6 B2B Inbound Lead Generation Strategies to Create High Quality Leads

Are you still practicing cold calling? 

If yes, you need to sit down and think. 

In 2022, more than 75% of marketers believed inbound lead generation as a more effective strategy than outbound methods like cold calling. Instead, inbound strategies, such as content marketing, have taken the B2B world in a storm. 

Check out 6 B2B strategies for generating inbound leads. These strategies will help you build trust between your brand and audience, eventually converting them into customers. 

Inbound Lead Generation | Everything You Need to Know

Lead generation is the process of bringing prospects closer to your brand by increasing their interest gradually through content, events, or related actions

In simpler words, it’s the process of converting prospects into customers

You can generate leads in two ways 👇

  • Inbound {prospects contact you}
  • Outbound {you contact prospects}

You can generate outbound leads through cold-calling, cold-emailing, PPC, multi-channel outreach, etc. 

Definition

Inbound lead generation is the process of bringing your potential customer base to your business through websites, blogs, newsletters, video content, social media content, ads, etc. 

Why is it important? 

Instead of picking one from inbound vs. outbound lead generation, think about combining both. The majority of successful B2B businesses combine both of these lead-generating strategies. 

To know why outbound lead generation is profitable in the long run, go here. And, read ahead to find 5 Reasons to Go for Inbound Strategies

To build a trustworthy brand-customer relationship

B2B marketers fail to generate outbound leads because more than 71% of consumers don’t feel safe trusting unknown brands. Inbound marketing strategies provide the content and time for developing a trustworthy relationship with the leads. 

To build credibility 

You cannot go around claiming that you have the best product. Building brand credibility in your prospects’ eyes is crucial for a successful business. And, the best way to do that is by hosting webinars, writing relevant articles, and creating customer-centric content. 

Think about it. What else can make you credible in your prospects’ eyes if you are not creating a solution for their problem? 

Bring organic traffic

Around 60% of B2B marketers use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as a part of their strategy because 33% of their leads come from random internet searches. 

So, believe it or not, organic traffic plays a vital role in any successful marketing strategy. Here swoops in inbound leads. 

You create customer-centric content, and your leads will find you automatically on the web. This will not only increase the number of sales but also save the big bucks that you are going to spend on paid traffic. 

To produce high-quality leads

Sometimes, if you don't find active leads, cold email campaigns (or even cold calling) can be like a shot in the dark. In comparison to such scenarios, inbound leads are of great quality. 

Remember, they need something, and they seek you out while finding the solution for it. Such leads are more likely to convert into loyal customers. 

To nurture leads

Inbound marketing is the best when it comes to nurturing leads. Even if somebody isn’t ready to buy, they have found you because they are interested in your niche.

 

How to Generate Inbound Leads [Tools Included]

1. Create Problem-Solving Content 

Have you ever seen salespeople in front of a hospital? I guess you haven’t. 

Do you know why? Because people go there to get fixed, and if the doctors can help them once, they are guaranteed to return. No matter what. 

The same idea goes behind creating content for inbound lead-generation strategies. Marketing is a complex process, and there are various methods and tools that can enhance it. Some people get stuck while buying those tools while others get stuck using them.  

So, your content must be able to do the following things:

 👉Help them make business decisions

 👉Guide while creating strategies

 👉Inform them about effective tools/software

 👉Buying guide for the software

 👉User’s guide for the unavoidable software

 👉Make their life easier

 👉Help them become a better business

FYI, around 69% of business-to-business marketers use blogging and content marketing as a part of their sales strategy. Here’s how you can create content for your potential buyers. 

  • Blog writing with informative articles
  • YouTube videos 
  • Helpful newsletters
  • Emails
  • Infographics
  • Ebooks

Additional Tip: Use automation tools for sending emails and newsletters. 

Take a look at the video to understand how to create content for inbound marketing. 

