B2B Lead Generation Best Practices: 15 Strategies for Growth

Effective lead generation is the key to building pipeline consistently and hitting sales goals reliably. But finding and nurturing qualified leads isn't always easy, especially if you use tired tactics.

In this article, we'll cover 15 B2B lead generation best practices so your sales team can connect with your ideal customer profile (ICP) and guide high-quality leads toward a conversion more efficiently.

What is B2B lead generation?

B2B lead generation is the process of identifying potential customers, collecting their contact details, and nurturing the relationship over time with a sequence of relevant marketing and sales touchpoints.

Top channels for B2B lead gen

Sales and marketing teams can use a range of channels for lead capture, including:

• Webinars that let you connect with your ICP in real time
• Cold emails that target specific prospects
• Blog content that guides prospects through your sales funnel
• Case studies that prompt leads to make a purchase decision
• Search and social ads that retarget engaged leads

2 types of B2B leads to attract

For B2B companies, leads are prospects that have the potential to convert into customers. As decision-makers, they can be individuals, businesses, or both (i.e., members of a company's buying committee).

However, not all leads are created equal. The two most common types of leads to target include:

• Marketing qualified leads (MQLs) fit your ICP and have shown interest in your business but may not be ready to buy yet. They tend to be lower priority leads.
• Sales qualified leads (SQLs) have engaged actively with your sales team (e.g., via a virtual sales call) and have higher purchase intent. They tend to be top priority leads.

15 B2B lead generation practices to follow

Learn how to generate leads and optimize your efforts with these proven tactics.

1. Create valuable content for your ICP

Start by creating content that speaks to your target customers' pain points and goals. Then, use content marketing channels to distribute the final product and attract your ICP. Use channels like:

• Search engine optimization (SEO) to drive traffic to blog posts on topics with high search volume
• Social media to engage leads in the online spaces where they spend time
• Video marketing to establish authority and build trust with your target audience

2. Host live webinars to engage your audience

While async and on-demand content can be great for lead gen, webinars let you connect with your target audience in real time. Webinars are ideal for everything from sharing your executive team's thought leadership to presenting deminars that walk prospects through your product.

With sales-focused software like Livestorm, your team can take the opportunity to engage potential customers in the moment via live chat. After the webinar wraps, you can use our follow-up emails to keep leads engaged.

Livestorm also makes it easy to set up webinar funnels. These on-demand webinars run automatically, helping you generate leads around the clock.

3. Develop case studies and customer stories

As potential leads start to get serious about making a purchase decision, they're more likely to want data that details how your business can help them achieve key goals.

Case studies and customer stories are ideal for meeting this need. They walk prospects through your customers' challenges and workflows, and they share data that

For example, the LinkedIn post below explains how messaging automation platform Customer.io worked with Notion to transform the productivity app's lifecycle marketing efforts and teases the upcoming case study.

4. Promote high-value lead magnets

Publishing ungated content that anyone can consume tends to be a great way to maximize traffic and views. But when you want to collect contact details and follow up with leads, create gated content instead.

Keep in mind that potential leads will hesitate to share their information in exchange for low-quality content. For best results, promote high-value lead magnets like:

• Webinars featuring industry-leading experts
• Reports packed with original data
• Proven templates tailored to your ICP

5. Launch a free tool for your ICP

With free tools, your company can provide value to potential leads even if they're at the beginning of their customer journey. The best tools address your ICP's pain points, establish trust, and give prospects a glimpse of the value your paid products offer.

For example, sales outreach platform Reply.io has a cold email subject line generator. This free tool helps sales teams write eye-catching subject lines based on specific keywords.

6. Experiment with different lead gen channels

When you find a sales or marketing campaign that delivers results, you may be tempted to allocate your entire budget to it. Since channels can change overnight, what worked last month may not work as well next month.

Instead, aim to experiment with multiple channels at all times. This way, you can continue to build sales pipeline without compromising your lead generation efforts.

7. Share social proof to boost trust

Social proof is evidence that customers buy, use, and like your product. Sounds simple, but it can do wonders to establish trust and convert prospects into customers.

It works because social proof creates what's known as a bandwagon effect. When people learn that others with similar goals and challenges use a product or service, they feel compelled to do the same.

Social proof can look like case studies, strong testimonials, or customer data. For example, Chili Piper shares user numbers and customer logos:

And Surfe shares snapshots of results customers have achieved using the company's prospecting tool:

8. Collect and promote buyer reviews

Another way to use social proof for lead gen is collecting and promoting buyer reviews. While your team can certainly tackle this process manually, tapping into review sites can create a much bigger impact.

