Unlike consumer sales, business-to-business relationships require directness, transparency and collaboration. Future partners want to know that your business is reliable and capable of future growth. When they hit your website their expectations are not to be entertained, but to be informed.
Here are some B2B lead generation tips for building a site that generates serious business partnerships.
1. Call To Action
Lead generation is meaningless if you don't have contact information. At the very least, your site must have a clickable call to action button. Research shows that button-shaped icons receive more interaction than other icons. The call to action button can be placed anywhere on your site, but it should have distinctive characteristics that set it apart from other images on the site.
2. Landing Pages
Once clicked, the call to action links to a dedicated landing page where the client inputs their contact information. By clicking the link, your lead has already shown interest in a business relationship. Don't redirect your lead to your homepage or product pages. What you need is the lead's contact information.
A dedicated landing page with a contact information form increases the likelihood that your lead will be converted.
3. Get to the Point
Too much text, a long-winded offer and self-centered language diminishes lead generation. Instead, keep the landing page simple and direct. Speak to users with personalized "you" pronouns and not "us" or "we." Bullet your offer and keep it simple. If they want to know more detail, they will leave contact information.
4. Present Solutions
Think about when and why you run to Google. Usually it's because you have a problem or question that requires an answer. Sometimes, an immediate answer.
When your landing page offers solutions to a problem, rather than simply a list of features, you have made your service or product practical and necessary. This will help to generates leads.
5. Mobility
Khurrum Malik, a lead product marketer for Facebook told attendees at LeadCon, that the average amount of time people spend on mobile phones will soon surpass the average time spent watching television. Mobile-ready sites are a necessity when it comes to connecting with leads today.
6. Visuals
An earlier tip mentioned that landing pages should not hold too much text. Business people don't have time to assess long lists or paragraphs. Instead, visuals provide a quick window to your business's tone. They also brighten a generic landing page and invite your reader to fill out contact information fields.
7. Experiment
Along with establishing your business's tone, you want your lead to get a sense of your business's relevance. Experimenting with lay-out, visuals and even audio, shows leads that your company is aware of industry trends. It also displays your willingness to "diversify strategies."
8. Social Media Activity
Professional sites like LinkedIn offer businesses the opportunity to connect with partners. To get the most out of your business's profile, it is important to stay active on the site. This means establishing a presence by actively connecting with other vendors. Provide comments and post meaningful updates to gain traction.
9. Provide Useful Content
One of the ways to attract leads, whether on the open web or through social media accounts is to provide useful, shareable content. Content marketing campaigns that add value to ongoing industry discussions are great lead generating tools. Keeping this content relevant and up to date adds to your business's credibility.
10. Be Grateful
Once the lead has clicked through the call to action and provided contact information, it is customary to follow up. But following up with gratitude, and not simply another pitch, is a way to show B2B leads that you aren't looking for a single sale, but that you are committed to an ongoing collaboration.