2. Provide Material on Social Media Handles

First, figure out the social media handle where you are more likely to find your targeted audiences. Then, create a profile with your brand name or company name. If you want, you can also go with your name. 

Next, start posting brief content that your targeted audience might find helpful. If you are into B2B, I recommend using Twitter and LinkedIn regularly. 

The next (and the most effective) step is to provide material that will help other businesses grow along with yours. Take a look at the above screenshot to get an idea.

3. Make the Website SEO-optimized 

As mentioned above, almost 60% of B2B companies include SEO in their marketing strategy. The goal is simple–to come to the top in the search results when a prospect Googles you. 

But, is an article (blog) the only way? 

Nope. You get SEO-optimize your website too. For example, Smartlead is a cold-emailing tool. Now, we want to use SEO in such a way in our website content that every time somebody Googles “cold emailing tool” our website comes up. 

This is why website content matters so much. 

4. Personalize the Website for Visitors

Your targeted audience will reach your website through

👉Internet search

👉Your blogs and articles 

👉Your bio on Social media profiles

👉YouTube video description

Now, what? 

The next step, and the ultimate one, is to provide a personalized, out-of-the-world, unbelievable experience to the visitors. So that even if they don’t buy your product right away, they will come back soon to do that. 

And, how to do that? 

👉Intuitive pop-ups based on visitor activity 

👉Collect email addresses or contact info with list-building tools

👉Creative exit pop-ups

👉Personalized landing pages

👉Visitor’s guide around the website

👉Mobile-friendly pop-ups and forms

👉Creative, convincing CTAs

👉Spin-to-win wheel and relevant prizes

Hey reader, use the above tactics and turn every visitor into a loyal customer. 

5. Host Industry-Relevant Events

Hosting industry-relevant events is one of the brilliant ways to captivate inbound leads, especially if business owners or decision makers (of a company) are your targeted audience. You can do it by

➡️Hosting webinars, seminars, or conferences

➡️Starting a podcast

➡️Inviting industry experts to a panel discussion

➡️Conducting workshops

➡️Providing classes

➡️Product demos

Creating events targeting your audience/customers makes you credible and increases your brand value. 

These events will attract your prospects and will make a god-father-like image in the industry. 

6. Add Activities for the Audience 

Now you know that inbound strategies are undoubtedly easy bait for your potential clients. You put effective (cum informative) content out there, and they are bound to check out your brand like swarming bees. 

But are they going to stick to your brand? 

So, you have created content and personalized the website; what else can you do? 

A study conducted by McKinsey & Company says 76% of consumers feel frustrated with non-personalized marketing content. So, you are going to do the opposite of this. 

After personalizing the website, it’s time to personalize your already informative, problem-solving content. 

All you need to do is to add activities for your customer base. Trust me, interactivity-based content can do wonders in inbound strategies. Here’s how you can implement this strategy:

👉Add quizzes in blog articles

👉Add a small task that they can do using your product/service

👉Add games in emails or blogs

👉Add surveys and polls in blog articles

Take a look at this email by Canva to understand how one can increase interactivity.

7. Keep the Paid-Leads in the Loop

It takes a while before you see the results of inbound strategies. This is why many marketers often try paid marketing via advertisements. And, that’s okay.

What you can do is keep the leads that come through paid marketing. If someone didn’t buy after the first visit to your website, they are more likely to buy the second or the third time. 

So, you add featured blogs or a bar showing upcoming events. The goal is to preview anything that can show the visitor you create content that can make their life easier.

Just keep the paid leads in the loop so that you don’t have to go for paid advertising another time. 

Additional tip: Try backlinking your work from established blogs to increase the number of your visitors. This strategy might cost you a little expenditure, but that’s nothing when your organic traffic begins to flow. 

Things You Need to Consider While Creating a Lead Generation Strategy

Be it inbound or outbound lead generations; you will need to consider (study) the below points to do it successfully: 

  • Study your customers: For instance, you’re selling an email automation tool. Now, a one-month-old business might not prioritize buying your software because they are still working on the website, but a one-year-old business might. 

