Best B2B Lead Generation Strategies You Need to Explore in 2023 (with Case Studies)

B2B lead generation may seem easy, but in reality, it can feel like trying to eat a slice of pizza with a fork and knife – it’s possible but frustrating!

The B2B lead generation journey requires you to struggle with savvy buyers and fierce competition, all while customizing your approach to fit your organization, industry, product/service, and audience.

That said, it is absolutely doable if you know the right strategies.

Sure, some agencies rely solely on referrals for lead generation, but that’s quite risky. You never know when your referrals will dry up. So, It’s time to diversify and explore multiple lead generation sources, no matter what you’re offering.

From website maintenance services to full-scale development solutions, I’ve got you covered with some awesome lead-generation strategies.

So buckle up. It’s time to attract potential clients and turn them into brand advocates – shouting your praises to anyone who will listen.

What Is B2B Lead Generation?

B2B lead generation is critical for businesses that sell to other businesses. But don’t confuse it with B2C, which is all about selling to consumers.

B2B involves attracting potential customers who are a good fit for your products or services and have the potential to become buyers.

To get started, gather information about potential customers through SEO, email marketing, and social media.

Once you’ve snagged a lead by capturing their information, it’s time to guide them through the sales funnel. Target campaigns to their demographics and interests and showcase how your business can provide a customized solution.

With these strategies, you can turn leads into buyers and grow your business.

The Importance of B2B Lead Generation

B2B lead generation is critical for business success and impacts both sales and marketing teams. Without a solid lead generation strategy, there would be no leads, conversions, or customers.

A strong lead generation strategy helps businesses identify their ideal customers, increase brand visibility, gather accurate contact information, and ultimately increase revenue. It also provides valuable insights for marketing reps, sales reps, and SDRs.

Here are some statistics highlighting the importance of B2B lead generation:

• More than half (53%) of marketers allocate at least half of their budget towards lead generation – (Source: BrightTALK)
• A significant proportion (80%) of marketers believe that marketing automation results in higher lead generation – (Source: APSIS)
• Nearly half (43%) of individuals who shop online check emails from branded sources daily – (Source: Digital Commerce 360)

Exploring multiple B2B lead generation strategies can help you take your business to the next level. If you have struggled with clients lately, consider exploring multiple lead-generation channels to get more clients.

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Best B2B Lead Generation Strategies for 2023

Customizing your approach to your industry, product, and target audience is crucial for generating more sales. Relying on only one or two B2B lead generation strategies is insufficient. To succeed, experiment and continuously learn by testing various strategies. Here are some proven B2B lead generation strategies to consider.

1. Email Marketing for B2B Lead Generation

Email marketing is among the most effective B2B lead generation strategies, and it’s still going strong even in the age of social media. If you aren’t working on building an email list and actively nurturing your prospects, you are leaving money on the table. With over 4 billion email users worldwide and projected growth to 4.6 billion by 2025, you can not ignore this channel.

Source: Neil Patel

Email marketing’s success lies in reaching the right audience with relevant content. Buying email lists is not recommended. Before designing an email marketing strategy, it’s important to understand the email marketing conversion rate.

Conversion Rate for Email Marketing

Measuring email conversion rate is crucial to determine email marketing effectiveness. The average email conversion rate ranges from 1.32% to 1.63% from 2016 to 2021. The highest conversion rate was in 2021 at 8.87%, dropping to its lowest at 8.17% in 2022, according to Barilliance.

Despite this, email marketing is widely known for having high conversion rates. With that in mind, let’s explore some strategies to generate leads through email marketing.

Create Concise Emails

When designing an email campaign, focus on the reader’s perspective by keeping it clear and concise. Avoid large chunks of text and stick to the point by creating an overarching theme or topic of focus.

Example: Asana provides a great example of a concise B2B email that prompts action on its project management platform. This type of email can serve as either a welcome or reactivation message.

Source: Asana

Create Interesting Subject Lines

Your email’s subject line is the first impression that recipients see in their inbox, and it influences their decision to engage or not. Research shows that 47% of recipients open an email based on its subject line, while 69% consider an email, spam, based on its subject line alone.

Crafting an accurate subject line representing your email’s content can make a difference in open rates and overall success. For example, a subject line for an email about web design tools could be:

“Find Out The Best Web Design Tools that Agencies are Using.”

