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Archive for the ‘B2B Lead Generation Tips’ Category

Five Ways to Build Your Presence on LinkedIn

Friday, November 11th, 2011

As Twitter and Facebook’s no-nonsense cousin, LinkedIn may not be quite as popular, but many business marketers have discovered its potential for establishing thought leadership and building brand recognition.

Since LinkedIn was designed as a platform to help business people connect, you will find it offers a number of tools created specifically for that purpose. Here are a few ways you can use LinkedIn to create awareness about your services and, quite possibly, garner some quality leads.

First, be sure to fully flesh out your profile with information about your company. You can embed your videos and company blog on the profile page, and add a “share” button so your content can be sent to social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Digg. Also, be sure your company is listed in the company directory, with details about the services you provide.
One of the best ways to establish yourself as an authority in your field is to answer questions on the LinkedIn Answers page. You can find this section under the drop-down menu labeled “More” at the top of the home page. Browse the categories in the column on the right-hand side of the page for topics in which you have expertise to share. Maintain credibility by refraining from making promotional statements and focus on supplying helpful information.
Join several LinkedIn groups. How to Use LinkedIn For Business: A Beginner’s Guide, by Hubspot, recommends joining, not only groups pertaining to your industry, but also several outside your industry so you can connect with businesses that might need your services. You can even create and manage your own group. By actively participating in group discussions, offering valuable tips and insights, you can expand your circle of influence and enhance your reputation as a respected authority in your field.
Take advantage of LinkedIn Applications to create surveys and slide presentations, display your portfolio, embed your blogs and tweets, keep up with professional events and conferences, and more.
Regularly post status updates and share content. Keep your LinkedIn presence fresh by posting news about your company on a weekly basis. Provide content in the way of blog posts that others will find useful enough to share. With more than a million users, content posted on LinkedIn can become viral. If your content is widely shared, it may even be featured on LinkedIn Today, the site’s news aggregate service, providing you with even more exposure.

Visit LinkedIn’s learning center for more tips on how to get the most from your LinkedIn membership. And while you’re there, stop by and visit our profile!

Tags: B2B marketing, lead generation, LinkedIn, marketing tips, quality leads
Posted in B2B Lead Generation Tips, B2B Marketing | No Comments »

How to Overcome the Most Common Objections

Monday, October 17th, 2011

When a prospect says “no,” this should be your cue to ask questions. The fact that they were willing to speak to you in the first place is a good indication that they have at least some interest.

If you ask politely what their specific concern is, most people will tell you—giving you a chance to overcome their barriers and close the sale.

Objections based on cost can actually be a moot point if you frame your offer in a way that addresses the issue. If you effectively show how your product or service will actually save the company many times more than its purchase price, you have already addressed the question of price. If the prospect is still resistant, a satisfaction guarantee should dispel any remaining concerns.

Offering a guarantee is also effective when you’re faced with the objection that your service/product won’t work—or that it simply is not a good solution for their particular needs. Be ready for this objection with the appropriate social proof. Case studies and testimonials from satisfied customers whose needs and situation are similar to those of your prospect will sometimes be all that is needed to close the sale.

If your prospect just can’t see how your solution will help their company, this is where education-based selling comes in. Be prepared with facts and figures that illustrate how your product or service is used to resolve a problem common in their industry. Help your prospect to visualize the end result—their company operating more efficiently, saving money or experiencing exponential growth.

Of course, the better you know your prospect to begin with, the more prepared you can be to overcome their barriers to purchasing. InsideUp provides qualified leads with detailed data as well as pre-set appointments, so you can speak with prospects who already have a high level of interest in your services.

Posted in B2B Lead Generation Tips, B2B Marketing | No Comments »

Using Keywords in B2B Marketing

Friday, August 12th, 2011

Whether you’re creating a PPC campaign or need to increase your company website’s ranking in organic search results, understanding the role of keywords in your online B2B strategy will be a key to your success.

