Just having an excellent product isn’t enough to generate SaaS leads. To acquire leads and close sales in this industry, you need to employ a number of strategies. In this post, we’ll provide you with a variety of scalable B2B SaaS lead generation techniques that you can use to expand your customer base.
The bottom line is that you need leads to grow your B2B Saas business. Your sales team can only hone your SaaS into a successful enterprise if they have a steady supply of leads. Here are some strategies to turbocharge your B2B SaaS lead generation.
How to Scale B2B SaaS Lead Generation
As a SaaS marketing agency, our goal is to remain competitive by being able to scale your lead generation capacity quickly in order to ensure long-term success. Here are 12 practical methods we use to scale up your lead generation.
1. Use software discovery and review platforms.
Every new lead that comes into your business is at a particular stage. Leads are sorted into three categories: hot, warm, and cold, and each strategy is tailored to suit a certain kind of lead.
Businesses and individuals can use review platforms to identify the best technology stack to run their operations by gathering reviews around software solutions. A good example of this is G2.
These platforms are now well-positioned and are trusted by millions of decision-makers to find, buy, and review software. For B2B SaaS lead generation businesses, this means that millions of potential warm leads are at your disposal if you build, promote, and grow your business profiles.
These platforms are being used by decision-makers to seek out a solution. By displaying at the top of their searches, you can start a conversation with highly motivated buyers that just need a little nudge to convert.
2. Draw in new users with SEO.
The search engine results pages (SERPS) are where businesses with an excellent return on investment (ROI) hope to stay. Every day, over five billion Google searches are conducted, which has a significant impact on businesses’ ROI.
Increasing organic traffic is not simple, which is why search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial. SEO is about matching search intent and providing the best possible response to a user’s query. If you can accomplish that, you’re already ahead of the game. Congratulations!
Your SEO plan may be developed by defining what end users require and how your tool provides a solution for them. You will know the problems they want to solve and how your solution helps them if you know how they think and what they value.
For instance, you have a product that uses data to help fintech companies identify their opportunities. You might want to create a series of articles describing how fintech companies can use data to gain an advantage over their competitors, detailing the best times of year to reach out to potential customers, and so on. The key is to focus on the needs of your ideal customers—once you do that, creating SEO content will become second nature.
3. Make use of interactive tools and lead magnets.
Invite people to sign up for a free trial or purchase, and then provide them with a downloadable lead magnet or interactive tool.
When companies think about e-books or gated content, they often mistake them for lead magnets. However, the most effective lead magnets are those that help their users work more efficiently, effectively, and faster. For instance, a checklist might aim to simplify a complicated procedure or work smarter with data using great tools.
These tools can help you increase the number of subscribers you can nurture with your email workflows, as well as generate organic traffic, build backlinks, and strengthen your brand. A good example is Ahrefs. They developed a free Webmasters Tools site that helped them gain over 8,000 backlinks and attract around 3,000 organic visits per month.
Interactive tools will also help you increase engagement with potential customers as they get to connect more with your site. Using interactive tools will also help you establish a closer relationship with users before they commit to converting into paying customers.
4. Use real-world examples.
Content is critical to attracting users, but making those users turn into customers requires more effort. Businesses are under a lot of pressure and want to make sure that the solution they pick is right for them before they commit to it.
Case studies provide a real-life example of how a customer solved a problem and how your solution helped. They can help you develop empathy with your audience by letting them see themselves in the story, get quick answers to their questions, and get a sense of what it is like to use your solution. Especially if the case study is in the same industry as theirs.
5. Create data-driven content to gain authority in your niche.
When you’re producing high-quality original content, the top of your list of priorities should be content based on research facts. These are excellent pieces to build authority, acquire high-quality organic links to support your SEO, and—if the data is useful or the result is controversial—increase brand awareness through several outlets.
If you’re a B2B SaaS lead generation company, you already have a lot of data about how your users interact with your tool, so you can begin there. Using this information, you can gain insights into the subjects your potential customers care about.
Beyond just producing blog posts, you should also produce podcasts or newsletters to grow your audience and establish yourself as a subject matter expert in your field.
Before signing on for a longer project, make sure you have a thorough outline. These kinds of efforts take longer than usual because they require more planning. To make a solid plan, answer the following questions:
- What topic is your target audience eager to learn?
- What data do you have to collect for this particular study or topic?
- How will you gather the data? Will you do interviews, run surveys, or find it through web scraping?
- How will the data be analyzed?
- What is your content marketing distribution plan? Where and how will you share your write-up? A distribution plan is crucial for content marketing— don’t make it an afterthought.
