Top 8 B2B Lead Generation Mistakes to Avoid
Having a steady influx of leads coming into the sales funnel is the lifeblood of almost every business. Attracting new customers is critical for growth. Knowing this, many companies attempt to do as much as they can to bring in new business.
When it comes to business to business lead generation, it can take some time and a bit of trial-and-error before you figure out the right target audience and start to actually generate leads. It’s, nevertheless, essential that you develop a lead generation strategy able to turn any audience member into a quality lead.
There are plenty of B2B lead generation mistakes that can come up along the way, causing problems and turning your marketing campaign into a complete waste of time. Below are eight common mistakes you should avoid making to save time and money.
Not Having a Solid Strategy
Working haphazardly without a well-defined and implemented lead gen and marketing strategy will be your biggest lead generation mistake. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, so this means that you should do your homework before investing your time, energy, and resources. Be sure that your strategy makes the most sense for your target audience.
Not Knowing the Buyer
We all know that engaging content that informs and inspires is essential for bringing people into the sales funnel. However, even well-crafted content may fall short if it hasn’t been created with your ideal personas in mind. Pitching to the wrong target audience can be equally as ineffective as putting out low-quality content. Develop buyer personas before approaching them with the right message.
The Dreaded “Wall of Text”
Once in a while, you come across websites, blog posts, landing pages, or even ads that fall into the all-too-common “wall of text” trap. You shouldn’t underestimate just how fast people will lose interest at the very first sign of inconvenience. A chunky block of text, particularly on a mobile device, will deter anyone from reading what you have to say. Breaking up your content with subheadings, bullet points, colored text, and/or numbered lists will undoubtedly help boost the conversion rate.
Not Being Obvious With Your Offer
Another significant drawback of the aforementioned wall of text is that it makes it that much harder for visitors to spot your offer. While your offer may be significant to you, it may not be immediately meaningful to others. You’ll often come across landing pages with CTAs and forms, that leave you wondering, “What’s this for?”
Create a clear headline that says what you’re giving away and why visitors should download, fill out a form, or convert. Wherever possible or appropriate, try including an image of your offer, as this can improve your conversion rate. It should be immediately apparent what you are offering and how to get it.
My late friend, Dick Damrow, who was an executive vice president at Carmichael Lynch Advertising Agency in Minneapolis, used to tell me a lazy offer is no offer at all. Click To Tweet So make sure your offer is compelling and relevant to your target audience.
The Ad/Landing Page Disconnect
Using social media ads to direct traffic to your lead gen page is a great tactic as long as they have a consistent message. Some B2B companies make the mistake of having a social media ad with an offer such as a free trial, but once people make it to the landing page, there’s no free trial to be found. When a user clicks on an ad, they should arrive on a page that delivers on the promise. Don’t make them scour your website for the offer because most won’t, and they’ll be far less likely to return.
Focusing on Features Rather Than Benefits
B2B marketers often make the mistake of confusing a product’s features with its benefits. They are not the same thing; not for the customer, at least. When a lead is interested in a product or service, they want to know how that product will benefit them, not how it will get the job done. Whatever lead generation content you create, always take the perspective of the one consuming it.
A Weak Call to Action
A call-to-action (CTA) button is among the most important elements of any lead generation campaign. Without it, it will be next to impossible to turn visitors into leads. Whether it’s downloading gated content, signing up for a free trial, or joining an email list, prospects need to click-through and convert.
Make sure your CTA grabs the attention of visitors the moment they arrive on the page. Also, make sure your copy is short but actionable. Use words like “Try,” “Get,” or “Click here,” which prompt people to take action. Stay away from “Submit,” however, as it’s a known conversion killer.
Not Monitoring, and Updating Regularly
Another major mistake most B2B marketers make is fooling themselves into thinking that once their lead gen campaign is up and running, it will continue generating leads indefinitely. This couldn’t be further from the truth. You’ll have to keep a constant eye on your progress, follow the metrics and KPIs, and adjust your technique whenever it’s required. For a more refined monitoring process, try implementing a lead scoring strategy.
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