Even if you believe you’ve got a good grasp on your keyword focus, it’s important to realize that just like so many other business processes,your keyword strategy should never be static. There is no ‘set and forget’; keyword campaigns must continually evolve and progress along with your business.

For your PPC campaign, avoid centering on one broad term. Rather, choose highly targeted phrases of two or more words to capture searches for providers in your specialty. A staffing service, for example, would do better with the keyword phrase “staffing and recruiting services” than a single keyword such as “staffing.”

Remember to add words such as ”company,” ”provider, ” vendor,” ”consultant,” or any other terms your potential customers may use when seeking the type of business services you offer. Also, take note of keywords with the potential to expand your reach to vertical and horizontal segments of your market.

Filter out unwanted traffic by listing “negative” keywords. For B2B marketers, this may include such terms as “jobs,” “employment,” “free,” “retail” and “open source.”

To improve your rank in organic search, be sure the keywords used on each page are aligned with and relevant to the overall purpose of your site. Avoid stuffing your content with keywords; sophisticated search engine algorithms can sift out low quality content that has been created for the sole purpose of drawing search engine traffic. Quality content that is relevant to your site will naturally include a realistic amount of keywords.

Tags: marketing tips
Posted in B2B Lead Generation Tips, Small Business Tips | No Comments »

Seven Secrets of Magnetic Marketing Copy

Monday, June 13th, 2011

A compelling sales letter, email marketing, social media campaigns–a successful online B2B marketing strategy should include all of these. Lead generation, of course, is the ultimate goal of all marketing collateral. By applying a few key principles you can make your B2B copy much more effective:

Know your audience. In order to focus on the needs of your prospective customers, you must be thoroughly familiar with their needs and concerns. Think about what you already know about your target market and note details such as where most of your audience is in the sales cycle, what are their goals and their frustrations. If you find you aren’t very familiar with your target market, do some additional research–ask questions or send out a survey.
Use this knowledge to capture your prospect’s attention and pique their interest. Begin with a headline that asks a pointed question related to a common need they are likely to have.
Respect your audience. “Speak” to them as if you were talking to a friend. Your B2B prospects will appreciate a straightforward message that doesn’t waste their time. Also, avoid making exaggerated or unsubstantiated promises just to get their attention.
Avoid using inflated business jargon. Phrases such as “innovative solutions” and “enhanced insight” have lost their meaning through overuse. Tell your readers in simple terms exactly what to expect from your product or service.
Emphasize the benefits of doing business with your company. Answer your prospect’s unspoken question, “Why should I use your B2B service?” Communicate to them your own unique selling point. Avoid general terms such as “superior customer service.” Tell your readers about the specific benefits your company will give them that they won’t find elsewhere.
Offer value before you’ve made a sale. Even if they don’t purchase your product immediately, give your prospects something useful to take away. If you are doing email marketing, this might take the form of a newsletter with tips and insights relevant to your prospect’s concerns.
Always include a call to action. Let your prospective customers know what their next step should be if they want to benefit from the services your company offers.

Tags: B2B marketing, lead generation, marketing copy, marketing tips, sales messaging
Posted in B2B Lead Generation Tips | No Comments »

Ways to Use Facebook to Market Your Business

Monday, June 6th, 2011

According to a recent survey regarding social media, 68 percent of Facebook fans stated they are highly likely to recommend products they like to their friends. In fact, Facebook users spend an average of $71.84 more each year than consumers who don’t use Facebook.

Another advantage of using Facebook for business is that it’s a form of inbound marketing; visitors to your page are probably already interested in what you have to offer.

Fan pages offer a number of tools to help you add content and customize the page to reflect your brand. It’s important to note that there is a difference between your Facebook profile page or “wall” and your Fan page, or business page.