    This is what is called studying the customer’s behavior to understand what processes they go through while deciding to buy, actually buying, shifting from one product to another, etc. 
  • Try understanding your buyer’s journey to be able to pitch your product at the right time.
  • Prioritize your goals:  Every company has its unique priorities and business goals. Before setting out your campaigns to get inbound leads, decide if you have the time, patience, and necessity to do that right now. 
  • Preferred channels: Inbound leads flock towards valuable content but to their preferred channels only. While putting out fashion-related content on Instagram is the right thing to do, it’s not a preferred platform for a B2B audience. 
  • Study competitors: It’s highly recommended to study your competitor’s lead generation strategy before planning yours. Try to find out what worked for them, modify similar strategies, and go at it. 

Final Thoughts!

Besides personalized website & content, interactivity-based newsletters and updates via email keep your inbound leads in the loop. And, if you’re focusing on video content, email can help there too. 

But, no matter how effective email is, it’s definitely not possible to send personalized content to each lead separately. If you are facing such difficulty, try Smartlead to send emails. 

All you have to do is upload the list of leads’ email addresses as a CSV file, write bits of information, and the AI-based tool will do the rest. The best part is that you can have multiple sender addresses to send emails from. This way, your content will safely reach the prospect’s inbox without any risk of landing in the spam folder. 

FAQs

How do you get inbound leads?

Inbound campaigns are the marketing strategy to get inbound leads. All you have to do is create problem-solving, informative, customer-centric content. It can be long-form content in blogs, Social media posts, video content on YouTube, events, etc. 

The motto is to attract an audience or potential clients by providing information that will help them run their business.

Why are inbound leads important?

Inbound leads are guaranteed to be individuals who are already interested in the product, which makes them more likely to buy from you. 

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6 B2B Inbound Lead Generation Strategies to Create High Quality Leads

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Created On
December 16, 2022

Are you still practicing cold calling? 

If yes, you need to sit down and think. 

In 2022, more than 75% of marketers believed inbound lead generation as a more effective strategy than outbound methods like cold calling. Instead, inbound strategies, such as content marketing, have taken the B2B world in a storm. 

Check out 6 B2B strategies for generating inbound leads. These strategies will help you build trust between your brand and audience, eventually converting them into customers. 

Inbound Lead Generation | Everything You Need to Know

Lead generation is the process of bringing prospects closer to your brand by increasing their interest gradually through content, events, or related actions

In simpler words, it’s the process of converting prospects into customers

You can generate leads in two ways 👇

  • Inbound {prospects contact you}
  • Outbound {you contact prospects}

You can generate outbound leads through cold-calling, cold-emailing, PPC, multi-channel outreach, etc. 

Definition

Inbound lead generation is the process of bringing your potential customer base to your business through websites, blogs, newsletters, video content, social media content, ads, etc. 

Why is it important? 

Instead of picking one from inbound vs. outbound lead generation, think about combining both. The majority of successful B2B businesses combine both of these lead-generating strategies. 

To know why outbound lead generation is profitable in the long run, go here. And, read ahead to find 5 Reasons to Go for Inbound Strategies

To build a trustworthy brand-customer relationship

B2B marketers fail to generate outbound leads because more than 71% of consumers don’t feel safe trusting unknown brands. Inbound marketing strategies provide the content and time for developing a trustworthy relationship with the leads. 

To build credibility 

You cannot go around claiming that you have the best product. Building brand credibility in your prospects’ eyes is crucial for a successful business. And, the best way to do that is by hosting webinars, writing relevant articles, and creating customer-centric content. 

Think about it. What else can make you credible in your prospects’ eyes if you are not creating a solution for their problem? 

Bring organic traffic

Around 60% of B2B marketers use Search Engine Optimization (SEO) as a part of their strategy because 33% of their leads come from random internet searches. 

