Lead Generation from B2B Experts

Generating new business leads used to almost exclusively involve laborious and stressful cold calling, trying to convince a prospect to consider buying something they had no idea that they needed. Today, digital marketing technology has dramatically changed all of that. CRM systems and Web analytics serve up vital clues to what prospects might be interested in, making that initial and follow-up contact much easier and less stressful for all. Earlier this week B2B magazine hosted a unique online digital conference, packed with all kinds of useful info (and not a little pitching by the sponsor companies) for lead generation. Here's a summary and a little analysis/commentary, adapted from Marketo's viewpoint:
1) Website visitors need clear direction on what to do when they arrive on your website. When the campaign finally pays off and a prospect actually arrives on your landing page, is it crystal clear what they need to do? If they came looking for information, do they get a sales pitch right between the eyes? What's the authentic clear call to action?
2) You can do a lot even on a small budget. The key? (according to LinkedIn) Focus on specific targets, implement strategic programs to reach those targets, measure the results and refine the outreach to entice the prospects showing interest. Sounds easy and simplistic, but too few actually do it.
3) Social media is not going away and needs to be embraced by ALL marketers (emphasis the author's). The days of solely relying on Web design, content and SEO to drive prospects are gone. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter (or future variations) are here to stay. They all have different audiences and focus, so don't apply the same strategy to each one. Not yet in social media? That means you're officially in catch-up status, so get busy. Consumers and stakeholders now have a digital voice, and they will exercise that voice whether you're participating or not.
4) Direct mail may not be dead. Email is king, but direct mail still works. In fact, receiving a thoughtful letter with accompanying relevant content may well make you stand out. But get the names and title right, please.
5) Offers need to be relevant AND appropriate for the prospect's place in the buying cycle. We often focus on developing great content, but don't pay enough attention to when that content is delivered. Remember, prospects need different types of information, depending on where they are in the sales cycle (E.g., don't "accidentally" re-send introductory information to a prospect who is firmly in your pipeline). Pay attention to your Web analytics - what pages are be viewed by your prospects? Match content to needs.
6) Testing can allow you to enter a new market with little risk. Intuition about markets is great, but committing budgets and resources to non-tested markets can be expensive.
7) Incentives can work really well. Some people really like incentives. Others don't. Take the time to differentiate among your existing prospects and format your pitch to match. That takes time, but what quality work doesn't?
8) It's okay if people who will never buy your product consume your content. Some people want your white papers, but they will never buy your product. That's okay. You can get some priceless word of mouth if they ship it around. Meanwhile, once you follow up and it's a dead end, delete the contact from your active prospects and don't waste any more time on them from a sales and pipeline perspective.
9) An event doesn't have to be on Twitter to be great. Tweets are great. Word of mouth is better.
10) Demand generation is just a piece of the entire Marketing puzzle. What's important? According to Cisco, you should analyze your database, create appropriate and targeted demand generation programs, pay attention to the full execution of those programs, do proper reporting, and test, test, test. The collective of data is important, but the targeted and valid analysis of that data is critical.