B2B lead generation using web video – 5 rules to help you crack the formula

“The secret of being a bore is to say everything.”

Voltaire.

FACT: marketing emails which incorporate video achieve click-through rates up to 5 times higher than conventional emails.  Web video is now the most widely used tool in social media. Yet despite its popularity, many businesses are struggling to tap successfully into the medium to generate leads.

Why is this?

We’ve been doing some research and we’ve isolated 5 main problem areas.  The result is this 5-rule formula.  Stick to the rules and your web videos will pay for themselves many times over!

Rule #1 – don’t go it alone

Some people invest large sums of money in producing a video only to see it strangled at birth by using an amateur presenter – usually someone from their own organisation.  The cold hard fact is that, unless you’re among the very small minority of people who are blessed with natural gifts in this area, you’ll almost always be better served by employing professional talent. A trained actor or presenter will deliver your message with the vital impact to capture and hold your viewers’ attention.  The same logic applies to script writing. While it may appear easy on the face of it to write a script for a 2 or 3 minute web video, it is a subtle art. Always employ an experienced copywriter.   It’s an easy mistake to underestimate what is involved in making a professional quality web video, and most people find out the expensive way. Be warned.  

Rule #2 – use targeted telephone backup

A video-email that is preceded by a courtesy phone call is 4 times more likely to be opened than a stand-alone email.

As with all marketing emails, you should only be sending your video emails to pre-qualified decision makers.  Of course, in the real world it’s usually impossible to know whether the recipient of your email is genuinely ‘qualified’ to make decisions without first speaking to them. 

You will greatly increase the open and response rates of your video emails if you take the trouble to call your prospects in advance – just a very brief, polite call to let them know they can expect to receive your video email in the near future.  At the same time you can also confirm they are the appropriate decision maker. If they aren’t, you can then ask them who is. Most people are only too happy to point you in the right direction.  

Rule #3 – thin slice your target audience  

Who are you targeting?  And who is watching?  A common mistake people make when producing a video is to aim their message at too broad an audience, when they should instead be focussing on capturing the interests of a narrow band of key decision-makers with specialised, well-researched material that is of genuine use to the viewer and likely to inspire them to come back for more.

The problem with using a scattergun approach to appeal to a general industry audience is that in the process you’re likely to alienate the minority of people who would have genuine interest in your product.   As a general rule of thumb, you should introduce the benefits of your solution within the first 10 seconds of your video. If you fail to do so the viewer is likely to click away before the video has even got into its stride.  So if your key audience is made up of IT directors, for instance, promptly introduce a theme that is likely to appeal specifically to their interest – and ignore the rest. And when deciding on a theme, don’t rely on guesswork. Research your market as to which keywords and phrases people are searching on and develop your material accordingly.    

Problem area #4 – failure to put the word out

Your prospect list is made up of known targets. But what of the countless prospects out there that you don’t even know you exist?  How do you get them to watch your video?

The answer is to do a search for relevant industry blogs and forums that your target prospects use to find solutions to their problems.   Post regular comments on these sites and include a link to your video to support your position.   Another good strategy is to add the URL where your video is hosted on the comment form when it requests your web site address.

 Problem area #5 – sending video files

Never send a video file to a prospect as an email attachment.  Always embed your video in your email as a link.  Most business servers have powerful spam blockers that are likely to identify a video file as enemy traffic, and your web video will ends its brief life languishing in the trash.  Instead send a screenshot of your video in the email which is linked to the video hosted on a URL.

And finally…

A symbolic gesture

All of the famed philosopher and mathematician Willard Van Orman Quine’s work was typed on a single 1927 Remington typewriter whose ‘1,’ ‘!,’ and ‘?’ keys he had removed and replaced with specialised mathematical symbols. Quine was once asked how he managed to write without using a question mark. “Well, you see,” he replied, “I deal in certainties.”

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and, as ever, your comments and ideas are very welcome. 

And always to a higher response!

Norman

Drop us an email now to see how quickly we can generate sales leads for your business

B2B lead generation and social media networking – what works?

“Promise, large promise, is the soul of an advertisement.”

Samuel Johnson.

