The internet has proven itself to be one of the most, if not the most, important technological advancements of mankind. It also allows for commerce to take place, with businesses being able to sell their goods to new customers all across the globe and the customers being able to buy what they want from the comfort of their homes. But as the internet grew, companies all began facing the same problem. They were being whitewashed in the sea of the internet, lost in an endless maelstrom of commercial webpages. The current revolution of digital marketing has helped cut through this with new advertising opportunities. Every webpage now represents a chance to reach a new customer. But with the ever expanding online marketplace, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find your target audience.

B2B Lead Generation Methods

Getting potential B2C leads is hard, but finding potential B2B leads is considered to be even more difficult. Companies tend to be more scrupulous when making decisions and it can make for a rather difficult decision making process. But because of the potential for higher sales and long term business relationships, companies are placing more focus on generating new B2B leads. The best way to generate these leads is through multichannel marketing. A multi-channel approach proves to be the most successful because it blends the traditional methods with the ever evolving, more current ideas.

Methods That Work

The traditional approach is still the best approach when it comes B2B lead generation. This involves direct mailings, traditional advertising, trade shows and corporate events. Trade shows and corporate events are considered to be two of the biggest sources of B2B leads. And with good reason. These kinds of events allow business to get to know other companies and establish business relationships. The traditional methods are the most effective but are not the only effective method of lead generation.

Popular Methods, Though Less Effective

With the increasing popularity of online services, new avenues of marketing have emerged. Social media, SEO, and PPC have become productive, more important forms of lead generation. Although social media is not the most effective form of lead generation, it still provides valuable access to potential customers, with an estimated 304 million currently active Twitter users and over 1 billion active users on Facebook. LinkedIn has a fraction of the users of Twitter and Facebook, but it has proven to play a more significant role and is considered to be responsible for 80% of social media leads generated. These new outlets of communication have provided countless new opportunities for businesses to market themselves and it has helped to establish a new stream of B2B leads.

The Problem: Time and Energy

The only way to properly create and process B2B lead generation is through this multi-channel approach involving traditional methods as well as a new, internet based approach. This approach, though proving successful, is neither time, nor cost effective. On top of that, it can be difficult to choose an appropriate technique tailored to your company. How do you know that you are receiving the specific types of leads that you are looking for?

The Solution: Outsourcing

Because of these problems, businesses are looking to B2B lead generation companies. In fact, outsourced lead generation has proven to generate 43% better results than in-house lead generation. Companies that specialize in creating a marketing campaign that generates the specific type of potential customers that a business is looking for. You give them the lead qualifications you are looking for and they take care of the rest. Lead generation companies save both time and money by doing the work for you. This allows a business to identify potential customers and focus on making a sale. Through the use of proper lead management, companies are able to direct their attention towards other aspects of their business helping to develop growth for their organization.