Here are a few examples of great subject lines:

• How can [company] improve its lead nurturing strategies?
• Learn how to acquire 5,000 leads using [your product], just like [company] did.
• Enhance [company’s] sales process instantaneously.

Segmentations

Segmenting your email list helps deliver more relevant content.

For example, a product marketing manager may require a different approach than a CEO, as they have different priorities in the business. Therefore, segmenting based on criteria like job title, industry, location, or company size is important to increase revenue and not miss out on potential profits.

Using Different Email Flows

Automated email workflows are effective for nurturing leads and customers in B2B organizations with long sales cycles. They save time and complement the work of sales teams by establishing rapport with leads and cultivating relationships with customers. Specific triggers ensure timely and relevant emails are sent to subscribers.

These triggers may include actions such as:

• Opting into your email list
• Purchasing one of your products
• Registering for a webinar
• Subscribing to a service

Using Pop-Ups or Opt-Ins

Popups can be an effective marketing tool, especially when personalized. However, using them carefully is important, as customers prefer to be guided rather than blocked. Using multiple popups can harm customer relationships. Instead, focus on building strong relationships to increase sign-ups, conversions, and sales.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, Exit-intent popups can be used, but website redesign should be considered first if the conversion rate of an exit-intent popup is higher than that of the website.

Take a look at this exit-intent popup:

Source: J.Crew

Alternatively, a slide-in opt-in may be a more middle-ground approach. While it may not be as effective as a popup, it can still work well and is easy to configure, not to annoy readers.

For example, Georg Jensen Damask uses a slide-in opt-in on their product pages to collect email addresses for a giveaway.

Source: Georg Jensen Damask

Overall, while popups can be a valuable marketing tool, it’s crucial to implement them thoughtfully and strategically that prioritizes the user experience.

Experiment With Call-To-Action (CTA)

Including a clear call-to-action (CTA) is essential in email marketing. The CTA should tell readers what to do next, such as “Get Your Discount Now!” or “50% Off If You Buy Today!”.

The CTA’s placement depends on the purpose of the email. If the offer needs an explanation, placing it at the email’s end is best.

The size of the button should be appropriate, and it should complement the overall design of the email.

Birchbox’s email is an example of a well-placed CTA.

Source: Birchbox

Email Marketing – A Case Study

Nathan Hughes, Marketing Director at Diggity Marketing, was facing a conundrum. Their email open rate was around 4-5% and dwindling. They sent monthly newsletters with links to a few niche-related blog posts. Naturally, that wasn’t enough.

The Solution – Survey Forms on LinkedIn

Nathan and his team’s email campaign did not include a call to action. It only linked back to their website. So, they started a lead generation campaign and personalized each email for their clients.

How’d They Get That Information?

Through a survey form that they posted on LinkedIn! Each week, they would send emails to 20 people simultaneously using personalized information.

The Results – 27% Increase in Leads Generated!

The personalized email campaign, with a dedicated call-to-action and specific product links, resulted in a windfall of leads. Their email open rates shot up to around +27% as a result.

2. Content Marketing for B2B Lead Generation

Content marketing is an effective B2B lead generation channel. By creating quality content and distributing it through various channels, you can increase conversions and sign-ups.

In fact, 91% of B2B marketers use content to generate leads, according to the Content Marketing Institute. Additionally, content is a crucial element of high-converting landing pages.

Source: Content Marketing Institute (CMI)

The image above clearly indicates the growing consensus among B2B marketers that content optimization and marketing are essential for generating leads.

Use videos, blogs, and images to attract potential customers. Product videos are preferred by 72% of potential customers, so you must consider using them. Your content formats should align with your marketing objectives for optimal results. Remember, uninteresting content will not retain visitors or interest in your products/services.

So all in, content marketing is a powerful tool to generate leads. But what’s the conversion rate like?

Let’s check that out, shall we?

Conversion Rate for Content Marketing

The typical conversion rate for B2B content marketing campaigns ranges from 0.8% to 1.1%. Google is a major source of website traffic, with the top five search results receiving 67% of clicks. Achieving top 5 positions for at least six transactional keywords can lead to a minimum of 15% increase in organic traffic over six months. Blogs are crucial in content marketing strategies, and tracking their conversion rates is essential for determining ROI.

Now that you know how effective content marketing can be, let’s see how you can make your content, no matter the type – finger-lickin’ good!