I’ve spoken a lot lately about the virtues of tapping into Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and the like.  But when faced with such a bewildering array of possibilities, how do you make start?  

Unless you’re already very well known, or have a strong existing online presence, setting up a profile on a social networking site and simply waiting for traffic is not about to work. First you must have something important to say.  

Begin by checking out the competition to see what’s working.

I’m not suggesting that you simply mimic what they’re doing.   But it will give you the clearest and quickest snapshot of what people in your market are searching for. Use this as you guide.    Find out which businesses in your industry are getting social media exposure and traffic.  

Search Facebook for competitors.  Do they have many fans on their Facebook pages? If so, what content are they publishing?  To use social media to influence decision makers you need to have something to offer people. What are your competitors offering that keeps them coming back for more?

Visit LinkedIn and search for competitors.  How many employees have profiles? Which of these profiles show recommendations or answer questions?  Your next stop is YouTube.  Hunt down competitors by doing industry keyword searches.  See which videos are more popular more than others.   What are they saying? 

Finally, search Google for blogs related to your competition.  See how many of your competitors publish a blog and whether or not they get mentioned on other related blogs.   How many comments or subscribers are they getting? If they appear to have a lot of traffic, what topics are they focussing on that make them so popular?

Social media is not about to have an overnight impact on your sales figures.  And sometimes it can feel like a labour of love which pays back little in terms of immediate return.  Though inexpensive, social media marketing isn’t easy, at least in the early days, not least because it can be very time consuming.

But when it works it pays massive dividends by way of high online exposure and quality, targeted web traffic, a predictable percentage of which will convert into leads. And once it gets going, it can be like a snowball rolling downhill. However, it isn’t something you can just plug in and leave to care for itself.  To successfully reach your target market you need to deliver high quality content consistently over a sustained period of time.  

But remember you don’t always have to begin with a blank sheet of paper.  Because in all likelihood you’re already sitting on a wealth of informational documents that could be re-jigged and presented as white papers, reports or blog entries, etc. You’ve already got the information. All you need do now is repackage it for an online audience.

If you find yourself too hard pressed to devote regular time to social network marketing, then it’s possible to do what more and more busy executives are doing these days, which is to enlist expert help.     

A skilled specialist will help you tailor your message to specific markets and assist with developing quality content that is likely to appeal to your particular industry. And, just as importantly, they’ll be able to broadcast that content to multiple online outlets to ensure that you gain maximum exposure.

And finally, with the 2012 Olympics looming fast, the secret to a long and fruitful life…

As he approached his 90th birthday, Winston Churchill was asked the secret of longevity. “Sport,” he replied. “I never, ever got involved in sport.”

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and, as ever, your comments and ideas are very welcome. 

And always to a higher response!

Norman

Drop us an email now to see how quickly we can generate sales leads for your business

Inbound vs Outbound – which is more effective at generating new B2B leads? (Part 3)

“The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us.”

Bill Watterson. 

In my last post I was talking about when and how best to use inbound and outbound, and the distinctions between the two types of marketing. In this third and final part I’d like to look at how we identify and assess the value of potential buyers.  Last time my focus was on ‘known’ and ‘unknown’ prospects. Today we’re looking at client spend.

Just to summarise from last time, if you’re working with a mailing list of known prospects, then outbound pipeline management is likely to be your primary approach: when you know who you’re looking for, your job is always going to be easier and less expensive.  But the more distanced you are from a known decision maker, the more difficult your task becomes, and this is when you need to focus on inbound strategies.

Another vital consideration in the inbound-outbound equation is client spend.

Whether or not you’re focusing on inbound or outbound marketing, your priority is to add targets to your list of qualified prospects.  How you go about this is determined by how much you are asking your prospects to spend with you.

I’m not talking about lifetime spend, but typical spend. How much does your typical client spend with you at any one time?  Because it makes a big difference in the way a prospect arrives at a buying decision.

If your product requires a significant investment from a decision maker, then you can bet your life they’ll be ferreting around online for peer opinions, blogs and myriad other informational web sites before they make up their minds. This means you need to make sure they find positive mention of your brand wherever and however they search, and I’m not just talking about your corporate website.  

