizes your brand and fosters connections with potential customers.
5. Level-up your customer referral program
Again, trust is huge when it comes to B2B marketing. A referral from an existing customer is likely one of the most qualified prospects you can get!
You don’t need to wait around for referrals to come to you, though. There are many ways to build a customer referral system and drive new business:
- Just ask!: Don’t be afraid to ask satisfied customers to send referrals your way. After successful project completion, ask them if they know of any other businesses that could benefit from your offerings.
- Launch an incentive program: You could offer discounts, bonuses, or even monetary rewards for referrals sent your way. This not only shows appreciation to your existing customer but also encourages clients to actively participate in your referral system.
- Recruit your brand advocates: Encourage clients to share their positive experiences on social media. Provide them with shareable content, such as infographics, success quotes, or branded images to make it easy for them to promote your business and send new leads your way.
- Host customer appreciation events: Thank your customers for their business by hosting events or webinars. Even better, who can say No to some free snacks? During your event, encourage attendees to send new business your way.
- Have referral resources on-hand: Make it stupid easy for customers to send new business your way. Equip your clients with referral resources, such as brochures, business cards, or unique referral links. The less work they have to do, the more likely they will be to send you referrals.
Building a customer referral system not only drives new business but also strengthens your relationship with your existing clients. Referrals are more likely to trust your brand, thus making them more likely to choose you instead of your competitors.
Get More SQLs in 2024 and Beyond
While nudging MQLs to become SQLs takes some effort, it’s ultimately worth it to equip your sales team with prospects that are itching to work with you. To do this, you need to create content that appeals to this type of audience and draws in users who are actively searching for solutions like your (ahem, SEO!).
At Superhuman Prospecting, we help B2B brands draw in highly qualified leads through a variety of channels, including appointment scheduling services and direct outreach. We take on the strategic work of B2B gen so you don’t have to, sending SQLs straight to your inbox!
Contact Superhuman Prospecting to learn more about our data-driven B2B lead gen services.
