An old friend of mine named Keith Finger emailed me his newsletter the other day. It included an article called, “Six Ways to Improve Your Online B2B Lead Generation.”
I thought it was a short, well-written guide on how to improve your lead generation skills, so I asked Keith if we could re-purpose it for our readers.
Improving your lead generation can be as simple as following these simple steps.
Here are Keith’s tips:
If you sell B2B, your website must be more than an electronic brochure. Here are six ways to improve how your website can generate business.
1. Ensure your home page clearly communicates what you do, and the markets/industries you serve.
People see your home page more than any other site or marketing materials, so make sure it grabs their attention with useful information that pulls them in and is segmented by the markets or industries you serve. Graphics that take up most of the page are pretty but do little to improve conversion. Also, ditch the cute Flash opening (unless of course you’re in the Flash business.).
2. Use a conversational tone in your web copy.
It should read like you’re sitting across the table from someone and talking about your company. Discuss how you help clients make money or save money and the results you’ve achieved. Have content that speak to prospects at every stage of the sales cycle. At the beginning that means establishing credibility and trust, and holding off on specific solutions until further into the funnel. And use a copywriter for customer-facing communications.
3. Have content that is speaks to each target market.
If you sell the same product or service into more than one market, you need content that is unique to that market. Why? Because you want to show you understand each market and its unique needs and challenges. This means you’ll need to organize your web site by customer type so prospects can easily find what you recommend based on their company size, vertical or other differentiator. Use phrasing unique to each market you serve.
4. Update your website regularly.
Prospects don’t want to see press releases from 2007, or announcements for past webinars. Keep things current, and keep things relevant to your target markets. You can maintain your own website by using a content management system (CMS).
5. Have a compelling call to action on every page of the web site.
Give people a reason to begin the sales conversation with you by having a compelling call to action on every page. The call to action will be specific to the offering they’re reading about and could be a white paper (of 5-7 pages), webinar or other useful information they’ll trade their contact information for.
6. Use short online contact forms
Long, detailed contact forms deter people. All you need from them is their name, company, phone and email. You can get other information as the relationship develops. And since you’re not simply calling everyone who gives his/her info (it’s too soon in the sales cycle), have a checkbox if immediate contact is desired (as opposed to just signing up for a newsletter or white paper).
Author Bio:
Keith Finger has held significant marketing roles at Sprint Nextel, Orange Business Services (part of France Télécom) and Glenayre Electronics, and has started several businesses of his own. You can contact Keith by visiting his website.
Thursday, June 17th, 2010, 8:59 am | 
General Marketing | 
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