Always bear in mind that anyone researching your product with a view to making a purchase is almost certainly going to do a Google search before making a decision.  I know I do! And the more money I’m about to spend the more thorough that search is going to be. 

And it hardly needs saying that your prospects are far more likely to trust the information and feedback they find in the impartial blogosphere than any claims you make about your products on your corporate website. It’s the way of the online world. So as a general rule of thumb, the more expensive your products, the more resources you need to dedicate to your online presence.

With this in mind, if you’re selling big-ticket items it is essential that you focus adequate resources on social marketing efforts such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.  And your most effective tool of all is to publish a corporate blog and, wherever possible, participate in other industry blogs and forums to gain vital exposure.  The more industry related sites displaying input from and about your company, the greater your credibility.  And don’t forget to take advantage of web video which, as I write, is the world’s fastest growing marketing medium. It enables businesses to deliver compelling content to many thousands of prospects at a negligible cost.

So to sum up, depending on your product, outbound prospecting should still form the major part of your overall marketing thrust; the art is to reinforce your outbound message with a carefully targeted web-based strategy:  identify the industry portals, blogs, forums, and keywords your prospects are using, and supply them with valuable content.  Conversions are sure to follow.

And finally…

For many years, Gucci was as well known for its founding-family feuds as for its premium fashion products.

It reached its ludicrous height in 1995 with the shooting of Maurizio, Rodolfo’s son, who had taken over the business. Upon being arrested and charged with Maurizio’s murder, his estranged wife Patrizia declared, “I would rather weep in a Rolls-Royce than be happy on a bicycle.”

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and, as ever, your comments and ideas are very welcome. 

And always to a higher response!

Norman

Drop us an email now to see how quickly we can generate sales leads for your business

Inbound vs Outbound – which is more effective at generating new B2B leads? (Part 2)

“Beware the naked man who tries to sell you his shirt”

Harvey Mackay.

In my last post I was discussing the distinctions between inbound and outbound marketing and their relevance in different scenarios. In today’s post I want to drill down deeper into how and when to use each type of approach.           

So, to recap briefly on last week, the defining distinction as to when you use each type of marketing is down to whether a prospect is ‘known’ or ‘unknown’.  In the first group, you know who they are, and in many cases you know the identities; as for the latter group, you know they’re out there, but you can’t communicate with them because you don’t know their identities. ‘Known’ prospects respond to well to outbound, because they’re easily and precisely targeted. Conversely it tends to be more cost-effective to communicate with ‘unknown’ prospects by inbound means. 

Another key distinguishing factor in the inbound-outbound debate is whether your industry is driven by long or short contracts.

Some industries favour long contracts.   Others tend to be much more flighty and prefer shorter term commitments.  If your industry has long, complex contract cycles, then your primary line of attack should be outbound – conventional pipeline management, preferably combined with web video. 

This involves pro-actively contacting named prospects using a combination of telemarketing / email marketing.  Once a prospect has been identified and decision making processes and contract-due dates have all been clarified, it’s time to switch to a lower key programme of nurturing – highly targeted and relevant emails, downloads,  white papers, web videos, etc, etc.

Your aim is to stay in front of those prospects at appropriate intervals throughout their contract term.  This will keep you in the forefront of their minds when a contract comes up for renewal. And as you’ve already found out from the prospect when this is, you’ll be able to contact them at exactly the right time with a well-placed call or email.

Conversely, if your industry is not contract-driven and / or vendor turnover is commonplace, then you’re better served by taking a predominantly inbound, web-based approach. This would include the development of a strong social media presence – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.  The aim is to turn up consistently and robustly in all those places where prospects from your industry are hanging out. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) should also form a vital part of your marketing toolkit in a no-contract environment.  

Why do I recommend this approach?

In the absence of long-term contracts, most businesses are in a permanent state of need. This means they’re frequently online looking for peer input to help them solve problems.  Your aim is to make sure you get noticed during this frequent searching phase. 