So, believe it or not, organic traffic plays a vital role in any successful marketing strategy. Here swoops in inbound leads. 

You create customer-centric content, and your leads will find you automatically on the web. This will not only increase the number of sales but also save the big bucks that you are going to spend on paid traffic. 

To produce high-quality leads

Sometimes, if you don't find active leads, cold email campaigns (or even cold calling) can be like a shot in the dark. In comparison to such scenarios, inbound leads are of great quality. 

Remember, they need something, and they seek you out while finding the solution for it. Such leads are more likely to convert into loyal customers. 

To nurture leads

Inbound marketing is the best when it comes to nurturing leads. Even if somebody isn’t ready to buy, they have found you because they are interested in your niche.

 

How to Generate Inbound Leads [Tools Included]

1. Create Problem-Solving Content 

Have you ever seen salespeople in front of a hospital? I guess you haven’t. 

Do you know why? Because people go there to get fixed, and if the doctors can help them once, they are guaranteed to return. No matter what. 

The same idea goes behind creating content for inbound lead-generation strategies. Marketing is a complex process, and there are various methods and tools that can enhance it. Some people get stuck while buying those tools while others get stuck using them.  

So, your content must be able to do the following things:

 👉Help them make business decisions

 👉Guide while creating strategies

 👉Inform them about effective tools/software

 👉Buying guide for the software

 👉User’s guide for the unavoidable software

 👉Make their life easier

 👉Help them become a better business

FYI, around 69% of business-to-business marketers use blogging and content marketing as a part of their sales strategy. Here’s how you can create content for your potential buyers. 

  • Blog writing with informative articles
  • YouTube videos 
  • Helpful newsletters
  • Emails
  • Infographics
  • Ebooks

Additional Tip: Use automation tools for sending emails and newsletters. 

Take a look at the video to understand how to create content for inbound marketing. 

2. Provide Material on Social Media Handles

First, figure out the social media handle where you are more likely to find your targeted audiences. Then, create a profile with your brand name or company name. If you want, you can also go with your name. 

Next, start posting brief content that your targeted audience might find helpful. If you are into B2B, I recommend using Twitter and LinkedIn regularly. 

The next (and the most effective) step is to provide material that will help other businesses grow along with yours. Take a look at the above screenshot to get an idea.

3. Make the Website SEO-optimized 

As mentioned above, almost 60% of B2B companies include SEO in their marketing strategy. The goal is simple–to come to the top in the search results when a prospect Googles you. 

But, is an article (blog) the only way? 

Nope. You get SEO-optimize your website too. For example, Smartlead is a cold-emailing tool. Now, we want to use SEO in such a way in our website content that every time somebody Googles “cold emailing tool” our website comes up. 

This is why website content matters so much. 

4. Personalize the Website for Visitors

Your targeted audience will reach your website through

👉Internet search

👉Your blogs and articles 

👉Your bio on Social media profiles

👉YouTube video description

Now, what? 

The next step, and the ultimate one, is to provide a personalized, out-of-the-world, unbelievable experience to the visitors. So that even if they don’t buy your product right away, they will come back soon to do that. 

And, how to do that? 

👉Intuitive pop-ups based on visitor activity 

👉Collect email addresses or contact info with list-building tools

👉Creative exit pop-ups

👉Personalized landing pages

👉Visitor’s guide around the website

👉Mobile-friendly pop-ups and forms

👉Creative, convincing CTAs

👉Spin-to-win wheel and relevant prizes

Hey reader, use the above tactics and turn every visitor into a loyal customer. 

5. Host Industry-Relevant Events

Hosting industry-relevant events is one of the brilliant ways to captivate inbound leads, especially if business owners or decision makers (of a company) are your targeted audience. You can do it by

➡️Hosting webinars, seminars, or conferences

➡️Starting a podcast

➡️Inviting industry experts to a panel discussion

➡️Conducting workshops

➡️Providing classes

➡️Product demos

Creating events targeting your audience/customers makes you credible and increases your brand value. 

