As consumers become increasingly informed and selective — that’s code for “picky” — more and more B2B businesses have started leaning on lead generation services to help them reach their ideal target markets across a wide range of channels. B2B lead generation services can quickly launch multiple marketing campaigns. Each campaign is strategically designed to speak to a specific audience and carefully optimized to a unique channel. It’s a lot of upfront legwork that growing companies no longer need to do themselves (especially if outbound sales is not their bread and butter). And luckily, in the B2B space, the use of outbound lead generation services is proven to work.
In 2019, 55% of new leads in the B2B space were generated through outbound marketing strategies. Only 27% came through inbound marketing. Why? Like many busy business owners, you don’t have time to waste on shopping for services. You’ve got a business to run and you need to focus your time and energy there.
If you need a vendor, a lead gen service can do the hard, time-consuming (boring) work of getting a foot in the door. Inbound marketing means waiting for conversations to come to you. Doing your own outbound marketing means generating conversations out of thin air with strangers who are trying to avoid eye contact. But when a B2B lead generation service does the outreach for you, the conversation is already started.
And while individual consumers are usually turned off by direct sales, the method shines with business consumers. Every business must find new customers somewhere, so they are comfortable with the outbound approach. Think of it as an “everyone is doing it” attitude.
As more businesses look for B2B marketing expertise, news from the lead generation front is good. Gone are the days of purchasing long lists of random names and hoping they’re accurate. No more need to buy 10,000 unknown contacts and hope a handful of them pan out. Emerging technologies have helped lead generation businesses evolve into lean, efficient machines. New AI and machine-learning solutions gather data and build targeted audience lists for accurate and efficient outreach. And that reach extends across digital channels so businesses can find prospects nearly anywhere on the web.
But as the tech becomes increasingly complex, many business owners actually can’t conduct outbound sales on their own. Savvy companies understand they need a professional lead generation firm staffed by sales experts to get the most value out of the tech resources.
Here we’ll cover what exactly it means to hire an outbound B2B lead generation service. We’ll work through the how, what, and where of outbound marketing strategy. We’ll explain how lead generation services approach audience targeting and what to look for in a B2B lead generation firm. The industry has grown to include a range of strategies and methods, but we’ll focus on a few key best practices. The best firms strive to deliver their clients more than a large quantity of leads — they’re delivering the right leads.
What does outbound lead generation mean?
When we talk about “outbound lead generation,” what does that actually mean? First, let’s define inbound marketing. A traditional marketing strategy is designed to present a message that draws customers in and helps them find your business. Today, that’s mostly digital content. When you Google a plumber or visit the website of a new restaurant, that’s inbound marketing. By contrast, outbound marketing is about reaching outward to directly contact prospects with your message. Telemarketing, direct email campaigns, and print or television ads are all types of outbound marketing strategies.
General lead generation means finding people who might be interested in your business. Outbound lead generation, therefore, means reaching out to find people interested in buying your products or hiring your services. Different outbound lead generation services will choose a variety of tactics to reach out to prospects. But at the end of the day, they’re all working to introduce your business and engage prospects on your behalf.
Types of lead generation
Outbound lead generation can come in several forms — over the air (radio and TV), print (mailers and newspapers), or digital. The best outbound lead generation services will leverage direct communications across a wide range of channels, reaching prospects over both email and social media. Online lead generation services — which tend to be faster and less expensive — focus on email or social media. In fact, marketers are discovering that email outreach is fast becoming one of the top outbound lead generation best practices.
Email Campaigns
Automated email marketing campaigns are among the top three most-used outbound strategies for lead generation firms in 2020. According to a 2019 study, email generates the highest ROI for small businesses and is the second most-liked campaign type to build brand awareness. A successful email campaign begins with a carefully curated list of ideal prospects based on your target industry and decision makers (that list is derived through careful targeting… we’ll talk more on that later). The email messages should be crafted to encourage the reader to talk to you about your products or services. Additionally, every message should close with an easy path to more conversation. Your signature should include contact information and a link to your website. And if the reader hits Reply, their return message needs to land in an inbox that someone is checking regularly. (You’re right. That sounds obvious. But technical glitches can quickly spell disaster.)
