Expanding your customer base is one of the main challenges a B2B company faces in order to grow its business. Commercial prospecting in B2B requires the deployment of major resources. The strategies used to generate leads may differ from one company to another, but in the end, they are all based on the same foundation. In this article, we reveal 12 essential ways to find potential customers for your B2B business.

Paid procedures

1- Google Adwords

The vast majority of Internet users, 70%, search Google for information about a specific product or service. There is a good chance that your potential customers are among them and are looking for your services with a specific word or group of words. This is where Google Adwords comes in.

See the links that appear at the top of Google search results? These are Adwords. The principle is to enrich a keyword that you want to position to attract your audience, even at the level of a well-defined geographical area. The greater the competition for the keyword, the higher the price per click.

2- Facebook Ads

Facebook is a social platform that brings together the most people of which a large part of the French population is located. For sure you will find your leads. Its advertising tool allows you to target your prospects with a great asset which is to be able to define your audience according to many parameters (gender, age, location, demographic information …). Facebook Ads is cheaper than Adwords, but it’s also effective.

3- LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn is the most suitable social platform for B2B commercial prospecting. The platform has several advantageous tools for prospectors:

• Sales navigator;
• InMail (sending email via the platform);
• Sponsored Link and Content.

4- Emailing

Despite the many remarks about it, email marketing remains the most adopted strategy and the one that has worked best for many years. The figures speak for themselves: more than 5 billion accounts are active all over the world and the ROI from emailing is twice as high as that obtained by Google SEO. If you spend 1 euro on emailing, the ROI will be 5 euros. However, it is essential for you to have a rich database. To do this, using an emailing automation tool is a good option.

5- Retargeting

In B2B, retargeting consists of retargeting a visitor to your site who has not yet converted, from advertising banners broadcast on partner sites. Getting them to download your latest eBook is one way to do this. Retargeting can also be done using emailing. Retargeting has a positive impact on the conversion rate of your visitors into leads.

Organic approaches

6- Partnerships

Partnerships are beneficial for companies operating in complementary fields. Your goal will be to target companies that already have customers and can communicate information about your services or products to their customers. You can partner with content you have in common, such as a white paper. Also focus on webinars. You will be visible to other potential customers, without spending a penny.

7- Relationship with bloggers and influencers

Any company that wants to sell its services must communicate well. Building a professional relationship with bloggers and influencers can make you generate more leads. These personalities have a community in which your potential customers hide. And since they have some influence on this community, their prescribing power is more than ideal for your brand. You just have to identify them. To do this, several tools can give you a boost. Just be sure to choose the influencer or blogger who will be the most knowledgeable and persuasive.

Proprietary approaches

8- Blogging

The inbound marketing strategy has become a lever for the development of a company. Blogging is one branch of this. In addition to sharing your know-how and gaining notoriety, blogging also allows you to gain visibility. Want to stand out from the competition? Work on your blogging and share inspiring content that develops an attachment in your prospects to your brand.

9- Company website

Your website is your best asset. It is at the level of your site that your potential customers try to find answers to their questions. Yet, we tend to think of our website as just a showcase site, but it’s more than that. You can develop it into a real lead conversion machine.

Shared approaches

10- Social selling

Social networks are prospecting channels that have become very effective in recent years. Prospectors most often adopt a direct approach to establish a watch on targets. It’s all about the content offered. To engage prospects, content must have high added value. But how? Your prospect must find interesting elements that meet their needs. So, adopt your content to this by studying the problems of your prospects well.

11- References

References are the reviews that your customers leave on your website or within your social pages. Seeing these reviews makes your prospects feel confident in your brand. This will make them more willing to conclude. Thus, invite your customers to leave a few sentences.

12- Word of mouth

Nothing is more effective in prospecting than being able to count on the testimonials of satisfied customers who can even become ambassadors of your brand. As with referrals, if your existing customers share their experience with others, it will expand your customer base. So, do not hesitate to ask your customers for help by asking them to recommend your services to their acquaintances.

Commercial prospecting in B2B is more delicate than in B2C. However, this is not an excuse to flinch and let go. Get up and start tapping into these different sources to generate more leads.

In B2B, the sales cycle is often complex and therefore tends to drag on. However, B2B prospecting is based on many levers that can be used very well to find potential and qualified customers more quickly and efficiently.