B2b Lead Generation Trends For 2013

By Author: Stam Bett
Total Articles: 452
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B2B lead generation has gone through a number of changes in the last few years, and marketing professionals now face a tremendous amount of pressure to bring results and justify programs and investments.

In 2013, professionals cite the biggest challenge of B2B marketing is generating high-quality leads. Many marketers also cite their most effective techniques for generating business leads is using a company website, email marketing tactics and search engine optimization, although the biggest barrier to success while generating leads is a lack of resources, both in terms of staff and budget as well as time.

In 2013, marketers must use every resource available for success, and a small minority report they still use direct mail. For those that do, letters, brochures and 3D promotional packages remain the most effective formats to use. This year requires getting creative, using techniques like:
• Webinars, creating compelling content, advertising early and following up,
• Networking and speaking engagements to increase success and drive business leads at trade shows,
• B2B lead generation ...
... through email marketing by creating compelling content, and
• Social media interaction to build relationships in the community.

The most important metrics for measuring the success of marketing return on investment remains cost per lead, revenue and lead volume. On average, 5-10% of qualified business leads convert to customers. Still, an amazing 25% of marketers don't even know their current conversion rates.

Marketers must also learn to allocate their marketing budgets to lead generation. Most B2B marketers do not even know what percentage they currently allocate to generating business leads, although most spend between 10-80%. Surveys find that this amount is increasing, however, for almost half of all marketers.

While conferences and trade shows tend to get the biggest share of the budget for lead generation, an ever growing number are turning to business to business lead generation companies to buy leads. This strategy can often help marketers overcome a lack of resources by avoiding wasting time and staff and purchasing high-quality, qualified leads directly.

The average cost per qualified lead ranges a great deal from under $25 to more than $500, depending on the industry. In general, marketers who spend the most tend to take longer to convert clients and may be spending their time at trade shows and investing in a website just to generate a single lead. Business to business lead generation that harnesses the power of the Internet is the future, and marketers who don't yet have a website capable of generating a great deal of leads may turn to companies to buy leads to boost business performance.

Don't forget to take these statistics into account in your current strategy for generating business leads. Understand your cost per lead to realize the best return on investment and know where your money is going to harness the power of your budget.

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