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B2B Lead Generation Ideas

There are several different B2B lead generation ideas you can implement into your own business. These can be used to attract B2B leads and help you learn more about ways to generate leads in sales.

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Here are some of the best lead generation ideas to help you get started.

  • Create high-quality content: High-quality, frequent content is key to generating quality leads. It’s also important to post frequently, as B2B buyers consume three to five pieces of related content on average before contacting sales. 
  • Personalization: Personalizing your content marketing efforts can help you foster a deeper relationship with your audience. Try analyzing their behavior and sending personalized offers when appropriate to show them that you understand their needs and interests.
  • Analyze customer actions on your website: Pay attention to what customers are doing when they arrive at your page so that you can determine what’s working well and where they’re getting stuck in the sales process.
  • Be active on social media: Interacting with potential customers on social media is crucial to spreading brand awareness and attracting quality leads.
  • Utilize automation: Automating emails and other marketing tools is a great way to generate traffic and ensure consistency in your campaigns.
  • Host events: Hosting in-person or online events can help get your name out there. It can also be a good way to collect lead contact info via registration sheets. 
  • Offer a free trial: Free trials can help generate interest among your target audience and prepare them to take the next step to buy.
  • Paid promotion: Paying to promote your brand through content syndication and marketing on other sites is a good way to generate quality leads.
  • Optimize your keywords: Good keywords are essential to attracting quality leads. Perform keyword and phrase research to see what terms your audience is most interested in.
  • Create a newsletter: Consider launching a newsletter that offers value to your audience and encourages them to connect with your brand on an ongoing basis. You might even dip into a B2B leads database to find the most ideal leads to target with your newsletter.

If you lack marketing support, you can still work to generate quality leads for your business. You might, for instance, set up a blog targeted at your audience. This blog could help them solve pain points, or provide otherwise relevant content. You should also attend events regularly to stay in touch with leads and get to know them on a personal level.

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B2B Lead Generation Tools

When looking for B2B lead generation tools, it’s important to do your research to determine what’s best for your business. For instance, you could browse a lead generation tools list to get a better idea of what’s out there. You can find these tools on lead generation sites. Some tools used for lead generation are more effective than others, so it’s important to thoroughly compare your options. 

Here’s a quick look at some of the best lead generation for B2B.

  • HubSpot Marketing Hub: HubSpot plans start at $45/month and are best for those looking for a tool that can provide robust functionality for emails, landing pages and social promotions that easily integrate with their CRM.
  • Intercom: Intercom, like HubSpot, allows users to manage their marketing, sales, and support tools in a single platform.
  • Proof: This platform relies on social proof and A/B testing to improve the quality of users’ websites.
  • MobileMonkey: With Mobile Monkey you can leverage your website, messaging, and social media tools to capture leads.
  • Mailshake: Mailshake is great for sales development, link building, content promotion, and more. It remains a popular choice for those that prioritize email outreach.
  • Qualaroo: Qualaroo is a polling tool that is used to gather feedback and generate leads.
  • HotJar: HotJar offers several useful tools for B2B lead gen, including heat maps, session replays, and form analytics.
  • Turnstile by Wistia: This product helps users collect information by requiring that leads enter their email before continuing to watch videos after a certain period of time has elapsed.
  • Survey Anyplace: Survey Anyplace generates personalized PDF reports for survey respondents, like the best product match based on their answers.
  • Formisimo: Formisimo helps users optimize their lead gen forms.

B2B Lead Generation Examples

Viewing B2B lead generation examples can give you a better idea of what quality lead gen efforts look like. They also demonstrate B2B demand generation tactics and lead generation strategies. 

Here are the top 10 lead generation strategies with corresponding examples of lead gen campaigns.

  • Chatbot conversations: The Bot Lab created a bot designed to teach users about chatbots and ultimately ask them to set up a meeting. Chatbots can be particularly useful when leveraged correctly, considering 71% of prospects expect immediate answers to their questions. 
  • Gated content: HubSpot provides gated content tools that users can access upon completion of lead capture forms. 
  • Value-packed newsletters: Marie Forleo offers a value-packed newsletter, encouraging leads to sign up. 
  • Events: Content Marketing Institute hosts regular events to generate high-quality leads.
  • Coupons and discounts: Bed Bath & Beyond offers a 20% off coupon to first-time subscribers of their email list.
  • Freemium products and free trials: Trello offers a freemium service to encourage users to eventually sign up for a paid plan.
  • Website optimization to promote your lead magnet: Podio makes it easy for leads to sign up for their free trial.
  • Social media optimization: Michael Hyatt’s Facebook page is designed to drive visitors towards a free offer.
  • Paid promotion on social media: Conversocial pays for Instagram ads to drive prospects.
  • Top-of-funnel keyword targeting: SmartAsset targeted a top-of-funnel term and created quality content based on that term to attract leads.