Alongside social networking, SEO and PPC, one of the best and least expensive ways of gaining widespread exposure is to publish a blog. Your blog should be aimed at delivering valuable, well-written and relevant information that directly benefits your target audience, should demand nothing in return, and not seen to be directly selling anything.  The business blogger’s mantra should be “Don’t Sell! Pre-Sell!”  Always remember that the buyer wants to be in control of the conversation. The more you can place them at the centre of the debate by providing highly relevant information, the greater the chances they’ll listen to what you have to say. Do it properly, and in time you’ll be perceived as a thought leader.   But as with all inbound marketing approaches they take time to have an impact (with the exception of PPC, which is instantaneous – and expensive!) and patience is key.  

As a rule of thumb with inbound, the frequency with which your audience is looking for a new solution should directly influence the level of resources you allocate to being found online.  Key word searches and social network monitoring will help you identify how often people search for your products.  Be vigilant. Be patient. Be successful.

More on this subject next time in Part 3. 

And finally…

The poet Jean Cocteau was once asked whether he believed in luck. “Of course,” he replied. “How else do you explain the success of people you don’t like?”

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and, as ever, your comments and ideas are very welcome. 

And always to a higher response!

Norman

Drop us an email now to see how quickly we can generate sales leads for your business

Inbound vs Outbound – which is more effective at generating new B2B leads? (Part 1)

“I’m clarifying the answer I thought I gave to the question I thought I was being asked.”

Alistair Campbell (at the Chilcot Inquiry).

This is getting to be something of a perennial issue, but judging by how often I’m asked about it, not to mention the huge volume of debate generated in the blogosphere on the subject, it continues to perplex.  So I’ll attempt to come at it from a different angle.  

Just to clarify: outbound marketing involves traditional pipeline management – prospecting for leads using telemarketing, e-marketing and direct mail; inbound, by contrast, is all about allowing your prospects to come to you when they have a need – search engine optimisation, social media, blogging, web video, PPC, etc.  It’s the difference between fishing with a harpoon and fishing with a lobster pot – one requires chasing; the other actively seeks you out.  And the fact is you need to run a programme which involves both methods.

For most businesses, prospects can be divided into two groups: known and unknown.  Outbound is an effective way of generating awareness about your product or service with those prospects you know you want to do business with. You know who they are, and in many cases you’ll know the identities of key decision makers. By actively communicating with and nurturing these prospects, you ensure that your business is at the forefront of their minds when they enter a buying cycle and begin to seek out a supplier.

Inevitably, there are also a significant number of prospects whom you remain unaware of. You know they’re out there, but you can’t communicate with them because you don’t know their identities.  For these prospects, inbound marketing is a highly effective tool.  By developing a broad-based online presence you can create awareness for your business in the very places where these ‘unknown’ prospects congregate. 

Tip: track your keywords

The most successful online marketers invest time and money in developing relevant keywords.  Do the same. Drive the most relevant visitors to your site, blog, etc. Do ongoing research into exactly what your prospects are searching for and give it to them.  Bid on keywords that are so specific they are like sniper shots; unearth those difficult-to-find long tail keywords: they may get few impressions per day, but can still turn out to be the best search phrases and leads you’ll ever get. Write blog articles (like I am doing here) on highly targeted subjects to drive organic search.  

Bear in mind also that although an active outbound / inbound marketing programme is right for the vast majority of businesses, there are occasional exceptions to the rule. For instance, if you’re marketing a unique, obscure or especially unusual product or service then it’s unlikely that people will be searching on your key words and phrases. In these circumstances you’ll be better served by focussing your resources on a highly targeted outbound campaign.  I’ll be continuing with this discussion next time.

Until then…

A newly promoted sales manager was asked by his boss whether he had any strategies for keeping his sales team on their toes. After lengthy consideration, the manager replied, “Raise the urinals?”

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and, as ever, your comments and ideas are very welcome. 

And always to a higher response!

Norman

Drop us an email now to see how quickly we can generate sales leads for your business

Why nurturing must form a major part of your lead generation strategy

“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.”

Michael Moore.

I’ve regularly written of the importance of nurturing as a lead generation tool. Today I want to talk about what it means in practice.  So how does one go about ‘nurturing’ a lead?

