Many businesses now focus on social media as an effective marketing platform and gaining some significant results through it. There is no doubt that social media is the most active channel for B2C businesses to engage directly with the customers and also to generate leads, but B2B companies initially seemed to be hesitant about the idea of adoption through social media. However, things are changing rapidly, and now more than 87% of the top B2B companies in the US use social media channels as their primary source of lead generation.
In fact, B2B lead generation agency works different when compared to B2C social media marketing. The strategies for B2C will not work the same way to generate results for B2B. As we know, B2B customers may not sure be making an impulse decision to buy something, and for this reason, social media is less likely a direct sales channel in case of B2B.
As every single sale matters considerably in B2B, using social media for its primary phase of lead generation is a great idea. For this, marketers need specific B2B social media tactics. We discussed the same with many experts from various industries focusing on B2B marketing through online channels and listing out the important suggestions here.
10 top B2B lead generation strategies
#1. Being on the right platform(s)
There are a large number of social networking platforms than what you know. Even on considering the major ones, you will find the top 10 with more than 100 million users. If you spend time and throw some money to build a perfect strategy, you will manage to convert these to decent lead generation sources. As B2B is a niche market, the only thing you need to ensure is that you generate leads which are worth it.
When it comes to professional networking and B2B lead generation, LinkedIn may be one top choice. As per researches, more than about 40% of B2B marketing leads are generated through this platform. Coming next is Facebook with a share of about 30% B2B leads and Twitter with about 25%. Some top strategies for lead generation on LinkedIn are to build your network by adding more connections, try to strengthen the top-tier connections, and also try out premium services once in a while to target more focused leads.
#2. Building a solid network
As any B2B marketers would know, growing in this sector is all about building relations. The primary objective of social media B2B efforts is to nurture relationships and construct an excellent online reputation. You need to make sure that a maximum number of prospective clients hear about your brand. You must turn out to be a subject matter expert in your niche to grab this admiration and thereby strengthen the connections.
The actual objective is to sell, but you may not go so far if you do not focus on strengthening the ties. Participating in industry forums, connecting with industry leads and influencers, making new connections, and following the prospects are some of the ideal approaches to take.
#3. Integration call to actions effective to your SM profiles
As per Leads Junction experts’ suggestion, it is a sure-short result maker strategy to add straight call-to-action (CTA) links or buttons to the social media posts wherever possible and in your profile, but not all B2B marketers take advantage of this no-brainer approach.
Doing it effectively can surely generate more links through your landing pages and website info forms. You can use this CTA strategy on various social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter anywhere to get benefited.
#4. Incorporating lead magnets in posts
As you may imagine, the lead magnet is an engaging content grabs instant attraction of your target group people by offering something they value. In exchange for this offering, you can expect their contact information. It is a simple, but most potent tip in a social media lead generation.
It is not mandatory that you have to offer them discounts on cashback always, but a piece of informative content or some valuable tips to them anything can work. For example, you can provide them a free e-book on Special Thanksgiving Recipes on coming to your landing page, entering their contact info, and then proceed with the download. Such campaigns can also be promoted through email and other online channels.
#5. Using paid ads
Almost all social media sites put forth premium options for businesses to take advantage of. There are paid ads to be displayed on top and targeted promotional campaigns to be devised to server-specific marketing objectives.
However, you have to be very careful and knowledgeable while planning for paid ads. Ads on the wrong network may simply be draining of your hard-earned money without any returns. Choose the right type of ads that you want to display on the right platform, where a considerable number of your target audience flock, at the right time/season is essential to get the desired B2B results through paid promotions.
#6. Marketing your content
The backbone of any online effort in terms of B2B business marketing and lead generation is quality content. Whether it be the plain text you use to share ideas and information, infographics, slide presentations, images, video or combination of all these, it should be wisely planned and presented to impress the target audience.
You need to be aware of the fact that even the best quality will be wasted if the target audience is not aware of it. The best mode of making your content noticeable is to post regularly, focus on a niche topic with regards to your industry. Posting at the right time of the day, and making the content SEO friendly are necessary.
Some other random tips from other experts also include:
- Focusing on brand development.
- Considering your social media page as an active website and supplementing with regular updates and perfections.
- Monitoring social media activities, measuring success, and revising strategies.
- Doing consistent keyword research and optimization for long-tail keywords.
To conclude, B2B marketing and lead generation through social media needs to be executed by following many of the same basic principles of B2C marketing, but a different approach needed to be taken to route the right kind of leads and ensure optimum ROI. To start with you can try out the tactics above and consistent trial and error with set open more innovative strategies apt for your type of business to generate more leads.