These events will attract your prospects and will make a god-father-like image in the industry. 

6. Add Activities for the Audience 

Now you know that inbound strategies are undoubtedly easy bait for your potential clients. You put effective (cum informative) content out there, and they are bound to check out your brand like swarming bees. 

But are they going to stick to your brand? 

So, you have created content and personalized the website; what else can you do? 

A study conducted by McKinsey & Company says 76% of consumers feel frustrated with non-personalized marketing content. So, you are going to do the opposite of this. 

After personalizing the website, it’s time to personalize your already informative, problem-solving content. 

All you need to do is to add activities for your customer base. Trust me, interactivity-based content can do wonders in inbound strategies. Here’s how you can implement this strategy:

👉Add quizzes in blog articles

👉Add a small task that they can do using your product/service

👉Add games in emails or blogs

👉Add surveys and polls in blog articles

Take a look at this email by Canva to understand how one can increase interactivity.

7. Keep the Paid-Leads in the Loop

It takes a while before you see the results of inbound strategies. This is why many marketers often try paid marketing via advertisements. And, that’s okay.

What you can do is keep the leads that come through paid marketing. If someone didn’t buy after the first visit to your website, they are more likely to buy the second or the third time. 

So, you add featured blogs or a bar showing upcoming events. The goal is to preview anything that can show the visitor you create content that can make their life easier.

Just keep the paid leads in the loop so that you don’t have to go for paid advertising another time. 

Additional tip: Try backlinking your work from established blogs to increase the number of your visitors. This strategy might cost you a little expenditure, but that’s nothing when your organic traffic begins to flow. 

Things You Need to Consider While Creating a Lead Generation Strategy

Be it inbound or outbound lead generations; you will need to consider (study) the below points to do it successfully: 

  • Study your customers: For instance, you’re selling an email automation tool. Now, a one-month-old business might not prioritize buying your software because they are still working on the website, but a one-year-old business might. 

    This is what is called studying the customer’s behavior to understand what processes they go through while deciding to buy, actually buying, shifting from one product to another, etc. 
  • Try understanding your buyer’s journey to be able to pitch your product at the right time.
  • Prioritize your goals:  Every company has its unique priorities and business goals. Before setting out your campaigns to get inbound leads, decide if you have the time, patience, and necessity to do that right now. 
  • Preferred channels: Inbound leads flock towards valuable content but to their preferred channels only. While putting out fashion-related content on Instagram is the right thing to do, it’s not a preferred platform for a B2B audience. 
  • Study competitors: It’s highly recommended to study your competitor’s lead generation strategy before planning yours. Try to find out what worked for them, modify similar strategies, and go at it. 

Final Thoughts!

Besides personalized website & content, interactivity-based newsletters and updates via email keep your inbound leads in the loop. And, if you’re focusing on video content, email can help there too. 

But, no matter how effective email is, it’s definitely not possible to send personalized content to each lead separately. If you are facing such difficulty, try Smartlead to send emails. 

All you have to do is upload the list of leads’ email addresses as a CSV file, write bits of information, and the AI-based tool will do the rest. The best part is that you can have multiple sender addresses to send emails from. This way, your content will safely reach the prospect’s inbox without any risk of landing in the spam folder. 

FAQs

How do you get inbound leads?

Inbound campaigns are the marketing strategy to get inbound leads. All you have to do is create problem-solving, informative, customer-centric content. It can be long-form content in blogs, Social media posts, video content on YouTube, events, etc. 

The motto is to attract an audience or potential clients by providing information that will help them run their business.

Why are inbound leads important?

Inbound leads are guaranteed to be individuals who are already interested in the product, which makes them more likely to buy from you. 

What’s a Rich Text element?

The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.

  • dfbvrsg
  • svsv

Static and dynamic content editing

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

How to customize formatting for each rich text

Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.

Author’s Details

Rajnish Das

Rajnish is a Staff Writer at Smartlead.