1/ The Telephone

As most of my readers will be aware, when I’m not writing this blog I’m busy in my role as managing director of eMarket2, an outsourced B2B lead generation and sales and marketing agency. As you might expect, telemarketing services form an important part of our offering. In fact I’d argue that as a marketing communications tool the telephone has yet to be bettered, despite all the technological breakthroughs of e-marketing. But it has one big downside: typically a telemarketer will only reach a genuine decision maker just 10% -20% of the time.  Now I’m not suggesting this is the fault of the individual telemarketer. It’s simply down to the fact that getting through to key decision makers (KDMs) has never been more challenging. Why should this be? Well think about it:   

If you’re anything like me, you’ll be too busy running your business and pursuing new clients to find time for speculative conversations on the telephone with people who are trying to sell you something. Most days I avoid unsolicited calls like the plague.  This isn’t because I’m not interested in what solutions businesses have to offer to my problems, (quite the opposite in fact) it’s just that I’m too busy with other, more important, things. 

And on the rare occasions that a telemarketer does catch me on the hop, they’ll need a cast-iron proposition to hold my interest for more than 10 seconds.  But getting through to me on the phone is the exception and not the norm, and I know for a fact that my situation is typical of decision makers.

For this reason it remains critical that the telephone forms a part of your overall lead nurturing strategy, but it can no longer be relied on as a stand-alone marketing tool.  And even when you have identified a prospect via the phone, you’ll notice they’ll frequently dodge future calls. So how do you connect with the remaining 80+% targets that your telemarketing efforts will inevitably miss?

To maintain consistent contact other methods of communication are more effective. 

2/ Message Delivery

Parallel with your use of the phone – which is generally best for short-term campaigns, where time is of the essence – you should deliver useful information over a sustained period of time. 

To improve the chances of your messages getting through, they must stand out from the routine clutter – so pay great attention to the quality of your message, including the copywriting and design. And remember that a nurturing communication should never take the form of a sales pitch. Instead it must comprise useful news or information which is of potential benefit to your prospect. Remember the mantra: ‘DON’T SELL; PRE-SELL’. It’s also important to deliver your message in a combination of formats, including email, web video and direct mail.

And unless you’re pretty confident that your prospect has entered a buying cycle, it’s important not to waste your time and resources putting together proposals and presentations prematurely.  Until they’re actively looking for a solution to a problem, KDMs are thinking about two things only: their bottom line and new ideas for increasing profitability. If you pitch them with your wares too soon you can do more harm than good.

But when your prospect is genuinely ready to buy, the company that remains top of their mind will stand the best chance of being at the top of your KDM’s shortlist.   To achieve this level of awareness you must contact a prospect between 8 and 12 times over a 12-month period. 

However, this doesn’t mean that you send the same message 8 to 12 times a year! To maintain a prospect’s interest it’s vital that you vary your message and combine different approaches and formats.  And if you speak with a prospect on the phone and it doesn’t result in an appointment, your future messages should reflect the information gathered during that conversation.  Always do your utmost to understand where your prospect is in the buying cycle, and tailor your messages accordingly. This will keep your company at the forefront of their mind when they are ready to buy.

An effective nurturing programme consists of a continuous and structured flow of communications. It can be likened to holding a prospect’s hand and guiding them through the minefield of the buying process, at the same time offering constant reassurance that you’re there to help them – regardless of whether they choose to buy from you. 

3/ Social Media

Research shows that KDMs visit social websites more than corporate websites to find information about a product or company.  This is especially the case when they’re in the early stages of the buying cycle and are searching for information about their specific needs.  By blogging on social sites, or using a web video, you can successfully position your company as a vital informational resource, as well as paving the way for future prospects by driving additional targeted traffic to your website.

And finally…

An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing.

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and, as ever, your comments and ideas are very welcome. 

And always to a higher response!

Norman

Drop us an email now to see how quickly we can generate sales leads for your business

Lead Nurturing – communicating with the influencers

“Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don’t think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without the talking about the other.”

Bill Gates.

Regular readers will be aware that I refer frequently to the importance of lead nurturing as a complement to conventional pre-qualified lead generation. The reason being that, if managed properly, today’s ‘nurtured’ prospects will become tomorrow’s ‘hot’ leads.

Another area I’ve touched on in recent months is the importance of focussing on senior-level decision makers, while not wasting time and effort on pursuing those people within an organisation who are unlikely or unable to make final buying decisions. This is particularly important when selling big-ticket technology products.