Social Media Campaigns
Social media is quickly catching up to direct email as a popular, and successful, resource for outbound lead gen. In 2019, outbound sales reps who used social media platforms saw a 45% increase in sales opportunities over those who did not. Among social media platforms, Facebook was the number one choice for B2B outbound marketing strategies, with Linkedin a close second.
The function of social campaigns depend on the platform itself. On Google and Facebook, paid ads are clear winners for brands looking for individual consumers. On Instagram, the shoppable ads excel for CPG. But LinkedIn is the only platform for professionals looking to do business with other professionals. And that’s where direct messaging comes into play. But all social media platforms have the same passive goal: networking. By making new friends, followers, and connections, regular activity on the Linkedin platform spreads to an ever-growing audience. Whatever you post, like, or share will show up in the feeds and stories your audience is viewing. Organic growth, here you come.
Does Industry Matter?
Email and social media marketing are ideal for companies whose products and services already relate to an online presence. Companies like software development firms and digital marketing agencies are turning in droves to B2B lead generation firms. Digital outbound reaches their target audience in ways that naturally include the services they provide. In fact, there are lead generation firms that now specialize in pursuing target audiences for these industries. Software lead generation companies even niche down to provide specific outbound lead generation service for B2B saas exclusively.
The Ideal Lead Generation Agency
So what should you be looking for in a lead generation service? The answer depends on a number of factors. A large, well-established enterprise just needs a funnel to remind new contacts of the name they already know. A tiny start-up needs to show how they stack up against the big boys. If you’ve got a successful print and television campaign, you may only be looking to branch out into new mediums. But if your current marketing has been a struggle, you’re looking for the proverbial silver bullet. There’s no one agency that works for everyone, but good lead gen firms have a few key things in common.
ROI
Building an in-house sales team is expensive and time consuming. Lead generation services deliver a strong, confident strategy so you can focus your time and energy on running the business. That said, a grossly expensive lead generation service that doesn’t produce viable leads is a waste of money. Affordable lead generation services charge a reasonable fee for a fair number of leads from reliable channels.
Viability
Anyone with an internet connection can drum up a list of prospects for your business. But is that contact information accurate? Are those leads remotely interested in talking to you, let alone hiring you? Bad lead gen companies will hand you a list of useless phone numbers and walk away. But good lead generation firms will emphasize strategic targeting. Armed with data and modern tech, they’ll build lists of your ideal prospects and find current, accurate contact info. If a lead gen service doesn’t want to tell you about their solid targeting strategy, it’s time to move on.
Location
Yes, 2020 was the year everyone went remote, but location still matters. You need a lead gen company that can easily communicate with both you and your prospects. If you aren’t up for 3 a.m. phone calls with your rep, choose a firm on your same continent. If you’re looking for a service that engages contacts before passing to you, choose a firm that shares the native language of your audience. And if you’re targeting a global audience, find a service that does both. Smart lead generation companies in the US frequently have partnerships with B2B lead generation companies in India or elsewhere. This allows them to communicate with wide audiences and conduct business around the clock.
Service
Pin down the specific services different agencies offer to find the right fit for you. Once they launch the automation, do they monitor it or leave you to handle everything? If you’re getting negative responses, will they make adjustments? Are they talking with responding prospects or is the target list so well defined that the leads are already qualified? A set it and forget it program won’t deliver the leads you need for success. Be sure to clarify their responsibilities and yours before signing a contract.
Lead generation services for small businesses
While ROI should be atop considerations when choosing the right lead gen firm, it’s not the only thing to keep in mind. The growth stage of your business can impact your choice greatly. The best lead generation companies for small businesses will help you navigate beyond the basic introduction.
Content Marketing
Beyond simply sending messages, a good lead gen service can talk with you about content marketing. As mentioned before, the passive goal for social media is networking for name recognition. So a firm that specializes in small and growing businesses knows how to use those networks to get the word out. They’ll advise you on the types of content to post in order to show your prospects your expertise. They may even collaborate with you to create content.
Sales Strategy
You’re great at running your business, but sales is another story. Sure, you know what you do, but how do you present that in a way that speaks to your prospects? The right lead gen agency will consult with you on how best to engage hot leads that come in and help you close the sale.
