How to get Online B2B Leads

Now that the Internet is a fixture as a marketing channel, you probably have been handling questions about what role online marketing or the Internet should play for your company. How much of your marketing budget should be used to fund it? What are the best ways to use online marketing for sales lead generation?

As a B2B marketing consultant I work with dozens of companies selling products or services to businesses. So I see what's working in regard to business-to-business marketing online, and what companies are spending. I'll share some of what I've learned with you.


If you've got an established website, I'll bet you're in your third or fourth round of redesigning it by now. When it first appeared, it was probably a messy collection of technical support information and difficult to navigate. Then someone in marketing turned it into an online brochure. Then you added a few bells and whistles to make it hip and easier to use. Now is the time to rethink the site's value to the bottom line.


Use marketing tactics to drive prospects to your website, then give them the information they need online and encourage them to move forward in the buying process by identifying themselves. Think about individual users and what answers or solutions they are looking for on your website. Structure your messaging and linking to mimic their searching and buying processes.

If your website visitors know the product name or number, let them access information about the product that way. For example, let them get a list of products with clear technical specs and recommendations about which are best for common situations. Or if someone isn't sure what they need, show them a path where they can find all the products or services that are appropriate for their type of company.


Invite people to visit for as long as they want, and delve as deep as they care to. Do you have shallow, top-line information available on your site? If they need more in-depth information, do you make it easy to find?

Plan to make offers that will entice prospects to identify and qualify themselves. Can you create a free guide for choosing among your products or services? Can you offer a whitepaper to show how their kind of organization is using your product or service to solve problems? You can use it as bait for having your visitors share their names, titles, company names and contact information. Capture this information in your lead management and lead nurturing system so sales people can take advantage of it.

Just don't make visitors sit through a Flash(r) animated commercial every time they visit your site. You may think it's cool, but it just wastes their time.


Sending email to people who have expressed an interest in your products or services is a very cost effective way to market them. Many of my clients are shifting a large portion of their direct mail dollars into email.

Give some serious thought to what you plan to send and how frequently. Sometimes I feel more like a punching bag than a prospect or customer as I get slugged with too many inappropriate offers too often by companies who think they are doing "customer relationship management."


My clients report great success with online newsletters-- both their own as well as when they advertise in an industry newsletter. Why? Because the folks receiving the newsletter have opted-in or requested the free subscription and are more likely to read it and notice your ad, article or sponsorship.

Some people would prefer to receive a printed version of your newsletter instead. So if you want to be able to communicate with these people you need to print and mail some copies in addition to those you email. Don't forget print's advantages: it stays on someone's desk, it is there in his or her briefcase during the train ride home, and it can be handed to a colleague, where email is deleted with a few clicks. Make sure the sales phone number is prominent so the sales department sees the benefit directly.

Most print directory publishers are online as well, frequently offering you exposure in both mediums for the same price. Keep in mind that directories are often where buyers look when they are seeking new suppliers and have immediate needs. Some directories rank high as authority sites in search results and lead to more visitors.


Industry websites need online content to attract and keep visitors. Many refresh their content daily or weekly. This gives you plenty of opportunities for editorial contributions. Use the article publishing websites for growing links, but don't miss the opportunity to create custom-written articles for the top websites in your industry.