But this isn’t to say that you ignore this vast body of apparent non-decision makers. All I’m suggesting is that when it comes to scheduling face-to-face meetings for your sales people, or before committing to prepare a bid, you should be at pains to ensure that the prospect is a decision maker, or at the very least a key influencer. 

The cost involved in committing to a sales cycle and the investment that is required in preparing a bid demands a clear rationale and thorough prequalification. However, if we’re only talking about a targeted conversation (which ultimately is what lead nurturing amounts to), there is no need to apply the same level of prequalification as one would to a full-blown sales opportunity. Pre-qualification must be tailored to each stage of the sales process – with a different level of screening being applied to nurtured contacts than to those prospects about to enter the sales cycle.

For this reason, marketers and sales people are able to allow some latitude in terms of the scope of contacts to be nurtured. They must also be prepared to have conversations that may never go anywhere – to talk to the many in order to get through to the vital few who will eventually become buyers.

It’s important also to keep in touch at all levels of an organisation, because although the final decision may be made up the line, the buying process is usually influenced at multiple levels.  At a time when buyers are switching off to unsolicited sales pitches, the wider workforce represents a vast untapped resource. Therefore, a critical element of lead nurturing is to spread the ‘message net’ as wide as possible.

However, this is where many sales people struggle, because although they may agree with nurturing in principle, in practice it’s very often a different story.  But such contacts are a potent sales tool. They can open doors, accelerate sales cycles and increase conversion rates beyond what is possible with conventional lead generation.

Contacts include not only potential customers, but also the wider community, which inevitably plays a role in the sales relationship, including those who may provide trusted information, references or introductions. For example:

• Sources of information, advice and expertise used by potential buyers
• Contacts who can provide access to those who make or influence buying decisions
• Those who could in the future make or influence buying decisions (e.g. a junior person who gets promoted, or moves to another company)
• Consultants and advisors
• Industry bodies and professional associations
• Industry experts and analysts
• Partners and competitors
• Past colleagues and employees
• People who make or influence buying decisions

And finally…

Having acquired a supposed painting by Picasso, a needy artist had a friend show it to the master for authentication so that he could sell it. “A fake,” Picasso declared.

A few weeks later, the friend acquired two more alleged Picassos. When Picasso announced that these were forgeries as well, the man was utterly incredulous. “But I saw you paint this last one with my own eyes!” he cried.  Picasso’s reply? “I can paint fake Picassos as well as anyone!”

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and, as ever, your comments and ideas are very welcome. 

And always to a higher response!

Norman

Drop us an email now to see how quickly we can generate sales leads for your business

The Top 6 Lead Generation Challenges for 2010

“Never test the depth of the water with both feet.”

Anon.

Another year passes. And what a roller coaster it was too. But I can’t be alone in thinking that for many of us in business the drama of the economic crisis appeared to be played out in the media circus rather than in our immediate experience. OK, so selling hasn’t got any easier, but compared with the predicted high street Armageddon that was set to befall us in the wake of the banking collapse, the fallout has been almost innocuous.  Wherever I go I meet people who are both surprised and relieved by the continuing health of the day-to-today economy – at least relative to what was prophesised by the doomsayers.     

But lest we become lulled into a false sense of security, we do well not to let our guard down too soon. Instead let’s wait and see what happens when interest rates return to normal levels and the government’s quantitative easing plan is brought to an official end. Watch this space.  

In the meantime, here are my top 6 lead generation challenges for the new economy. See where your own marketing efforts sit on the effectiveness scale.

 Challenge # 1 – getting heard above all the racket

If you’ve been involved marketing for any length of time, you’ll know that most marketing messages dissolve into the ether without trace.  Of course, that’s always been the nature of the game.  But it’s getting harder.

Prospects are bombarded with a confusing array of seemingly identical marketing messages from competing businesses.  So here’s the challenge. Can your sales and marketing message:

Grab the attention of enough marketing-weary buyers to gain the necessary market share?

Be heard above the voices of your competitors?

Get you to stand out from the crowd?