Source: KFC

Match Search Intent

Understanding search intent is crucial to optimize a website for organic traffic from popular search engines. For users seeking quick answers, focus on educating them and establishing your website as an authority. An authoritative website is more likely to attract return visitors who will convert later.

Here’s an example of informational search intent:

Another search intent is comparative intent, where users compare products or services to find the best option. They are in the middle stage, evaluating whether they need a product or service and looking for better alternatives. They’re close to making a purchase, but not quite there yet.

Here’s an example of informational comparative intent:

Lastly, there are people with transactional search intent. They are primed to buy – just need a nudge in the right direction.

Here’s an example of transactional search intent:

Matching search intent to queries is critical before you start writing. It’s one of the simplest B2B lead generation ideas.

Provide Value

If you are writing on broad topics that are at the top of the funnel and barely touch on important points, people won’t be interested in reading what you have to say. Your bounce rates will skyrocket, indicating your content isn’t doing well.

So, ensure your content offers value to your readers. Be direct with your answers and provide clarity. Answer their questions quickly, and create a connection with your service.

Take a look at the example below. This website utilizes a single pixel to showcase the net worth of Jeff Bezos.

Source: Mkorostoff

Content Marketing – A Case Study

Jeff Moriarty, Marketing Manager at custom jewelry store Moriarty’s Gem Art, wanted to increase sales and generate more leads at the same time. Leading a family-owned business in a competitive industry, he knew that their campaign had to be unique.

He wanted to provide a better understanding of their product offering to both their B2B and their B2C clients. At the time, Moriarty’s had 45,000 subscribers on their YouTube channel.

The Solution – An Educational Video!

After a lot of thought, Moriarty’s created an educational video. They spent a week preparing for the video, working carefully on the script, and figuring out the objectives. The video was articulate, to the point, and, above all, respected the viewers’ time.

The Results – $15,000 in Sales and 6m Views!

The video went viral on Reddit, garnering more than 1 million views in a couple of days. It has more than 6 million views to date. They sold every single product that they talked about in the video, resulting in more than $15,000 in sales. Their Reddit following jumped to 5,000 from 0, and their YouTube subscribers increased by 10,000.

Despite being more than three years old, the video is still generating sales, links, and leads for their small store. It’s a classic example of content marketing done right.

3. Pay Per Click for Lead Generation

There’s a general impression that PPC B2B lead generation only works for ecommerce stores, but that’s not true. PPC can prove to be an excellent sales funnel for digital agencies as well.

A well-executed PPC campaign could result in hundreds of potential leads.

According to a PPC Hero report, 52% of marketing agencies encourage clients to use Google ads, while 40% prefer Bing ads. Other options include programmatic, social media, and native ads.

Source: PPC Hero

PPC advertising, however, requires a decent budget. But, if you can afford to pay, the results will speak loudly, provided you have an effective PPC specialist.

Below are a few tips to help you turn PPC into an effective B2B lead generation strategy. But before we explore the tips, let’s talk a bit about the PPC campaigns’ conversion rates.

Conversion Rate for Paid Marketing (PPC)

Set a 10% or higher conversion rate goal for your PPC advertising to achieve optimal results, as the average conversion rate for PPC ads is around 2.35%, while an acceptable rate falls between 2% to 5%.

Use this formula to calculate your PPC conversion rate: (Number of conversions/total number of ad interactions) x 100.

Now, let’s explore a few tips to help you turn PPC into an effective B2B lead-generation strategy.

Writing Catchy Copies

According to research, content marketing is more effective than outbound marketing, generating three times more leads and costing 62% less. By providing valuable content for free, businesses can enhance their brand value. For a better PPC ad, create compelling copy and offer something enticing to attract clicks.

To do that, you must:

• Replicate the user’s goal.
• Incorporate numerical data or metrics in your headings.
• Appeal to the user’s sense of deservingness.
• Include emotionally evocative language in your advertisements.
• Create distinctive, keyword-dense display URLs.
• Emphasize your most effective language.

Extensive Keyword Research

Effective keyword research helps identify popular keywords to attract potential customers to your website. The top 0.16% of keywords account for 60.67% of searches. Proper keyword targeting can boost traffic and improve lead conversion. Bidding on irrelevant keywords can lead your PPC campaign to fail.

