Lead generation remains one of the biggest challenges for those in the B2B sector, with more than half listing it as a difficulty. The process of cultivating and building prospects toward conversion has changed as marketing and consumer behavior has evolved. Those interested in improving their lead generation tactics should consider these five points and build them into their brand.

Know your customer

Before you can get started with lead generation, you need to know exactly who you are working to attract. The more familiar you are with the pain points and motivations of your customers, the easier it will be to develop content and offers that will entice them to click to become official leads.

Determining who your targeted customers are is often a multifaceted process. You want to begin by looking at your existing customers. Speak with them and learn why they chose you over your competitors and what they are looking for from a business. Categorize the results to start forming three to five main personas that you will focus your efforts on attracting.

You can further develop your buyer personas by using market research to learn about your targeted demographic. Surveys can offer helpful insights about what people want to see from brands within your industry.

Utilize paid ads to target ideal prospects likely to become customers

Paid ads can offer brands an excellent opportunity to gain exposure and traffic in a variety of places, including SERPs, social media sites, or on websites visited by the targeted customers. PPC ads provide organizations with this exposure without them having to rank in the top few results on page one of the search results. To improve your success with PPC:

  • Use keyword research to make sure your selected terms align well with your target personas and their interests.
  • Create high-level content that will engage users when they land on your site.
  • Continually measure your progress and ROI to ensure that this remains an effective and efficient lead generation tactic.

Use inbound marketing to bring leads to your website and landing pages

With 67 percent of the buyer’s journey taking place online, inbound marketing is an excellent tool for bringing people to your brand and engaging with them. Inbound marketing describes creating material that is designed to provide value for those searching on the SERPs so that they click on your links and arrive on your page. To use inbound marketing successfully, you must:

  1.  Make sure you know exactly who you are trying to reach with your marketing efforts—including both your target customers and their buyer journeys.
  2. Create material that appeals to your target customers by using keyword research so you find topics that spark interest.
  3. Develop material that adds value for your audience and then optimize it to make it more visible on the search result pages.
  4. Track your results so you see what is performing and what is not to improve effectiveness and efficiency.

Have content on your website that your prospects can use

To ensure that the people who land on your website continue to engage with your brand and go on to become customers, the content on your site must provide them with value. This means that your content should not regurgitate what is found elsewhere on the web. Instead, it should offer unique insights that can come only from an experienced expert. Provide an in-depth look at the topic at hand, avoiding any signs of thin content, while addressing the questions and concerns of the audience.

Consistently providing a high-level quality of content will help you to build a relationship with your visitors. They will begin to view your brand as a trustworthy resource for their concerns, encouraging them to turn to you as they get closer to making an actual purchase.

Place calls-to-action on most relevant pages

Although providing high-value content is always important, it is also necessary that your audience knows exactly what you want them to do with your content. Each page should have a clear CTA designed to bring people from one stage of the buyer’s journey to the next. This might be accomplished by linking to relevant white papers or case studies. You might also promote particular products and services. The brand should use insight into its targeted customers and its buyers’ journeys to know what people will want to see next.

Lead generation is a critical part of creating a successful business. Cultivating these leads can help your brand grow exponentially, attracting the attention you need while converting them into customers and revenue for your organization.