The Future of B2B Lead Generation: 2021 and Beyond

• admin
• Aug, 17 2021

The marketing landscape is ever-changing. What was “it” a few years back isn’t to be seen anywhere at present. There are now new and evolved practices and techniques that have replaced the old ones. Lead generation, in particular, has come a long way. While a plain pop-up on the website was sufficient to capture leads a few years back, it doesn’t work anymore. You need to devise a much more thoughtful lead generation strategy that’s in sync with the existing consumer behavior, as well as business needs and requirements.

Here are a few lead generation trends in 2021 and beyond that you should prepare yourself for: 

Race to Buyer Intent Data

Data is now more critical than ever.

Buyer intent data provides insight into the customer journey and at which stage the customers are on. Based on the buying cycle, B2B brands can outline fitting strategies.

Buyer-intent data can enable you to create a more effective marketing and sales strategy that converts optimally.

Business owners are already running after such data and there are plenty of reasons why.

Higher level of personalization 

Brands are finally realizing the power of personalization. It is one of the most effective CRO techniques.

Personalizing the lead generation campaigns per the distinct needs and requirements of the target audience enables higher conversion. With the buyer intent data (as mentioned earlier), B2B marketers will (hyper) personalize their lead generation strategy to close more deals.

Outsourcing lead generation activities

Generating Lead isn’t easy. It requires time and money.

To optimize their resource spend, we’re already seeing many B2B brands outsourcing lead generation activities. And this will become more prevalent in the coming year with more business owners hiring and partnering with lead generation agencies. It’s more cost-effective and rewarding.

Focus on SQL

Lead nurturing can be expensive. At a time when companies are struggling financially owing to the ongoing pandemic, they are looking for ways to cut back on expenses. This will inevitably shift the focus from generating marketing-qualified leads to sales-qualified leads.

Now, MQL is a fitting goal in some instances wherein the business needs to explain the value proposition, battle it out with many competitors, and has weak brand positioning.

But in many cases, capturing SQL is a more cost-effective option that B2B brands will increasingly focus on as spend analysis and conversion optimization becomes a key priority for them.

Account-based marketing

Instead of throwing one generic message to everyone with the hope that someone would convert, the approach is already steering towards tailored campaigns for individual accounts.

The process involves creating targeted accounts and utilizing marketing and sales resources on those specific accounts.

Account-based marketing treats specific leads or audience segments, based on defined parameters, as an account; thereon, opting for a more targeted approach to engage and convert the individual accounts.

Coupled with effective lead profiling and CRM strategy, ABM can do wonders for your lead generation efforts. And this is what we will see more B2B brands embrace as we move forward.

Final Words

These are five lead generation trends of 2021 and beyond you should get prepared for.

Update your existing strategy and stay ahead of the curve.

If you need help, get in touch with a B2B lead generation company.