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Edited by:

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Frequently asked questions

General Questions

Can I import a CSV file into an already running campaign?

Yes, you can import a CSV file into an already running campaign. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Go to the campaign that you want to import the CSV file into.
2. Click on "Edit campaign" to access the campaign settings.
3. Look for the option to upload a CSV file and click on it.
4. Choose the CSV file from your computer that you want to import.
5. Map the fields and Choose/associate a client. The system will process the CSV file and import the data into the campaign.

By importing a CSV file, you can update the campaign with new leads without interrupting the campaign's flow.

Is it possible to connect Outlook via OAuth?

Yes, it is recommended to connect Outlook via OAuth. OAuth (Open Authorization) is an industry-standard protocol that allows applications to access user data on various platforms, including Outlook, without requiring the user to share their login credentials. By connecting Outlook via OAuth, you enhance security and ensure a seamless and secure integration between your application and Outlook.

How can I connect Outlook using OAuth?

To connect Outlook using OAuth, follow these steps:

1. Open your email accounts module in Smartlead
2. Look for the option to add accounts and select it.
3. Choose Outlook as the email provider you want to connect.
4. Clicking on the Outlook logo will redirect you to the Outlook login page.
5. Enter your credentials and log in to your Outlook account.
6. Follow the prompts to authorize the application to access your Outlook account using OAuth.
7. Once the authorization is complete, your application will be connected to Outlook via OAuth, enabling secure access to your Outlook emails and data.

By following these steps, you can establish a secure and authenticated connection between your application and Outlook, ensuring seamless integration and access to your email account.

Why am I experiencing delays in fetching emails from my ESP to MI?

If you are experiencing delays in fetching emails from your Email Service Provider (ESP) to the Master Inbox (MI), there could be a few reasons for this. It is important to note that fetching emails from the ESP to the MI can take some time due to various factors such as network latency, ESP server load, and the size of the email inbox. Here are some points to consider:

1. Time interval: The Master Inbox usually fetches emails at regular intervals, which can range from 5 to 55 minutes. This interval allows the system to retrieve and process new emails periodically.

2. Fetch replies button: If you need to fetch replies immediately, you can use the "Fetch replies" button available in the Master Inbox. Clicking on this button triggers an immediate fetch of replies from your ESP's email inbox folder.

If the delays persist or you encounter any issues with fetching emails, it is recommended to reach out to the Smartlead support team for further assistance.Please note: 

Filtering or rules: Review any filtering or rules set up in your ESP that could potentially affect the delivery of emails to the MI. Ensure that emails are not being automatically sorted, archived, or blocked based on certain criteria.

Why doesn't categorizing leads, such as "Not interested," stop campaigns for them?

Categorizing leads, such as marking them as "Not interested," does not automatically stop campaigns for those leads. The purpose of lead categorization is to classify and organize leads based on their specific attributes or actions. However, categorizing a lead as "Not interested" does not halt the campaign because the system relies on replies from leads to determine if a campaign should be stopped.

In most cases, when a lead categorizes themselves as "Not interested," they may choose not to reply to the email or take any further action. As a result, the campaign continues until it reaches its completion or encounters other stopping conditions.

It's important to note that when a lead does reply to an email, the system recognizes the response and stops the campaign for that particular lead. Therefore, replies from leads serve as the primary trigger to stop campaigns rather than lead categorization alone.

In some cases,A lead might have to be categorized for various reasons even if they do not intend to reply, such as organizing their inbox or indicating their preference. Such categorization does not automatically stop the lead from receiving further emails in the campaign. In such cases the emails have to stopped manually

What type of business can use Smartlead?

No, you get access to unlimited email accounts and warmup accounts without having to pay per account. This will let you scale your email outbound and without paying a penny more.

Powerful Automated Email Marketing that Drives Sales.

  • All Features Included
  • No Credit Card Required
  • Free Warmup Included
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