After logging in to your Facebook account, follow these simple steps to create your Fan page:

Click the link on the left side of the page that says “Ads and Pages.”
On the page that appears, click the button that says “Add Page
Choose the type of page you want to add. Most businesses will want to choose the option that reads “Brand, Product, or Organization.”
Next, choose the type of page you plan to create. If your main goal is to direct visitors to your website, then select “Website.”
Enter a name for your page. This can be the name of your business or website.
Click “Create Page.”
Add a photo by in the box in the upper left that has a question mark. Click “Change Picture” to upload your photo.
Click “Edit Page” below the picture to start creating content for your page. Add a welcome message and a link to your website. Always provide useful information that your visitors would want to share with their friends. When you’re done, click “View Page,” and then “Publish Page” in the upper right corner when you’re ready to publish.

You can also add an opt-in form to your Facebook page by clicking on “Applications,” selecting “FBML” and pasting the code from your email provider into the FBML box.

Make your site engaging by adding videos (also in the “Applications” page). Start a discussion forum to help you get to know your potential customers. Post questions and encourage visitors to share their opinions. You can post updates to the “Notes” page, which functions essentially as a blog.

Businesses can also create a Facebook ad campaign. Facebook ads can be highly effective because you have the ability to target your campaign according to the expressed interests of Facebook users.

Once you’ve gained a level of familiarity with Facebook, you’ll be able to add content and post updates quickly and efficiently, keeping your Fan page fresh and appealing.

Tags: facebook marketing, inbound marketing, lead generation, low cost marketing, social media
Posted in B2B Lead Generation Tips | No Comments »

Sales Leads Top B2B Challenges

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

Tags: lead buying, marketing tips, purchasing leads, quality leads, sales leads
Posted in B2B Lead Generation Tips, Lead Purchasing | No Comments »

Six Reasons Your Marketing Budget Should Include Highly Targeted External Lead Sources

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

Staying productive and profitable during slow times can be an ongoing challenge. Every business experiences fluctuations and times when the demand for new leads is exceptionally high.

While your sales team may be able to generate some of their own leads during times like this, research shows that the majority of leads generated by sales are not highly targeted.

In order to meet these challenges, 51.9 percent of B2B marketers plan to substantially increase their marketing budgets in the coming year, according to BtoB’s “2011 Outlook: Marketing Priorities and Plans” survey. Of those respondents planning to boost their budgets this year, the majority said they plan double digit increases, and 25 percent will increase marketing spend by more than 20%. Customer acquisition is this year’s top marketing priority for 69.1 percent of the survey’s participants.

Whatever your marketing budget for the coming year, allocating a portion of it for purchasing targeted leads can prove to be one of your best strategies for several reasons:

High quality, pre-targeted external leads can offset those inevitable slow times that virtually every business contends with periodically.
Real-time leads with verified, contactable data will keep your sales team busy closing sales instead of scrambling to generate leads.
Online lead generation companies use highly developed systems for gathering, scoring and verifying leads, saving your business the time and expense entailed in carrying out these processes in house.
With a full pipeline of fresh leads from a reliable source, you can turn your focus toward other vital aspects of your business, such as customer retention and future growth strategies.
Results are easily measured. Tracking and measuring are critical determining factors in marketing budget allocation. In-house social media and email marketing campaigns can be somewhat problematic to measure, but the process of tracking purchased leads is more straightforward.
The best lead generation companies deliver warm, inbound leads who are already seeking your services. These leads will produce the maximum ROI for your marketing budget. In one recent case study, for example, leads purchased from InsideUp resulted in 125 percent ROI for the client.

As online marketing options continue to be refined and tested, you can ensure a steady flow of leads—and a reliable ROI—by augmenting your in-house lead generation tactics with ready-to-buy, real time leads.

Tags: lead buying, lead generation, lead roi, quality leads, sales leads
Posted in B2B Lead Generation Tips, Lead Purchasing | No Comments »

How to Get Better ROI from Inbound Marketing

Monday, March 28th, 2011

Embracing the latest online marketing strategies, businesses are spending countless hours and marketing dollars in an effort to keep their sales teams supplied with inbound leads.

