Home Insights ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Emerging Trends in B2B Lead Generation: What to Expect

Emerging Trends in B2B Lead Generation: What to Expect

Emerging Trends in B2B Lead Generation: What to Expect

June 27, 2024

Welcome to the ever-changing world of B2B lead generation! Here, the only constant is change. Imagine a marketplace where conventional strategies take a backseat to dynamic, evolving ones that push the boundaries of what’s possible. To stay ahead of the competition, you need a B2B marketing strategy that requires continuous review and updating of lead generation strategies. Business leaders, marketers, and sales professionals must stay at the forefront of these changes. Buckle up as we explore the latest trends that’ll transform your strategy and land you high-quality leads.

Let’s delve into the most current B2B lead generation trends for 2024.

1. Account-Based Marketing (ABM):

ABM has been the transformer in B2B lead generation. Unlike traditional techniques that aim for broader audiences, ABM mainly focuses on high-value accounts with personalized communication and engagement strategies. This approach is one of the best when it comes to resonating deeply with potential clients. To enhance your B2B marketing strategy, consider implementing ABM. Here’s how:
  • Use tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify your Marketing Qualified Accounts or high-value accounts.
  • Adapt marketing initiatives to their particular needs.
  • Ensure the marketing and sales departments work closely together.
Tools include:
  • Terminus: Identifies target accounts and personalizes outreach efforts.
  • Demandbase: Provides data and insights on target accounts.
  • MadKudu: Automates ABM workflows and tracks campaign performance.

2. Intent-Based Lead Generation:

The transition to Intent-based Lead Generation is another significant change we’re seeing in 2024. It focuses on identifying and interacting with leads who are actively showing signs that they’re ready to buy, thereby increasing the chances of making a sale.

Understanding Intent Signals:

Knowing buyer intent is as important. By analyzing user behavior and signals, you can develop your approach to meet their needs more efficiently. These signals can include:

  • Visiting particular web pages frequently
  • Downloading whitepapers
  • Interacting on a business’s social media accounts actively
  • Consuming industry-related content online

By collecting the data on these behaviors and analyzing them, marketers can target each lead with the most relevant messaging at the right moment in the right place.

Case Study of Engaging Active Researchers on Social Media:

  • Company: Marketing automation platform.
  • Intent Signal: Engaged with social media posts discussing marketing automation best practices and followed relevant industry hashtags.

Action: Targeted social media ads with a short video on common marketing automation challenges and how their platform solves them. They also joined the conversation on relevant hashtags, offering helpful insights and showcasing their expertise.

3. AI-Driven Lead Scoring:

Lead Scoring can be a complex and time-consuming task if done manually. Approximately 80% of businesses lack a proper lead-scoring plan. But here’s the good news: businesses have become smarter and have adopted advanced methods using AI for lead generation to accurately predict which leads are most likely to convert. These methods can analyze and predict the buying intention of the target audience efficiently. AI-driven leading scoring uses data from various sources, such as website visits, social media interactions, and previous purchases; these methods give you a comprehensive view of each lead. The factors include demographics, engagement with marketing materials, and past purchase history. This allows sales teams to prioritize their efforts on the most promising leads, saving time and resources.

Tools include:
  • Salesforce Einstein: Scores leads based on their likelihood to convert.
  • Marketo Lead Scoring: Analyzes lead behavior and assigns scores based on their sales-readiness.
  • Zoho CRM Zia: Provides insights into lead behavior and predicts conversion probability.

4. De-Fluffed Messaging:

In a world overflowing with content, standing out is more important than ever. In 2024, B2B companies should cut the fluff and focus on clear and brief communication that delivers real value. 65% of B2B buyers prefer shorter content. They like messages that are concise and to the point.

How to prioritize Quality over Fluff in your B2B marketing strategy:
  • Know Your Audience: Understand their needs and interests.
  • Focus on Key Messages: Share the most important information that adds value to your audience.
  • Be Clear and Concise: Use simple language and avoid jargon to make your message easy to understand.
  • Use Data and Evidence: Support your points with facts, statistics, and real-life examples.
  • Seek Feedback: Use simple words and avoid jargon to make your message easy to understand.
  • Stay Consistent: Maintain a consistent tone and style across communications.
For example, consider the transformation in messaging: Before: “Our innovative solution offers unparalleled advantages, leveraging cutting-edge technology to optimize your business processes and drive growth.” After: “Our solution uses advanced technology to streamline your processes and boost growth.” By eliminating unnecessary jargon and focusing on clear, direct language, the message becomes more impactful and easier for the audience to understand.

5. Conversational Marketing:

Conversational marketing is all about ditching the robot talk and having real conversations with potential customers. In the world of B2B sales lead generation, people seek genuine, human-like interactions rather than robotic responses. This is why chatbots and conversational marketing tools are gaining popularity. Lead generation platforms that enable conversational marketing allow businesses to connect with potential clients more naturally. It facilitates real-time engagement, efficient lead qualification, and enhanced user support.

Tools include:
  • Drift: Creates personalized chat experiences for website visitors.
  • ManyChat: Builds chatbots for Facebook Messenger and other messaging platforms.
  • Intercom: Provides live chat, email, and messenger support for businesses.
Imagine this: you’re browsing a website, overwhelmed by all the information, when a friendly face appears. Not a pushy salesperson, but a helpful guide ready to answer your questions. That’s what conversational marketing tools do.

6. The Rise of Generative AI and hyper-personalization:

Generative AI is changing the game for B2B marketers by creating new content, from text to images and even code. Tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E have become incredibly popular in 2023 helping businesses create content faster, think more creatively, and offer highly personalized experiences to their target audiences.

As AI technology keeps evolving, we can look forward to even more transformative changes in B2B lead generation. Future trends may include:
  • Enhanced chatbots that can handle complex conversations.
  • AI predicts customer churn and suggests ways to win them back.
  • Integration of AI with CRM and marketing automation tools to optimize marketing strategies.

Conclusion:

The world of B2B lead generation is rapidly evolving. The old approach of “one-size-fits-all” is outdated. Now it’s all about staying ahead with the latest trends.

Think about account-based marketing (ABM). It is all about building personal connections with the client. Or consider intent-based lead generation, which focuses on leads with buying intentions. AI-driven lead scoring helps you focus on the best prospects, while clear and simple messaging helps your voice cut through the noise. Conversational marketing adds a friendly, humanized touch, while GenAI and hyper-personalization open up exciting possibilities. Business lead generation companies are constantly innovating to embrace these trends in their services.
So, get ready to adapt and explore these trends. The future of B2B lead generation is here, and it’s full of exciting possibilities.

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