Tips for planning a successful B2B lead generation strategy

MTI Selling

Why is it important to plan your lead generation strategy in advance?

Lead generation is a crucial part of any B2B marketing strategy. Without leads, no sales opportunities exist; without sales, there’s no business.

However, generating B2B leads is not an easy task. It requires both a sales and a marketing well-structured strategy, to be subsequently implemented accurately.

Remember that if you want to set yourself apart from your competitors and increase your chances to succeed, you need to set clear and strategic objectives,  including, but not limited to: what services you want to offer, what markets you want to conquer, and what kind of customers you’re interested in.

A big advantage, don’t you think?

How can you define objectives for your lead generation strategy?

When it comes to developing a robust strategy, first we have to understand the context and what objectives are to be set. Do I want to gain more customers? Do I want to increase sales? Do I want to develop my current customers and offer them more services and/or products? Do I have a product and/or can I count on it? By taking into account what we want and why, we analyze how we can achieve those objectives.

An additional tip:

Remember to compare your data year after year in order to know which your new goals will be and which areas you need to optimize in order to reach them. By doing this you’ll be more efficient in your efforts.

Be clear about the stage where your customer is and define action channels.

As part of the plan of your next strategy, there are some crucial aspects that should be highlighted: one of them is identifying the stage of the sales process where your customer is. This is crucial, since, based on this information, you can determine how to best approach them.

In the meantime, as a second action, it is necessary to establish some guidelines that will lead you in the question how can I approach my potential customer? This will allow you to use the right channels and prepare an accurate message that effectively captures their attention.

Let’s get on with it! Design your own lead generation plan in 4 steps:

Now, as we dive into how to implement a successful B2B lead generation strategy, check out this 4-step structure:

1. Alignment of the marketing plan with the business’ priorities: The alignment process is not always easy. In fact, there are some tips to successfully execute it. This task is vital, since it ensures the marketing plan is focused on the company’s objectives, preventing efforts fragmentation and making sure all are focused on shared strategic goals. Some of the questions you may ask yourself are: Which business lines represent the greatest potential? Where is the market opportunity?
2. Strategic plan: Based on the identified priorities, define a strategic plan that establishes the major initiatives, identifying target audiences and the value proposal for each of them.

But how can I build a successful strategic plan? Apply these 5 basic pillars:

• Definition of target audience = Who my customer is.
• Company analysis = Who I am.
• Market research = Who my competitors are and what they are doing.
• Positioning = How I can set myself apart from them.
• Competitive strategy = How I can compete.

1. Tactic plan: Once our strategy is defined, it’s time to act! To do this, you must choose the tactics through which you will reach the previously defined audiences: What about an event, a mailing campaign, a paid media campaign?

Bear in mind that social media is a great ally, so defining a content calendar may be very helpful (you can rely on some keys to create effective content. All of this thanks to the wide variety of formats that you can use to spread your message to each audience: presentations, videos, whitepapers, infographics, success stories, blogs, podcasts, etc.

BONUS: In this sense, an ABM campaign would be a hit, since, thanks to the previous alignment of marketing and sales, you’ll have the opportunity to address specific accounts of potential customers instead of a wider audience and in a personalized way. To do this, it is essential to design a journey map so that you can be clear about the stage where your customer is and identify the best way to address it, with the help of the tactics that we previously shared with you.

1. Metrics: Have you ever heard the phrase “what is not measured cannot be improved”? Well, you will have to remember this phrase, as it is at this stage where you need to establish key performance indicators (KPIs), which will reflect the actions and results of each stage of the sales funnel.

Some additional tips…

1. Invest in automation: Automation may help you save time and resources and enhance the efficiency of your lead generation strategy.
2. Collaborate with others: Collaborating with other companies may help you reach a wider audience and generate more leads.
3. Innovate: Don’t settle for what does work. Keep innovating and seeking new ways to generate leads.
4. Get support from experts on the subject: If your lead generation plan is subject to your company’s structure, resort to staffing resources that may support your strategy and help you reach your objectives thanks to trained staff.

If you still don’t have a comprehensive plan, it’s never too late to begin.

At MTI, we can help you. Contact us so that your efforts are truly effective.