B2B SaaS companies often use software review sites like G2 and Capterra to simplify the process. Having a high rating and an active presence on these sites can make a positive impression on high-intent B2B buyers.

For Livestorm, this tactic has proven particularly effective. We've long invited B2B customers to review our webinar software on G2.

But when our growth team began inviting multiple users from the same customer team to submit reviews, we saw impressive results. Our G2 campaign drove a 135% increase in monthly reviews while maintaining our high average rating.

9. Leverage social selling

B2B sellers can also build trust via social selling. A far cry from traditional sales tactics like cold calling, social selling centers on connecting with prospects and creating relationships with potential leads.

A typical B2B social selling strategy involves creating content on social media platforms like LinkedIn. Instead of publishing this content from company pages, individual sales representatives often share this content directly:

• Posts that address your ICP's pain points and goals by sharing trends, observations, and first-hand experiences
• Comments on existing and potential customers' posts to establish relationships and increase awareness with your ICP
• DMs to engaged leads to form deeper relationships and guide prospects toward the next step in the sales process

10. Invest in inbound and outbound tactics

The B2B lead generation strategies above largely focus on inbound methods. In other words, they're designed to generate leads by attracting your ICP.

However, the most successful sales teams tend to invest in outbound tactics, too. These methods involve reaching out to specific prospects to introduce your solution, detail the benefits, and encourage booking a demo.

Some of the most effective outbound approaches include:

• Sending cold emails to prospects
• Cold calling members of the buying team
• Running DM campaigns on platform like LinkedIn

11. Personalize content for audience segments

Does your business serve more than one ICP or a mix of small business, mid-market, and enterprise customers? Showing them all the same version of your website or ads could mean missing out on valuable leads.

Instead, personalize your marketing content for various target audience segments. At Livestorm, we use Mutiny to personalize our website for enterprise and self-serve customers. We also tailor LinkedIn ads to speak to enterprise and mid-market prospects.

Altogether, our personalization and segmentation efforts have led to a 27% increase in enterprise demos and a 78% lift in new mid-market signups.

12. Split-test campaigns to optimize results

When your website already has a decent conversion rate, updating the copy or design can be daunting. After all, the last thing you want is for your optimization efforts to compromise your lead generation results.

But with the right software, you can create A/B tests for your website. This way, you can measure the results of two or more versions. Then, you can use the winning version across your site or for certain segments.

At Livestorm, we use Mutiny to split-test website versions. In a recent campaign, we created a personalized pricing page for freemium users and ran an A/B test. It led to a 63% lift in upgrades for freemium customers.

13. Reengage website visitors

Getting prospects curious about your product or service is just the first step in generating leads. B2B sales cycles** generally last between one and three months, with multiple touchpoints along the way**.

After prospects visit your website at least once, reengage them with remarketing campaigns. Design ad campaigns that invite prospects to share contact information in exchange for a high-value resource.

For example:

• Run Google search campaigns that encourage prospects to book a demo
• Create LinkedIn ad campaigns that promote webinars and lead magnets

14. Perfect your follow-up sequences

Even the best lead generation tactics don't usually lead to immediate sales. Instead, they incentivize prospects to express interest in your solution and share their contact details.

To continue the conversation, your sales team has to follow up. Because once may not be enough, sales reps often create series of follow-ups.

Save time by automating your follow-up sequences. For example, after hosting a webinar with Livestorm, use our built-in follow-up emails to nurture attendees. Link to the on-demand recording or share landing pages with other helpful resources.

15. Use analytics to make data-driven decisions

Optimizing your lead generation process shouldn't be a guessing game. No matter which channels you use, always rely on data from lead generation tools to make informed decisions.

For example, Livestorm webinar analytics reveal which virtual events generate the most views and engagement. And since our platform connects to your customer relationship management (CRM) tool, you can easily track which viewers and which events convert to freemium or paid users.

These analytics should inform the content and cadence of your lead generation campaigns. With this data, you can optimize your efforts and ensure they're contributing to sales goals.

Livestorm for B2B lead generation

To improve the return on investment (ROI) of your webinars and virtual events, use Livestorm. Our webinar platform makes it easy to:

• Host engaging real-time and on-demand webinars
• Automate follow-up emails to keep the conversation going
• Use Livestorm integrations to sync with other sales and marketing tools

Sign up for a free Livestorm account and host your next webinar in minutes.