Challenge # 2 – reaching the right people

There are exceptions, but the general rule of thumb is that the easier someone is to reach the less likely they are to buy from you.  Inexperienced marketers spend too much time pitching their wares to low-level prospects.  But the majority of purchasing decisions are made – or at the very least signed-off – by senior managers who are mostly insulated from unsolicited marketing.  Spam filters, gate keepers, voicemail and good old fashioned cynicism – they all conspire to make your marketing campaigns as difficult as possible. So ask yourself, can your message:

Get through to senior decision makers?

Make an impression on busy senior managers?

Get them to engage with your business or product?

Challenge # 3 – delivering quality information that your prospects actually need

Most conventional sales pitches invite a ‘so what?’, or ‘what else would you say?’ response from prospects.  Buyers place little or no value on this type of marketing.  So here’s the test:

Are you providing your prospects with the right information to make an impact?

Is it good enough to shape the opinions or influence the purchasing decisions of senior people? 

Challenge # 4 – shaping requirements and influencing the buying process early on

Buyers frequently don’t bring prospective vendors into the loop until the buying process has begun.  The result is that the vendor arrives on the scene after requirements have been set and a competitive bidding situation has already begun.  The challenge for marketers is to become involved in the buying cycle from the outset.  So how effective are you at:

Influencing the buying process?

Encouraging your prospects to involve you in the early stages of their buying process?

Challenge # 5 – instigating and sustaining a meaningful conversation

The ultimate test of any marketing campaign is the level of engagement it generates.  This means developing a two-way communication with your prospects.  And you get to this point by convincing them that you’re worth listening to by demonstrating your worth.  This way you get to influence your prospects and you’ll be foremost in their minds when they’re ready to buy.  How effective is your marketing at engaging with prospects:

Is there a reason for buyers to want to opt-in to your marketing?

Are you able to sustain an ongoing conversation?

Is your marketing message effective at generating a response?

Challenge # 6 – generating demand

Attempting to generate demand by only targeting prospects that are already searching for a solution to their problem can be compared to focusing exclusively on the tip of an iceberg while ignoring the fact that 90% of it remains hidden beneath the surface.  Those people out there who are already shopping are vastly outnumbered by those who may not yet have a budget, or perhaps are even unaware that they have a need.  Reaching this group on a regular basis is the key to keeping your sales pipeline filled with warm prospects.  The challenge:

How to identify those with unspecified future needs?

How to generate demand where none currently exists?

How to motivate those who are not yet in buying mode into taking action?

To answer these questions it demands that we challenge traditional lead generation methods. It means making the shift from generating leads to nurturing contacts.  And to meet this challenge it requires a radical change of mindset. More on this soon.

And finally…

Faith Hope & Charity

Fulton Sheen once spoke at an inter-faith rally in Baltimore. Having been welcomed with wild applause, he raised a hand, waited for the crowd to settle down and began his address: “When you applaud me at the start, that’s faith; midway through, that’s hope. But, ah, my dear friends, if you applaud me at the end, that will be charity!”

Thanks for reading. As ever, your comments and ideas are very welcome. 

And always to a higher response!

Norman

Drop us an email now to see how quickly we can generate sales leads for your business

Online B2B lead generation – optimising your visibility through social media

“Business only has two functions – marketing and innovation.”

Milan Kundera.

B2B marketing occupies more than 30% of all commercial searches; more than half of Google’s target advertisers are B2B, and some 40% of all Yahoo PPC ads are B2B.

But whilst pay-per-click and search engine marketing are now firmly established as mainstream marketing tools, social media has been slow to make any real impact in the world of B2B lead generation. 

And small wonder, because if you’re anything like me you’re probably too preoccupied with the day-to-day running of your business to have the luxury of regularly browsing your tweets or routinely updating your Facebook page.   

But although you may be unable to see the immediate value of using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc  in a B2B marketing context, it’s still worth considering their wider usefulness in making you accessible to people doing keyword searches on your company or products. By featuring prominently in the social media you are more likely to be found.  

When potential buyers are searching for a solution to a problem they’ll frequently post a question online to get feedback and advice.  Businesses which participate constrictively in these discussions gain greater credibility with decision makers.  By putting your name out there you increase the chances of getting a mention and become actively involved in the debate.