6. Use podcasts for your outreach campaign.
According to LinkedIn, podcast listening among senior-level decision-makers accounts for 44% of all listeners. This means that you need to be present among decision-makers to succeed.
Creating your own podcast can be an excellent strategy, but you don’t need to wait to build an audience. Find out what topics might interest your potential customer and be a guest speaker on podcasts to share insights, case studies, statistics, or practical information. These will boost the recognition of your business and provide potential new customers with a connection to it.
Remember your podcast is meant for human beings, not corporations. By recording human beings, your brand is made more personable, new connections are made with untapped markets, and relationships with C-level executives are cultivated through trust.
You can take it a step further and think about using a podcaster. Think about if they’re worth sponsoring. It may take some trial and error, but if a podcast is bringing you new leads, it might be a worthwhile investment in the long run.
7. Ask for referrals.
You are missing out on the best marketing ally you have if you’re not asking for referrals.
If you truly provide the best possible user experience, people will naturally discuss your solution with their friends and colleagues. However, instead of waiting for this to occur, you can act proactively by:
- Building a referral system that rewards your customers for each recommendation they bring you.
- Approach accounts that are 6 months and older and directly ask for referrals.
- After an account has accomplished a major success or milestone, request them to refer your solution to other businesses.
8. Build your LinkedIn network.
Although LinkedIn is the largest professional network in the world, founders tend to forget something else: It is also a social media platform, and like in any social network, people want to follow other people.
Having a LinkedIn company page does not guarantee high-quality leads. Instead, think of your company page as the second step of the sales funnel. People are more likely to want to interact with you prior to wanting to deal with your business. By establishing a social media presence on the platform, you can build relationships and expertise.
When people learn about you, they will go to your profile or the page of your company to learn more about what you have to offer. Finding success on LinkedIn is all about being your top brand evangelist. Participate in discussions, post blog posts, podcasts, and other content, and share it with your LinkedIn community.
9. Have a social proof wall.
When running a B2B SaaS lead generation business, you need a bigger monetary investment compared to running a B2C SaaS. As a result, social proof is the best currency to win more B2B SaaS leads. Your customers’ testimonials are particularly valuable since they can be used to back your claims and build trust with potential customers.
Creating interactive social media content, partnering with review sites such as Clutch, providing real-life customer testimonials, and showcasing top awards are instantly more engaging and trustworthy than simply saying you offer the best solution.
10. Create your tool page vs. your competitor’s tool page.
Comparison pages can be used to generate a lot of SaaS leads, as long as it’s clear you offer a unique advantage over the competition. Customers will look for organic comparisons among various providers to ensure they’re picking the right one for their situation.
This is a fantastic chance to demonstrate why you are unique or better and, therefore, generate almost ready-to-close leads that are already in the consideration stage of their buyers’ journeys.
Here are some suggestions for building your pages:
- Take a deep dive into your competitor’s tools and study their prices, user experience, functionality, etc.
- Use an easy-to-read format to showcase all the major differences and perks of using your tool.
- Have tables, graphs, and any other visuals or resources that emphasize your points to decision-makers, making it easier for them to take action.
- Be honest. You don’t want to overpromise and then underdeliver.
11. Use video content to create communities for social engagement.
Building a YouTube channel is a great idea, but you need to be smart about how you create your content. Keep in mind that CEOs, CMOs, and CFOs are people with various interests. Videos produced by companies are typically not as engaging as those produced by individuals. They often fall short in terms of entertainment and engagement. However, there is room for video content in SaaS companies.
You can create video content around common problems or interests of your ideal buyers to identify and market to them, without simply selling your own product. You can also organize webinars and conferences, in which case you may want to integrate a conference call service for assistance. Focus on the industry as a whole to avoid being too salesy. Become a news source or showcase case studies.
12. Be involved in virtual and hybrid events in your industry.
Sponsoring events is a great way to reach a large audience of like-minded individuals.
Search for events that are related to your company or client’s interests. You may participate in a variety of ways, including sponsoring events or participating in panel discussions or talks.
The purpose of an event is to create an interest in your services, so if there are no events, create one. Invite people from different B2B industries and backgrounds to share their experiences and insights and become one of the community’s pillars.
It seems like a lot of work, but it’ll pay off fast. Remember that trust is the main currency in the B2B sector, and you’re everyone’s trusted buddy when you’re at the center of the conversation.
Are you ready to increase B2B SaaS lead generation?
Finding the right marketing strategy for your company begins with conducting customer research. Find out where your ideal customer is, what they are looking for, and what concerns them most. Knowing their journey, you will know exactly what to build to grow and scale your SaaS without sacrificing sustainability.
Learn more today! Book a call with us today.