Using Display Ads

Display ads can appear on any website or app in an ad system’s network, while search ads are restricted to search engines. The Google Display Network comprises 2 million+ websites and apps, including YouTube and Discover.

Display ads are cost-effective, with an average CPC of $1 or less. Not utilizing Display Ads in your digital marketing approach can lead to missed opportunities.

Here’s an example of how Display Ads appear:

Premier Placements

YouTube and the Google Display Network allow advertisers to select specific locations for their ads, including websites, mobile apps, video content, and individual ad units.

By targeting premium ad placements, advertisers can increase lead generation. Google provides a list of sites and apps based on keywords and past traffic, and advertisers can adjust bids to increase exposure. This helps achieve advertising goals by effectively reaching the target audience.

PPC For Lead Generation – A Case Study

Matt Lally, the founder of TheGiftYak, took over a client’s account. Previously, that account had been run by an “expert consultant,” but it was stagnant, with no growth.

The Solution – Consolidating Campaigns and A/B Testing

Matt’s main focus was on conversion volume, which he aimed to increase by consolidating campaigns. To achieve this, he combined several keyword match types into larger campaigns, which he believes is one of the best B2B lead generation ideas.

He also focused on extensive A/B testing with both the ad copy and the landing page to ensure that benchmarks were being hit.

The Results – Account Scales by 4x in 8 Months!

Matt achieved an impressive 4x scale in his client’s account within 8 months by implementing A/B testing and consolidation techniques. He kept the cost of consumer acquisition constant while scaling, making it a simple yet successful B2B lead generation tactic.

4. Social Media Marketing for B2B Lead Generation

Social media marketing is a must in today’s age, with billions of daily active users on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Major brands have a strong presence on these platforms, and it can be an excellent B2B lead generation channel if done right.

Source: Datareportal.com

The above statistics clearly demonstrate the increasing potential of social media targeting. With emerging platforms like TikTok gaining popularity, effective social media marketing has the potential to generate a significant number of leads that are primed for conversion.

A business can reduce sales overhead and improve sales performance by relying on social media marketing as an immediate marketing tool.

But how do you do it right? Here are a couple of tips that will help.

Conversion Rate for Social Media Marketing Strategies

The average conversion rate for a social media marketing campaign is typically around 3%, although it is important to note that this figure is not universal.

To boost your conversion rates, prioritize promoting valuable content that is accessible behind lead capture forms. One effective strategy is to offer a downloadable ebook as an incentive for capturing high-quality leads.

And also, don’t forget to Run Ads. Can’t stress that enough!

Run Ads to Generate Leads

Almost all major social media networks allow you to run paid ads on their platforms. According to Hootsuite, it is projected that in 2023, there will be an increase in the amount of money that brands allocate toward social advertising. So, running ads could help you capture important information and generate many leads if you do it right.

The two primary advertising channels to concentrate on are LinkedIn Ads and Facebook Lead Ads.

LinkedIn Ads & Outreach

LinkedIn is the top social channel for B2B lead generation, according to a report by Wpromote. Its professional targeting filters and analytics make it twice as effective as other social channels for lead generation.

To succeed on LinkedIn, tailor your content to your audience, use newsworthy angles, and optimize your ads regularly.

Additionally, it’s crucial to regularly experiment and optimize your calls-to-action, images, and messaging to improve performance.

Here’s an example of an effective LinkedIn lead gen ad from Skipr:

Source: Skipr

Facebook Lead Generation Ads

Facebook lead ads help marketers gather customer information and encourage connections. Users can easily complete the pre-populated forms on their mobile devices, taking advantage of Facebook’s majority mobile users share.

Lead ads can help you:

• Make the most of mobile.
• Reduce drop-offs.
• Find leads that matter.
• Ask the right questions.
• Integrate with your CRM.
• Give people what they want.

How can you make your lead ads stand out?

Well, you can:

• Show your ad’s value.
• Keep it simple.
• Reflect your brand.

Here’s what a highly converting Facebook lead gen ad looks like:

Source: Nissan

Engage With Your Audience

What’s the point of having a social media presence if you don’t regularly communicate with your audience? Don’t just continue posting; answer to comments and messages, and give interesting insights into your company. The more you engage with your audience, the better. It’s one of the most commonly used B2B lead generation best practices.

