subject: 5 Mandatory Tools For Your Business Lead Generation Tool Belt [print this page] This may come as a surprise, but there are basic tools you need for business lead generation. Many business owners and marketers are also surprised. When it comes to business lead generation, it can be hard to decide what belongs in your toolbox. Should you include any conventional marketing tactics? How many internet marketing tools do you need? And, how do you know which tools are right for B2B marketing?
Business lead generation is like any other task: you need the right tools for the job. If your customers or clients are businesses, here are some of the most important tactics to include in the tools you take to the job.
1. Customer intelligence. Relationship is everything in marketing today. You simply must do the research to understand your customer thoroughly. Until then, you will not be able to deploy other tools beneficially. You also will have difficulty segmenting prospective clients and customers by preferences and demographic data.
2. Web search. You need to know how people search the web to find you. You also need to understand where prospective customers are in the decision-making process. People at different stages in the sales process use different search terms. In business lead generation you need to direct searches to customized landing pages so you don't present the wrong message.
3. Establish expertise or thought leadership. Make it very clear that you are an expert and that you know your subject or field. This is very important in business lead generation. The product or service you want to sell to customers must clearly meet their needs or show reliable evidence of ending their pain. This is commonly done with an article marketing strategy and with white papers, special reports, e-books and seminars.
4. Seminars and webinars are a staple of business lead generation marketing. These events attract the attention of potential customers or clients and address their needs. They also demonstrate thought leadership. Finally, they are an outstanding way to begin a conversation or a relationship with a prospective client.
5. Social Media. Today, even business lead generation success requires some presence in the social media. Before you start opening accounts with every social media site, take the time to think about your customer and where you are likely to meet that customer. If you are trying to reach a business client, for example, you are far more likely to find that prospect on LinkedIn than on MySpace.
Other tools you might use include telemarketing, trade shows, and direct mail. You will also want to add to the mix some advertising in key places or on the web. No matter what additional tools you use, you will definitely need customer knowledge, web search, confidence and trust, seminars or webinars and social media. You will probably find, as well, that using some of these tools together for business lead generation supercharges your efforts.
by: Bob Cavanaugh
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