Partnership
Companies that need lead generation services should evaluate how a lead generation company fits into their overall growth goals. Do you need someone to send a bunch of leads your way so you can get back to work? A lead gen firm that can operate in an out-of-the-box capacity would be ideal. Need to build a network to gain traction and build a continuous funnel? An agency that will coach you and work hand-in-hand with you is a better bet. Want to experiment with one niche industry at a time? Find an agency willing to continually refine the process and even make a full pivot when needed.
Audience Targeting
Let’s talk about targeting for a moment. Thirty years ago, channels were limited and avenues for reaching audiences extended to only a few mediums. Lead generation targeting was far more cut-and-dried and a whole lot less sophisticated. In all likelihood, you told a lead gen service what verticals interested you and they came back with a list of names and phone numbers ... that hopefully still worked.
Technology
Today, targeting is more nuanced and fantastically more effective. Lead generation companies can use a wide range of technologies to verify the accuracy of target information. Zerobounce, for example, identifies and eliminates bad emails from a list. Lead gen firms also have access to a wide number of lead databases, some of which reside in surprisingly public places. Now there are new technologies that can comb through that data to compile lists of specific types or sizes of companies and find the right decision makers. These are just a few of the dozens of cool, data-driven tools that can help lead gen services drill down to the perfect lead list.
In-app Tools
Most of the major social media platforms offer search tools to help you find people. Linkedin, for example, is filled with users who willingly join the pool of potential prospects. That’s what makes LinkedIn so special: it’s a veritable goldmine of new faces and new businesses waiting to connect. Savvy agencies are using the targeting tools built into LinkedIn Sales Navigator to generate large and specific lists of users. Targeting filters include organization size, industry, title, geographic region, and more. Certain targeting tools even have key word and exclusion abilities. For example, if you’re targeting health and wellness businesses but don’t want to reach massage therapy businesses, the right targeting tools allow you to include the key words health and wellness while excluding the word massage.
Agency Philosophy
It sounds silly, but every agency does indeed have a philosophy about how they target leads. There is a right market for your business and a wrong market. Prospects that don’t quite fit the mold of your users represent a waste of money and a drain on your time. Ultimately, a bad lead list could cost you money instead of spurring your growth. When interviewing B2B outbound lead gen vendors—yes, interview them—sit down and talk with them about how they intend to find your leads. In the same way your customers want to know you get them, make sure the lead gen agency gets you. They should have a solid understanding of your service and the target market for that service. Additionally, they should have the tools and know-how to find those perfect leads.
The Bottom Line
If you’re not in a position to build out and run your own sales department, pursuing outbound B2B lead generation services is a smart course of action. The right lead gen company will provide an affordable and nimble solution for creating scalable growth. They’ll take on the tedious task of large-scale outbound marketing to quickly and effectively deliver a list of qualified, ideal prospects who are right for your service or product. Smart third-party lead generation firms will be able to operate across multiple channels. They’ll pivot their outreach efforts and targeting to strategically work across those channels. They’ll think critically about how best to target your ideal audience and when is the perfect time for that outreach. They’ll even leverage overseas relationships and emerging automated technologies to continually improve the outreach.
The ideal third party-lead generation firm should also serve as a partner in growth. If your small business is trying to reach the next level of growth — especially if prospecting is a daunting thought — talk to Salesflow Inc. Salesflow is the ultimate partner in outsourced lead generation for the growing small business. Your Salesflow account manager will sit down with you to learn about your unique offerings and develop a thorough strategy. This includes a discussion about your targeting, messaging, and campaign launch methods. Then we’ll leverage your expertise to show your ideal prospects that you understand their pain points and have the solution they need. Throughout the campaign, you’ll have recurring touch-base calls to ensure that leads are appropriate, interested, and responsive, and that sustainable growth is within reach.
With Salesflow, your goals are our goals. There are companies out there looking for a business like yours and a solution like yours. We want to connect you with those companies. Growth for you means a great day for us. Your staff at Salesflow will be working on your behalf to find your next clients and open a conversation. If it feels that the time is right to enlist the help of a third-party outbound B2B lead generation service, let Salesflow be the vendor partner you trust to accelerate your business growth.