Using Polls & Quizzes to Attract Leads

Marketers often use quizzes and polls for lead generation because they can be highly effective. Quizzes offer an enjoyable way for audiences to interact, while also providing valuable contact information and insights about potential leads. To create a successful lead generation quiz, the key is to focus on the quality of the content.

To create effective quizzes and surveys for lead generation, consider the following tips:

• Identify your goals
• Know your audience
• Make it relevant
• Keep it simple
• Make it visually appealing
• Offer incentives
• Test and refine

Here’s what a digital marketing quiz looks like from Typeform:

Source: Typeform

Social Media Marketing – A Case Study

Vionix Studio is a platform dedicated to teaching the basics of game development and graphic designing to newcomers. Their traffic was severely limited, with just 1K visitors a month on their page. Despite applying several traffic generation methods, the number didn’t improve.

The Solution – Using Hashtags

They began putting up posts using a variety of relevant hashtags on their social media accounts, and boosting relevant posts. Almost instantly, they identified an increase. By recognizing gaps in specific marketing strategies from their competitors and following a consistent approach, they managed to turn things around.

The Result – 200x Increase in Traffic

The social media marketing strategy was a resounding success, leading to a 200x increase in traffic on their website. On top of that, they managed to generate a bunch of hot leads. They used simple B2B lead generation best practices to improve their rankings.

Other Lead Generation Strategies That Work

Let’s now explore some additional lead-generation strategies that can help your business attract and convert more leads.

Holding Webinar & Events

Webinars educate potential customers and generate new leads, with 79% of buyers willing to provide their information to attend. By offering a special discount or guest speakers, businesses can attract more attendees and increase brand awareness. The key is to provide valuable content that addresses pain points and builds trust.

Another key advantage of webinars is key interactivity. By using a dedicated webinar software, you can trigger interactions like polls and Q&A. 

Create Optimized Landing Pages

Optimizing your landing page is crucial to generate more leads. It’s important to have multiple landing pages that cater to different buyer personas and stages of the sales funnel. A poorly designed landing page can lead to high bounce rates.

To maximize the lead gen efforts of your landing pages, you should:

• Create multiple landing pages that cater to specific buyer personas and stages of the sales funnel
• Use concise headers and a clean layout with clear call-to-action
• Place lead forms in the first fold and add trust-building elements like social proof
• Avoid including a navigation bar or links that can distract from the goal of completing the lead form

Here’s a great example of a lead gen landing page from Mixpanel:

Source: Mixpanel

Mixpanel’s lead generation landing page stands out by using a GIF as its header image to provide a glimpse inside the tool. The page highlights the key benefit of the product through its headline and subject line, showcases its features, and avoids overwhelming visitors with copy.

Generate Reviews & Testimonials

Social proof is crucial for B2B lead generation as buyers rely on it to make informed purchasing decisions. Incorporate social proof on your website, including landing pages and homepage, sharing reviews on social media, creating case studies, and gathering positive feedback on platforms like Trustpilot and G2 Crowd to establish credibility and boost sales.

Source: Trustpilot

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Integrating Organic & PPC in Collaboration

To effectively drive website traffic, incorporate both paid and organic search strategies. This is because 80% of website traffic comes from a combination of both, and optimizing for both increases the likelihood of earning clicks and monopolizing the SERP. An example of a website using both strategies is WizCase, which targets keywords through both organic and paid search.

Offer a Free Tool

Offering valuable content in exchange for contact information is a powerful lead generation strategy. By creating sleek and professional landing pages and offering free content, you can turn website visitors into leads. Just make sure your content is packed with useful information your target audience will love, and that you clearly communicate that it’s available for free. With the right approach, your website can become a lead-generation machine!

Source: KateSpade

The Bottom Line

In the world of B2B lead generation, you need to focus on capturing leads and building trust.

In this guide, we talked about the most popular B2B lead generation channels that your B2B business needs to explore in 2023.

By implementing an efficient lead capture process, you can obtain accurate and relevant information about potential customers. This information can then be utilized to guide these ideal customers through the different stages of your sales funnel.

As you start getting more clients through your lead gen efforts, you can focus more on client management to increase retention rates and even get more high-ticket clients for your business.

And remember: don’t simply rely on referrals. Instead, start looking at new lead generation strategies and alter your approach to increase your profits!

If you wanna learn more about lead generation, you can also check out our guide on Actionable List Building Strategies for Digital Agencies.