For ages, B2B enterprises have strived to grab the attention of prospects. Traditional methods like email marketing and customer referrals have yielded decent results for marketers. However, building a scalable pipeline of leads using these conventional strategies has proven challenging.  

Challenges of Traditional Lead Gen Methods: 

Once a staple for B2B lead generation, Email Marketing is losing its effectiveness over time due to oversaturation and changing professional behaviors. The average open rate of B2B emails is 12%, with a mere 1.4% engagement rate.  

Webinars and demo scheduling have long been used to turn prospects into clients. However, they come with limitations such as scheduling conflicts, time constraints, and low attendance. 

Customer referrals have also been highly valuable for converting prospects, particularly for mature companies. However, relying heavily on referrals limits the scale and predictability of the sales pipeline. 

Rise of Content Marketing: 

Businesses have positioned themselves as industry leaders and trusted advisors by delivering informative and insightful content. In fact, many thought leaders believe that Content Marketing is 3X more effective than outbound marketing in generating leads. 

The B2B lead generation game took a different turn when marketers began understanding customer psychology and the power of B2B content. More than 50% of B2B marketers have consistently generated leads by improving their content strategies and micro-targeting prospects.

Key Strategies for Reshaping B2B Lead Generation: 

Since content is the key focus of most B2B enterprises to effectively generate leads, new strategies under this umbrella have emerged, including: 

1. Captivating prospects through video marketing: According to a recent study, 87% of B2B marketers have reported a significant increase in web traffic and sales through video marketing. Engaging videos attract potential leads and allow businesses to showcase their expertise and build loyalty.
2. Enhancing lead quality through blogging: Despite the reduced attention span of decision-makers, blogging remains a top content marketing priority for 63% of B2B marketers. Blogging helps improve lead quality by providing valuable information and insights in the form of Thought Leadership content.
3. Amplifying reach and engagement through LinkedIn: 97% of B2B marketers use the LinkedIn platform for content marketing. By consistently sharing tailored content on LinkedIn, businesses have expanded their reach, engaged with prospects, and effectively nurtured quality leads.

The Bottomline 

The traditional methods of lead generation are losing effectiveness. However, businesses can still generate leads by using content marketing effectively. Businesses can position themselves as Thought Leaders in the industry by creating valuable content. This can help them attract potential customers and build relationships with them.