B2B Lead Generation Case Studies

Partnering with a B2B lead generation agency is a great way to improve your lead gen efforts. These agencies do most of the dirty work for you, identifying the most fruitful channels to target and helping you discover the highest quality leads—even tapping into markets you hadn’t previously considered. 

Lead generation can be incredibly tricky and time-consuming, which is why you may want to outsource your efforts to someone that can dedicate all of their time and energy to the sole purpose of generating leads. Outlining your overall lead gen goals can help you pick the right agency to work with. 


You might also view B2B case study examples to see exactly how different agencies have helped clients achieve their lead gen goals. ViB has B2B lead generation case studies detailing client success stories.

In one example, Nutanix utilized ViB’s services to improve its email marketing strategy. By leveraging the platform’s SmartSend program, Nutanix was able to find the right balance between content, cadence, and audience, resulting in more leads moving through the funnel.

Lead Generation Tools

There are many types of lead generation tools offered by different lead generation companies. Choosing between them can be challenging, especially for those that are new to the lead gen game, which is why it can be helpful to study lead generation examples to get an idea of how the process works. 

It’s important to note that different lead generation services are best for different types of businesses. For instance, some are more compatible with small businesses, while others are capable of meeting the needs of large companies with complex lead generation strategies. Each lead generation website should outline the tools and services provided, allowing you to get a better sense of what’s offered by each company.

ViB offers a range of B2B lead gen services, including email marketing, appointment setting, content syndication, and virtual events. Unlike some other agencies, ViB is simple to install (no extensive training required) and, offered at 1/2 the price of the average agency cost, affordable for businesses on a budget. 

In addition, the company boasts a 4.7 customer satisfaction rating. Some businesses may consider partnering with multiple lead gen agencies, but generally speaking, one company should be able to meet your needs. ViB is one such B2B lead gen agency that offers a suite of marketing features, eliminating the need for users to partner with multiple companies to get the leads you need to hit your goals.

How to Generate B2B Leads

When considering how to generate B2B leads, the question of cold calling often arises. How effective is this strategy, and how can you generate leads without resorting to cold calling? Here’s how to generate leads without cold calling:

  • Network online via email and social media
  • Publish quality web content
  • Offer incentives for referrals
  • Host events
  • Deploy surveys

Still, cold calling can be helpful in some cases. For example, if you are looking to kickstart a business relationship, cold calling is a great way to establish initial contact. This strategy can also be useful for those that lack the resources to invest in better marketing strategies, as it tends to be one of the more cost-effective methods for generating leads. 

If all else fails, you can always buy B2B leads, though this is not without its downsides. Although it can save you time and provide comprehensive data on leads, it can be costly and offers no exclusivity, meaning that you’ll be facing even more competition.

How to Generate Sales Leads Online

In terms of how to generate sales leads online, you have several options. Starting a blog is one of the best ways to do so. B2B lead generation blogs are designed to attract leads with quality written content. 

Ideally, you should provide something of value to blog visitors, such as information about their needs or interests. If you’re thinking about starting a blog to generate leads, it’s important to follow blogging best practices. These include blogging on a regular, consistent schedule, including CTAs, and optimizing your titles. 

At the end of the day, whether you’re generating leads from a blog or otherwise, you should understand how to generate leads in sales B2C and how this differs from B2B lead gen. In the B2B space, businesses are targeting other businesses. They need to be much more knowledgeable about the content they’re promoting and be able to demonstrate how their services can see another company’s needs.

B2C lead gen, by contrast, targets individual customers and centers around brand awareness and getting consumers closer and closer to making a purchase. In other words, B2B lead gen is more about fostering an ongoing relationship between companies, while the B2C strategy is designed to turn leads into paying customers. Some of the best practices for B2C lead gen include the use of content marketing, paid ads, and gated content.

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