12 B2B SaaS Lead Generation Strategies That Get Results

Lead generation is central to B2B SaaS success and everyone seems to have their own magic elixir of lead generation strategies. But what strategies really get results? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to be talking through today.

If you’ve been looking for some solid B2B SaaS lead generation techniques that actually work then you’ve come to the right place. Today we’ll be sharing 12 B2B SaaS Lead Generation Strategies that get results. Ready to dive in?

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12 B2B SaaS Lead Generation Strategies That Get Results

Track KPIs

Key Performance Indicators (or KPIs for short) are data-driven business metrics that measure performance based on a range of targeted factors. By tracking and measuring your business KPIs, you’ll be able to identify how much of an impact your B2B sales strategies are having and improve b2b lead conversion rates. You might like to think of Key Performance Indicators as a 36-degree birds-eye-view over your business leads.

Pick a few KPIs that align with your unique goals and monitor them regularly. If you’re not quite sure which KPIs to start with, then listen up. When it comes to B2B lead generation there are a few KPIs that are an absolute must (start with these before adding new metrics into the mix). Remember there are lots of software programs out there that make it super easy to track and monitor KPIs.

Top B2B lead generation KPIs:

• Organic traffic – number of people who visit your site via search
• Traffic-to-lead ratio – percentage of traffic to your website that converts into a lead
• Landing page conversions – amount of traffic on your landing page that converts into a lead
• Clickthrough rate – number of people that click on a link on your landing page or email
• Bounce rate – number of people that leave your site right away (aka bounce back to Google)
• Cost per lead – how much it costs to generate one new lead for your business

Get your customers to bring leads to you

This might sound a bit far-fetched at first, but generating leads out of your existing customers is actually a super effective B2B SaaS lead generation technique. Hear me out. What we’re talking about here is referral marketing. All you have to do is get your existing customers to refer their own business contacts to your business.

Oftentimes businesses offer referral schemes in which loyal customers can ‘refer a friend’ to take part in a free trial of your product or service, in return for a reward (e.g., access to premium features or a discount).

Did you know that B2B referrals provide 30% more leads that generate revenue for a business than other marketing channels? Word of mouth is one of the biggest sources of sales for B2B businesses, making referral schemes a real must.

Engage in social selling

Social selling is a lead generation technique in which brands target prospects and establish a rapport with them through existing connections. Contrary to what the name might suggest, social selling is not the same as social media marketing or advertising. Instead, social selling is a way to build a personal rapport with potential leads via social media. It’s a bit like cold calling, only via channels like Facebook or LinkedIn instead of a phone call.

What’s more, the evidence in favor of social selling is impressive to say the least. 78% of social sellers outsell their competitors. Why does it work? Well, social selling generates relationships first, then sales. This generates trust and nurtures leads.

Top social selling techniques include:

• Build credibility online with an establishes social media presence
• Monitor social media conversations to identify new prospects
• Customize messaging and offers to your target persona/ platform
• Actively engage in social media groups and discussions
• Provide value through quality content, offers, and responsiveness

Maintain consistent branding through content

Consistency is hyper-important. Consistent branding creates authenticity and trust and trust is one of the most important factors when it comes to generating leads. In fact, 81% of customers say that they need to be able to trust a brand before buying from them. Consistent branding is key to brand recognition. Everything from tone of voice to web design needs to be taken into account. Did you know that using a signature color can increase brand recognition by as much as 80%? As well as unifying your brand design, try to find a unique voice that shines through in all of your content.

Create SMART (er) Goals

One of the first things any brand should do before launching a lead generation initiative is to take a step back and think about overall goals. If you’ve not heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals before, this is a great place to start.

S.M.A.R.T stands for Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, and Time-Bound.

Use this acronym to help identify and shape some core goals for your business. All of your goals should adhere to these five SMART criteria. This will help focus your lead generation strategy and generate better, more targeted, results in the long-run.

Here's an example of a SMART goal:

To generate 10% more leads by the end of 2022.

This goal is:

Specific ✓

Measurable ✓

Agreed (make sure to run it past your team first) ✓

Realistic (not too over ambitious) ✓

Time-bound ✓

Solidify your buyer persona

It’s important that your lead generation strategies are targeted towards a specific target consumer. Start by building up a realistic buyer persona. This is the ‘person’ who you will be marketing your brand to, so you’ll need to position all of your content to meet their needs and expectations. Identify your customers’ key pain points, goals, buying behaviors, concerns, interests, and needs. Then reach out to prospective customers with resources, information, and offers that speak to these things. This way you’ll have a much better chance of generating genuine interest that converts into a sale.

Map out your B2B customer journey from start to finish

Once you’re clear about your buyer persona, map out their buyer journey from start to finish. Since we’re talking about B2B SaaS lead generation, that means mapping out the buying process for a business client. Think about how you are going to solve their problems and meet their needs head on.

Research shows that up to 64% of B2B buyers want to work with vendors who can demonstrate knowledge of their company and offer targeted insights into their pain points. Aim to target any potential pain points at every step in the buyer journey from the awareness stage, through to the consideration stage, and the final decision stage.

Segment your audience

Now it’s time to segment your audience. You’ve got a clear buyer persona in mind, but it’s important to remember that not every customer is the same. You may have multiple ‘ideal’ prospects. In this case it’s important to cater to all of their needs in individualized ways.

Segmenting your audience means filtering out prospects based on targeted data. Depending on your business that could be anything from geographical data, to behavioral data.

Other segmentation factors to consider include:

• Industry verticals
• Online activities
• Company size

Reach out to the decision makers

This one’s super important. When it comes to B2B lead generation it's imperative that you reach out to the decision makers themselves. Every business will have a few key decision makers who have the final call when it comes to buying into a new business software.

Typically, businesses adopt one of three decision-making structures. Some will have a single decision maker (e.g. a CEO or special projects director). Some will have a main decision maker but run all purchases by a board of representatives before making a final investment. Finally, some businesses will adopt a different approach involving multiple decision makers, in which case you’ll need to ensure that your outreach speaks to each of the individuals involved in the decision-making process individually.

Partner with non-competitors in your space

Partnering up with other businesses in your space is a very smart move when it comes to lead generation. So long as these partners aren’t competitors, you’ll be able to build relationships with vendors in your space, pool customer data and offer combined solutions that generate more leads.

Get the right tools

We’re very lucky today that there are some fantastic tools out there to help generate leads in a more streamlined and targeted way. Getting your tech stack right will go a long way in improving your lead generation results. Email marketing and subscription management software, for example, will help you monitor and optimize your marketing channels with targeted data insights. It’s also possible to outsource to an outbound lead generation service for B2B SaaS.

Track and follow up

Last, but not least, don’t forget to follow up with your customers. Lead generation isn’t just about selling, it’s about lead nurturing. The B2B sales cycle, in particular, is often longer than, say, ecommerce. Your prospects might not make a final decision right away. After initial contact, ensure that you follow up on each prospect's potential interest with value-laden and personalized messaging.

Launch your lead generation strategy to success!

So, there we have it. You’re ready to launch your lead generation strategy to success. Remember that the key to successful B2B lead generation is to home in on your goals, identify your prospects, and deliver consistently high-value, targeted, and personalized content. By following these 12 B2B SaaS lead generation tips you’ll be sure to see success in no time at all!