 Business people are increasingly using social media to seek impartial advice.  They’re also in the habit of using Google to track down information or to prospect for business relationships. Being a part of several key social media sites helps to increase your search engine presence and makes you more visible.

Participating in social networking will not only help your online presence, it will also generate more leads for your business, because getting exposure early in the buying cycle increases your networking opportunities and maximises your ROI.

But before you go throwing out the baby out with the bath water, beware the hype.  I’m not suggesting that you abandon your current marketing strategy.

You need to be available through social media channels, but to rely exclusively on inbound marketing while neglecting outbound is the equivalent of just sitting back and waiting for people to find you.  And if the experience of our clients is any guide, this is a recipe for failure. To be successful in B2B marketing, and particularly in the IT, telecoms and technology sectors, you must remain proactively interruptive in your marketing.  As with business blogging, social media for B2B lead generation is only effective as part of an overall marketing strategy.   

And remember, you don’t have to do it all alone.  If a lack of time or ability is holding you back, it’s more cost- effective to employ a specialist to work with your business to develop a social media strategy. This way you’ll stay ahead of the competition. Your outsourced specialist can help you with producing quality online content, updating your social media sites and identifying conversations which are relevant to your industry.

And finally…

One evening Calvin Coolidge was sitting at dinner when a fellow guest – well aware of his reputation for taciturnity – attempted to lure him into conversation. “I have made a bet, Mr. Coolidge,” she began, “that I can get more than two words out of you.” Calvin’s reply? “You lose.”

That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. As ever, your comments and ideas are very welcome. 

Wishing all of my readers a Happy and Prosperous 2010 – and always to a higher response!

Norman

Drop us an email now to see how quickly we can generate sales leads for your business

Keep It Simple: Six Suggestions In Writing Good B2B Lead Generation Content

If you are  following-up consistently with your prospects and customers, you can’t avoid writing copy as part of your  lead nurture or pipeline management campaign  . Even if you outsource your lead nurturing, at some point, YOU will have to write an email, letter, or postcard. So here are some suggestions our senior copywriter put together to help you write clean, effective B2B lead generation nurturing messages:

1. Say it in the simplest terms. People tend to overwrite once they sit down at a computer. They’re usually concerned about sounding professional, looking like an expert and/or writing “correctly.” The result is often a long-winded mess. For every sentence you write, ask yourself if it is relevant and interesting to your readers and  can it be shortened, but also remember a  letter is never too long but only too boring
   • Long-Winded Writing: In order to achieve maximum results in your program, and lose the most weight, you should carefully follow your diet plan.
   • Simple Writing: When you follow your diet plan, you’ll lose more weight.
2. Remember, less is generally more (in most cases but not if it’s interesting and relevant). If you find your message is complex, break it down to the bare bones. You’ve only got about ten seconds of undivided attention. There is no need to give your contacts every detail right now.
   • For example, if you’re hosting a webinar, send your contacts an email with some bullet points, date and time, and how to sign up. If you need to include more information, put it on the registration page. Don’t try to cram it all into the email.
3. Tell compelling stories. Reading a large portion of text can be daunting. Attention spans are short and many people give up after only a few sentences. But…when you have a good compelling story that hooks the reader and takes them on a journey, you’re far more likely to have your copy read.
4. Use bullets. Again, most people don’t want to read a lot of information. But in most cases your contacts will at least skim your bullet points.
5. Use one style of writing, either “tell a compelling storey” or keep it  factual with bullet points, mixing styles often makes it more difficult to digest.
6. Diversify your presentation. Writing is by far the easiest way to get your message in front of your prospects and customers. But it may not be the most effective way. If the message you want to share is really important, try using other media. Create a video. Send a voice broadcast. Use images to relate information. The more senses you can engage, the better. If you’ve only been WRITING to your prospects and customers, you might find you’ve lost a good portion of them.

One last idea…read your message to someone. If they start getting that glazed over look, you know your content is either too complex or not interesting enough. With a little bit of practice, you’ll be writing short, informative messages that captivate your audience and lead to more sales!

And always to a higher response!

Norman

Drop us an email now to see how quickly we can generate sales leads for your business