Marketing teams are kept busy revising, perfecting and testing their inbound strategies using the myriad social media, content marketing, search marketing and public relations tools at their disposal.

Inbound marketing may seem like the latest trend but it is built on classic marketing principles. Closely related to the principle of “permission marketing,” a term coined by Seth Godin in the late ‘90s and now widely used by marketers, inbound marketing is an effective means of acquiring leads who are actively seeking your services.

A prospect’s permission to contact them is one of your most valuable marketing assets, especially since most people do not give out their information freely to just anyone who asks for it. It indicates that they are already interested in what you have to offer, so you don’t need to expend any effort convincing them on that count. The only thing that remains is to demonstrate that yours is the ideal company for their needs. And this brings us to the heart of successful inbound marketing.

Speak to your customer out of a genuine desire, not just to sell them on your solution, but to truly help their business succeed. Keep this motivation at the core of every piece of content you create and every interaction with your prospect.

Building a genuine rapport does take an investment of time, but the results will be solid and lasting. These are the same principles used by the best lead generation companies to generate warm leads who have demonstrated an interest in your services, supplied information about their specific needs, and are not only willing, but eager to hear about your solutions.

Treat these inbound leads like gold. Be the company who provides value before your prospect has even committed to using your service. Answer their questions and build their trust. Make sure your company’s message is aligned with your prospective customers’ needs. You will be building a loyal customer base while you strengthen your reputation and your brand.

Tags: inbound marketing, lead buying, lead roi, marketing tips, quality leads
Posted in B2B Lead Generation Tips, Lead Management | No Comments »

Four Key Factors for Wise Lead Buying Decisions

Friday, March 4th, 2011

When leads generated by sales and marketing leave a gap in the sales pipeline, you can quickly offset this deficit by purchasing leads from an online lead generation company. Naturally, if you’re working with a tight marketing budget you will want to be sure you’re getting the best leads for your investment.

Every business has different objectives–and therefore different needs–when it comes to lead buying. To help you in your purchasing decision, here are four key factors you should consider:

1. Lead Supplier

A quality online lead vendor can essentially become your partner in marketing. Your lead supplier will work with you to determine the amount, quality and price of leads you will need for a sustainable sales campaign.

Communicate openly with the lead suppliers you are considering. Tell them what your objectives are and how your organization operates. Be open and honest about your needs and expectations.

2. Lead Quality

The best lead suppliers on the web are the ones who continually refine their system of qualifying and targeting leads. Their methods may include the use of smart forms, online data verification and data scrubbing technologies.

Such applications do add to the cost of obtaining each lead so you can expect to pay a higher price for these highly targeted leads. Paying more for top quality, real-time leads will be your best solution if your sales reps are very adept at closing deals but have some difficulty generating their own leads.

Conversely, if you require an abundance of fresh leads for your call center or automatic dialer, or if you need leads for training purposes, low-cost bulk leads could be the ideal solution. If your lead provider has a lead guarantee or return policy and will swap out any un-contactable leads, then your risk with lower quality leads is minimal.

3. Lead Volume

Most lead providers will be able to supply enough fresh leads to keep an organization with ten to twenty sales reps very busy. Larger companies may need to use more than one lead partner to keep the pipeline constantly full. This situation has the advantage of allowing you to track the results you experience with different lead suppliers.

4. Lead Price

Ultimately, the price you pay for your leads will be determined by the other factors involved in the purchase; your business objectives and marketing methods, and the quality and volume of the leads. Deciding which of these factors are most important to you will help you find the right balance between lead volume and lead quality.

Of course best way to derive the greatest value from whatever mix of leads you choose is to work them as thoroughly as possible. Talk to your lead provider about best practices that will help you see the highest possible return on your investment.

Tags: lead buying, purchasing leads, quality leads, sales leads
Posted in B2B Lead Generation Tips, Lead Purchasing | No Comments »

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