Planting your B2B Demand Generation Garden
Have you ever encountered someone who thinks marketing is a waste of time? If so, you may be familiar with this zinger: “You can eat a good sales pitch, but you can’t eat awareness!” Funny, right? They’ll point their fingers and laugh, but marketing-believers everywhere know the truth. If a funnel full of quality leads is the bountiful garden, then brand awareness (aka getting in front of prospects) is the seed.
As any good farmer knows, certain seeds flourish under certain conditions. A well-nourished physical event may have blossomed into a ton of closed deals last year. But this season? Not so much. To help you out, you’ll find a list of which seedlings will yield the most demand generation growth this year below. And if you’d rather listen to Drew instead, watch this snazzy video made by our friends over at MultiVision Digital:
1. Simplify Your Brand Story
Can you describe your company in eight words or less? If not, it may be time to declutter. A complex brand story will get lost in the chaos, but a simple one will shine. A clear brand story helps focus your messaging, unites employees, and inspires customers. As time goes on, prospects won’t be able to ignore you, especially when they see that your desire to deliver extreme value drives every action that you take.
2. Give Away Something of Value
With large buying committees and long buying cycles, it’s notoriously tough to close deals in B2B. If your business doesn’t provide immediate ROI, then it’s time to catch your prospect’s attention through a tactic we like to call “abundant generosity.” The key is to give away something of significant value, free of charge. Yes, this won’t directly increase revenue, but it will increase the chances that your ideal customer will test your product or service and realize they love it. Then, once they have the budget, you’ll be top-of-mind and far ahead of your competitors.
3. Build an Army of LinkedIn Jedi
“Sell in a different way, you must.” Yep, that’s a direct quote from the Jedi Master himself. He’s talking to your salespeople because, well, “Physical events, there aren’t.” Luckily though, social selling via LinkedIn is proven to close more B2B deals, faster. Renegade is well versed in the art of LinkedIn Navigator, a paid tool that allows users to locate and nurture leads. Navigator’s Social Selling Index (SSI) metes out a score of 0-100, making the tool both competitive and fun as your sales teams learn new skills. May the social selling force be with you.
[For more tips about generating demand during a downturn, check our in-depth B2B Demand Generation Strategy Guide.]