Expanding your customer field is one of the main challenges that a company working in the B2B is faced in order to develop its business. Commercial prospecting in B2B requires deploying major means. The strategies used to generate leads can differ from one business to another, but in the end, they all rest on the same bases. In this article, we reveal 12 essential ways to find potential customers for your B2B business.
12 concrete ways to find B2B customers
Paid procedures
1- Google Adwords
The vast majority of Internet users, 70%, carry out searches on Google to obtain information on a specific product or service. There is a good chance that your potential customers are among them and are searching for your services with a specific word or group of words. This is where Google Adwords comes in.
Do you see the links that appear at the top of Google search results? These are the Adwords. The principle is to enrich a keyword that you want to position to attract your audience, even at the level of a well -defined geographic area. The more the competition for the keyword, the more the price at the click increases.
2- Facebook Ads
Facebook is a social platform that brings together the most people of which are a large part of the French population. Of course you will find your leads there. Its advertising tool allows you to target your prospects with a very large asset which is to be able to define your audience according to numerous parameters (genre, age, location, demographic information, etc.). Facebook ADS is cheaper than Adwords, but it is also effective.
3- LinkedIn Ads
Linkedin is the social platform most suited to prospecting . The platform has several advantageous tools for prospectors:
- Sales navigator;
- inMail (sending emails via the platform);
- Sponsored link and content.
4- Emailing
Despite the many remarks concerning him, email marketing remains the most adopted strategy and the one that has been best for many years. The figures speak for themselves: more than 5 billion accounts are active all over the world and the King from emailing is twice as important as that obtained by Google SEO . If you spend 1 euro in emailing, the king will be 5 euros. However, you are essential to have a rich database . To do this, using an email automation tool is a good option.
5- Retargeting
In B2B, retargeting consists in recycling a visitor from your site who has not yet converted, from banners published on partner sites. Encourageing them to download your latest ebook is a way to get there. Retargeting also be done using emailing. Retargeting has a positive impact on the conversion rate of your visitors to lead.
Organic approaches
6- Partnerships
Partnerships are beneficial for companies operating in complementary fields . Your goal will be to target businesses that already have customers and can communicate information about your services or products to their customers. You can form a partnership based on content that you have in common, a white paper for example. Also favor webinars . You will thus be visible to other potential customers, without spending a penny.
7- Relationship with bloggers and influencers
Any company that wants to sell its services must communicate well. Establishing a professional relationship with bloggers and influencers can help you generate more leads. These personalities have a community in which your potential customers are hidden. And since they have some influence on this community, their prescriptive power is more than ideal for your brand. You just need to identify them. To do this, several tools can give you a helping hand. Just be sure to choose the influencer or blogger who will be the most knowledgeable and persuasive.
Owner approaches
8- Blogging
Inbound marketing’s strategy has become a business development lever. Blogging is a branch. In addition, sharing your know-how and notoriety gain, blogging also allows you to gain visibility. Do you want to stand out from the competition? Work your blogging and share inspiring content that develop an attachment to your prospects with your brand.
9- Company website
Your website is your best asset. It is at the level of your site that your potential customers are trying to find answers to their questions. However, we tend to consider our website as a simple showcase site, but that's more than that. You can develop it in a real lead conversion machine .
Shared approaches
10- Social selling
networks prospecting channels Prospectors most often adopt a direct approach to it in order to establish a watch on targets . Everything is played on the content offered. To arouse the interest of prospects, the content must have high added value. But how? Your prospect must find interesting elements that meet their needs. So adopt your content by studying the problems of your prospects well.
11- References
References are the reviews that your customers leave on your website or within your social pages. Seeing these reviews gives your prospects a feeling of trust in your brand. Which will make them more willing to conclude. So, invite your customers to leave a few sentences.
12- Word of mouth
Nothing is more effective in prospecting than being able to count on the testimonials of satisfied customers who can even become ambassadors for your brand. Like the case with referrals, if your existing customers share their experience with other people, it will expand your customer base. So, don't hesitate to ask your customers for help by asking them to recommend your services to their acquaintances.
Commercial prospecting in B2B is more delicate than that in B2C. However, this is not an excuse to give up and give up. Get back up and start leveraging these different sources to generate more leads.
In B2B, the sales cycle is often complex and therefore tends to drag on. However, B2B prospecting relies on numerous levers that can be used very well to find potential and qualified customers more quickly and more efficiently.